Preschool martial arts classes for 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds may seem like an early start… But they’re the best thing you can do for your young child, especially to regulate their temper tantrums! Read on for some incredible ways that our instructors create a tantrum-free household with our preschool classes.
Temper Tantrums in Preschool Kids
Preschool-aged kids are going to act emotionally because a) their logical brain hasn’t developed yet and b) they don’t understand the consequences of their actions and pretty much live only in the present.
This is okay – it’s what makes them kids! We can’t fault them for having a temper tantrum because they don’t know better. What we CAN do is show them how to regulate their emotions, listen, and focus. And these skills apply to so much more than just tantrums!
What is a Temper Tantrum?
Here’s how it plays out: Your child becomes upset by something. They feel a very strong negative emotion- most often, frustration. This frustration leads them to physically express how upset they are through crying, whining, screaming…
It can even lead to aggressive behavior like hitting or throwing. Every child has been through this, and every parent knows what this is like, so you’re not alone! Many parents enrolled their kids in our preschool classes because they’ve heard about how martial arts can help with these behavioral issues in young children.
Getting Your Child Ready for School
What’s happening during a temper tantrum is your child is acting based on pure emotions. Your child is fueled by thoughts of how unfair something is, and their frustration just keeps building.
What we do is teach them how to focus, listen thoughtfully, and then refocus on something different that is far away from the source of their tantrum. These behavior skills can help make life more peaceful, and even give your child a leg up in school!
How Preschool Martial Arts Classes Can Help
This is why martial arts for preschool kids is so freaking cool. Year after year, we see a HUGE difference in kids who start classes at the preschool level, and those that start just one year later. Kids who start martial arts classes at ages 3 and 4 get to learn these emotional and behavioral skills much younger than their older counterparts.
Then, as they ascend through the ranks, they learn and retain more in their upper level classes because they’ve already gotten their emotions regulated. Their behavior is under control, so the material will stick better because they’re focusing better.
Then, when they enter school, they have an incredible advantage because, well… just read that previous paragraph! It all applies to school as well. That’s why martial arts helps with so much more than just temper tantrums. It’s a tool we use to shape our students to become the absolute best versions of themselves, and it shows.
Focusing and Refocusing in Class
Okay, so here’s how preschool martial arts classes can help: First step is listening. We make listening FUN in our classes. How? Our incredible instructors are like life-lesson ninjas, sneaking listening skills, discipline, and focus into every lesson through fun and games.
Martial arts classes at the preschool level are less about the moves, which they’ll develop as they advance through the ranks, but more about building a foundational skill set of behavior that they can use in life and beyond.
This includes self control, which is the second step. Self control is about being able to sit still without fidgeting too much to pay attention. We teach self control the same way- through fun games and activities and positive reinforcement.
Conclusion
That’s a big component of our classes that helps with tantrums- positive reinforcement. Kids in preschool often throw temper tantrums because they don’t think you’re listening to them.
They want attention from you. They’ll be less inclined to resort to negative attention strategies like a temper tantrum when we positively reinforce their good behavior skills, like listening. Reinforcing and praising our kids when they listen is really critical.
We know that a lot of parents are busy… But we really encourage parents to watch how class works, so that they can continue positive reinforcement techniques at home. Then when you practice it at home you can really watch your child transform!
