Lesson Number 1

[FushinRyu]

okay, it was after class, and the "little ninja's class for like, little kids, was going on. i was waiting for my ride when my shihan forces me to help teach class. i did horrible, didn't know what to do, and was a bit tough on them. i have a feeling that he'll ask me to help again. does anyone have any tips to dealing with children at a karate class???

some of my problems include:

being a bit serious

trying to perfect them

stiffness (it's really hard to be playful and try to teach them at the same time)

i hope i get replies

[joesteph]

Being a bit serious isn't a negative, Fushin, especially if the Little Ninjas need to be introduced to respecting you as their instructor. As for referring to yourself as a bit tough on them, kids are very forgiving, and if you can balance firmness with them having fun (they love to race, jump/hop over targets, go through a tunnel made of two kick shields as walls and a roof by a third kick shield), things will work out okay.

I've watched my teacher with regular kids' classes, and she seems to break things down into smaller bites, due to the shorter attention span of children. She's combined fun with the serious by having them crawl through a tunnel, jump over targets, and then, when they get to the WaveMaster, the kids must, for example, backfist with the right hand, middle punch with the left, and roundhouse kick with the right.

So long as the Little Ninjas feel that you like them, and that you put "excitement" in your voice when giving directions, class with them will improve.

If you have the time, and there's another children's class at a different time, why not observe it?

[bushido_man96]

You don't have to be fake to the kids when teaching, but try to have some fun with them. If MA training is fun for you, and you can show that, then it will be more fun for them.

With that said, remember that kids learn through play, so having focused games that improve on various skills will go a long way to making the classes easier on yourself and the kids.

Kids won't get it right the first time, and maybe not the second time, and maybe not by the end of class. But, they should get better, and show signs that they are understanding and trying. Those are some simple things that can help you with the kids. Don't worry; it gets easier with time.

[Traymond]

Dont really worry about trying to perfect them, because they have their whole life to try and perfect their style.

[white owl]

I found it hard when I started to help with the kids class also, but you have to remember they are just kids. So try to think like a kid.

[Scott_LIFE180]

Fushin, *chuckles* I know exactly how you feel. I'm part of the leadership team at my school and I had to do my first solo Little Tigers class. In my past I've worked with teenagers, Jr High and High School aged kids (in th States) I've never really worked with 4-8 year olds before.

The class was horrible in my opinion. We went through the material for the day, which was just refresher, nothing new, but the games we played after were terrible. The kids lost interest in them so fast it wasn't even funny. The last 15 minutes of the class went by so slow hehe...

So yeah I'm right there with you in asking for suggestions in dealing with little kids.

[AikiGuy]

I've been teaching kids (including my own) on and off for almost 8 years. When I teach kids, I usually try to get them to go away from each class with something new. That could mean learning a new kick, or improving an old one, or just doing it faster or without losing balance. If they try 8 different things and get better at only 1 of them, it's a successful day. The rest will come when it comes. After all they are quite young and don't always pick up new skills the way we do. If they are having difficulty with a particular movement, let them know what to work on, then move on to an easier item for them to practice that day (or over the next several classes) so that they "see" their own improvement and don't become frustrated.

[Rateh]

When I plan kids classes I usually break it down into drills. Each drill lasting for about 1 minute longer than the average age of the students....so for 4-8 year olds I'd make drills 6-7 minutes long. (6 if there are a lot of 4-5 year olds who have trouble with focus, 7 if your students mostly 6-8 )

Rather than drills that are just "stand in a horse stance and practice hand techniques" they should all have some goal in mind.

Sometimes I like to intersperse more focused/boring drills with "skill drills". Drills to work on a specific skill applicable to martial arts training. Such as balance, control, teamwork, perseverance, etc.

Always end with a skill drill or game that builds something involving martial arts.

I tend to like to have all of the drills for the day related to the same thing. For instance all of the drills involving kicks, or sparring, or reacting quickly and appropriately, etc.

Also until you get used to knowing how much time different drills will take...ALWAYS plan for more. So if you think you will do about 4 drills plus warm-ups during the class, plan 5 or 6 drills ahead of time just in case you need them.

As far as warm-ups, I go back and forth between two philosophies. The first is that the kids will get bored if they do the same thing every day, so I have a large variety of warm-ups that I utilize. The second is that kids need stability and doing the same warm-ups every class will help them feel comfortable and confident at the beginning of class.

Also remember that students love using equipment. So be creative in your use of it. Additionally with young students, using things they are learning about in their outside lives helps. With the youngest ones that will be animals and animal sounds, colors, basic numbers, letters, and shapes. Incorporating that into their training will help you reach them better.

That's all that comes to mind at this point in time. I hope it helps someone.

[FushinRyu]

thanks everyone i taught again today (on my own choice) and did great all i had to do was think kid

[bushido_man96]

That is one of the main things to do. Hey, how often do adults get to play? When teaching kids, take advantage of it, and "play" with them.

Also, I think that Rateh really ran down a good list of ideas there. Keep it fun, but focused, and get the kids involved with taking and stuff like that, but make sure it is focused.

Like working on mitts as targets, have them punch with their right hand, and shout "right" each time they hit it. Then do the same with the left hand, the help them learn these. Do the same with kicks. So, instead of just hitting a mitt, they are hitting it, yelling at it, and learning right/left at the same time. And it all sounds fun to them....