How to Keep Your Children Engaged- Part II

Part II- Engage Everyone

Be Involved

As with anything, you won’t see or reap any benefits unless you’re involved. And I don’t mean just your children, you the parent too. Children with parents who are actively involved, who watch classes, encourage their kids and ask questions, those are the students who thrive and who have the ability to work through the hard times. Why? Because they are not alone, they have parents who work equally as hard with and for them because they too see and reap the benefits. 

What Can You Do For Your Child?

Be interested. Children need encouragement and acceptance. If mom or dad seem indifferent to their activities or accomplishments then they learn that there is no value to what they are doing or achieving. This will only decrease their confidence in themselves, not build it up.

Approach their classes with a positive attitude. If classes become a chore or a job then the fun is gone and the resistance will start. Your children need to recognize that Kung Fu is important, but they need to be able to enjoy it.

Set them up for success. Get them to class on time. Help them be responsible for their uniform and gear.  Make sure their environment is congruent to their goals; focus is a key to Kung Fu and to life. Noise and distractions will not allow them to get everything they can out of a given lesson.

Join in! Our kids mimic and learn from us. Participate as a family in our events, or join classes yourself. If they see us having fun they’ll be more inclined to enjoy themselves. A family activity will outlast an individual activity because everyone has a part to play and understands the value. The time spent will be time invested. And you yourself will develop understanding and skills, giving you the ability to help your child and maybe picking up a thing or two to benefit yourself. Our most successful students are most often from a family that is heavily involved.

A Little Goes A Long Way

Any student at Silent River Kung Fu has heard the term incremental progression. Tiny steps, with time, create great change. What you do with your children, no matter how insignificant it seems at the time, has the potential of creating life changing ripples, influencing their perspectives, values and choices. Be sure to create habits and routines with your child that supports your ultimate goal; raising a happy, healthy, self sufficient and confident individual.

So get involved. If you do, you will see and understand the value. If you understand the value, it’s easy to be committed and this will filter down to your child. In other words, half the work is done. 

Consistency and Engagement = Confidence

As instructors, we know that by practicing Kung Fu, our students will build confidence as they see that they are improving.  And as instructors, we have a front row seat to these results.  It’s inspiring to watch our students grow and become more confident in themselves, as they develop that “can do” attitude.

I have been having one on ones with both a student and their parent weekly for the past several months and the feedback I am getting is invaluable. I have watched this student in class become more confident in their abilities.  They have gone from being quiet, shy and reserved and not really talking to me, to a student who went up in front of a crowd of parents and peers at our banquet to perform and accept an award with confidence.

This student, in the past 6 months, has grown exponentially. Their parents have seen this improvement and comment about it all of the time.

However, a big part of this equation is the fact that this student attends every class.  Their parents see the benefits, and it’s only through their consistency in bringing their child to class and their engagement in their child’s training, that this confidence has been growing.  And as long as they continue to stay consistent with bringing their child to every class, this student will see improvement in every aspect of their life.

Tania Brinker