Introducing the internationally acclaimed Early SKILLZ program!
Children aged three to four love physical activity and anything involving play. They have vivid imaginations and a strong desire to be less dependent on their usual caregivers. Many children this age struggle with the structure of a group environment, as is common in most martial arts schools. Therefore, a program that targets their developmental stage in a way that entertains them while building skills for success is effective at this stage of development.
Stages of development in the Early Skillz program
Here is an overview of the developmental stages of children aged 3 and 4:
- Physical – They typically have low muscle tone and poor hand-eye coordination.
We expectWe also expect them to have limited spatial awareness, so they may have difficulty catching thrown objects and bumping into other children and obstacles.
The goal of our program is to encourage 3-4 year olds to punch without lowering their hands, kick and jump without falling, and catch objects thrown from different directions and distances.
- Intellectual – they usually have a limited vocabulary, so learning is usually limited to visual and kinesthetic activities.
We expectthat they will initially lose focus when activities become too complex. We also expect them to have difficulty with tasks that have more than two instructions.
The goal of our program is to encourage them to follow verbal commands without visual demonstration. Our goal is also for 5-6-year-olds to memorize rules and commands without reminders.
- Emotional – they usually have strong preferences and fears, so they will normally act outside the boundaries when their emotions get out of control.
We expectthat they may stray when they feel anxious. We also expect that they may stop exercising when something gets too much for them or doesn't go their way.
The goal of our program is to help them follow directions and persevere, even if they initially react with strong emotions.
- Social – They tend to be very self-centered. Furthermore, due to their limited vocabulary, their common form of communication is primarily physical.
We expectthat they will imitate other children, for example, by falling when their classmate falls. We also expect them to bump into things when they get excited.
The goal of our program is to help you build good social skills, such as spatial awareness and waiting your turn when others are speaking.
Skill development
By understanding the developmental stages of 3 and 4 year olds, we were able to select 8 age-appropriate skills that make up the Early SKILLZ Program:
DIGGING
HITTING
BLOCKING
CRAWLING
JUMPING
ROLLING
RUNNING
CATCHING
Here's how the Early SKILLZ program works:
1. Each class is dedicated to one of the above skills (in order)
2. Each class includes a warm-up; a short discussion on the mat about the skill; then three exercises to develop that skill; and then a checkpoint to see where you are with the skills for the day.
3. We finish the class with stretching and then some fun.
4. We repeat the same pattern for each skill so that we cover each of the 8 skills in a month.
5. When children reach the age of 5, they are ready for the next program, which is Basic SKILLZ for 5-6 year olds.
As you can see, this isn't your typical martial arts curriculum! We incorporate research and development into an age-appropriate program. This means your child will learn and grow at a pace that's neither too easy nor too demanding. Best of all, the Early SKILLZ program will equip your child with skills they can use in every area of life!
