Preschool martial arts classes may seem like an early start… But they’re one of the best ways to overcome temper tantrums- AND get your child ahead of the game when they enter school! Check out these incredible ways that our instructors create a tantrum-free household with our preschool classes.
Temper Tantrums in Preschool Kids
Preschool-age kids are emotional creatures. They don’t logically understand that their actions have consequences.
When they’re throwing a temper tantrum, they only know that they’re upset, and that they really want you to know about it.
We can’t fault them for throwing tantrums, because their logical brains are still developing. What we CAN do is help teach them emotional regulation, listening, self control, focusing, and refocusing. And these skills apply to so much more than just tantrums!
What is a Temper Tantrum?
Here’s how it plays out: Something upsets your child. They feel a very strong negative emotion- most often, frustration.
They express this frustration the best way they know how, like through crying, whining, screaming, or even aggressive behavior like hitting or throwing.
Every parent has dealt with temper tantrums before, so you’re not alone! Many of our parents enrolled their kids in our preschool classes because they’ve heard about how martial arts can help kids transform and stop throwing tantrums.
Getting Your Child Ready for School
What’s happening during a temper tantrum is your child is acting based solely on their emotions.
Your child is fueled by thoughts of how unfair something is, and their frustration just keeps building.
We want to teach them how to focus on the adult, listen thoughtfully, and then refocus on something different from the source of their tantrum. These are incredible skills, that your child is learning before they even get to school, that will set them up for LIFE success!
How Preschool Martial Arts Classes Can Help
This is why martial arts for young kids in preschool is so amazing. We consistently see a MASSIVE 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 the preschool level get the emotional and behavioral skills “out of the way” much younger than their older counterparts. They then learn more in their upper level classes because they’ve already gotten their emotions regulated.
Their behavior is under control, so the advanced material will stick better because they’re focusing better. Then, when they enter school, they have an incredible advantage because, well… everything we just said! It all applies to school as well.
Martial arts can help with so much more than just temper tantrums. It’s a tool we use to help our students to become the absolute best versions of themselves, and it shows.
Focusing and Refocusing in Class
So with all that in mind, here’s how we run our preschool martial arts classes: First step is listening.
We make listening FUN in our kids martial arts classes. How? Our instructors are so good, these kids are learning discipline, focus, and listening skills without even knowing it through fun and games.
Just call them life skill ninjas. Martial arts classes at this age are less about the moves, which they learn as they progress through ranks, but more about building foundational behavioral skills that they can use in life and beyond. This includes self control, which is the second step.
Self control here means being able to control their bodies so that they can sit still without fidgeting. 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. Preschool kids often throw temper tantrums because they don’t think you’re listening to them.
They want attention from you. Once they learn through positive reinforcement that listening to you is a good thing, they’ll be less inclined to throw a fit for your attention. Reinforcing and praising our students when they listen is really important.
We know that a lot of parents are busy… But we encourage parents to sit in and watch their kids in class so they can learn the techniques and strategies we use. Then when you practice it at home you can really watch your child transform!
