Teaching Kids Martial Arts - Why Do Kids Laugh at Me?
Instructors have been asking me what to do about the kids in their class that always giggle and carry on. I know that this can be a problem when you need them to be serious but having times in your lesson for the kids to giggle is practically required.
Kids love to have fun whenever they do anything. Pure and Simple if it isn’t fun they will want to do something else that is fun.
I have found that the best way to keep their attention is by keeping them busy.Don't fill time in your lessons with highly repetitive drills, this will have their minds wandering and you will lose their attention.Keep their attention by changing activities so they have to keep focussed and their minds can't wander.
Kids want to have fun and I think they should have fun during training.It is your job as Instructor to set the bondaries of when they can have fun and when they need to be serious and focused.A lesson plan can't be all fun or all serious, either way has negative results. Break your lessons into segments and balance out the fun and serious stuff.
Here is a sample lesson plan:
6:00-6:03 Warm-up stretches/exercises
6:03-6:05 Basic strikes and stances
6:05-6:10 First Martial Game (get the heart rate up and burn off some excess energy)
6:10-6:15 First technique
6:15-6:20 Second technique
6:20-6:25 Second Martial Game (use a game that reinforces the new techniques)
6:25-6:35 Revision of all belt levels techniques learnt so far.
6:35-6:40 Individual or group forms and sets
6:40-6:50 Controlled sparring
6:50-6:55 Third Martial Game (a fun group game to end the lesson on a high note)
There are two huge advantages to structuring your lessons this way.Firstly the kids are fast learners and they will realise when they can have fun and when to be focused for you. Secondly, because the kids know that there are times to have fun during the lesson you can use those times as the reward for them concentrating during the serious moments.
If you have kids that won’t behave you can make them sit out the next fun section of the class.Don't be one of those Instructors that uses push-ups as a punishment, that's a common mistake. Push-ups are a great exercise and should not be turned into a punishment. Withholding them from the fun of playing with their friends will bring them in-line much quicker.
There is a time and place for kids to giggle and you are in charge of when that’s acceptable in your class.
Regards,
Aaron Perry
ps. Martial Arts Drills and Games may seem like time fillers but they are not. They help add variety to the lesson while reinforcing the skills taught in a fun way that the kids will remember and even do outside of the class which benefits everyone.
