Introducing the Internationally Acclaimed Early SKILLZ Program!
Preschool kids between the ages of three and four years old love physical activity, especially anything involving play. They have a rich imagination and strong desire to be less dependent on their usual caregivers. The challenge we discovered is that many children at this age have a hard time with structure in a group environment, like what is commonly found in most Martial Arts schools, or even many organized sports teams. The solution we found is to provide preschool kids with their own martial arts program that targets their unique stage of development in a manner that keeps them entertained, while at the same time building skills that set them up for success. With that said, a structured program introducing early skill-based training in Martial Arts has proven to be very successful. (For more information on our classes, visit www.bamaoakland.com
Here’s an overview for the stages of development of children between the ages of 3 and 4:
- Physically– they typically have low muscle tone and poor hand-eye coordination.
- We expect them initially to drop their arms when punching, and to stumble or fall when kicking or jumping. We also expect them to have no concept of spatial awareness, therefore they will drop things that are thrown to them and bump into people and obstacles often.
- The goal for our program is to get them to punch without dropping their arms; kick without falling; jump without falling; and catch objects thrown from various directions and distances.
- Intellectually– kids at this age typically have a limited vocabulary — only about 30% of their language capacity — therefore learning is normally limited to visual and kinesthetic activities.
- We expect them to initially lose focus when activities are over-complicated. We also expect them to struggle with commands that have more than two instructions.
- The goal for our program is to get them to follow verbal commands with no visual demonstration. Also, our goal is for them to remember rules and commands without being reminded.
- Emotionally– they typically have strong preferences and fears, and are not shy about telling you. Therefore they will normally act out of bounds when their emotions get out of control.
- We expect them to run off the mat when they have anxiety. We also expect them to shut down when something either scares them or doesn’t go their way.
- The goal for our program is to help them follow directions and persevere through an activity even if they are initially emotional, and to begin self-regulating when they experience strong emotions.
- Socially– they are typically very self-centered. Also, due to their limited vocabulary their common form of communication is mainly physical. They like to engage in parallel play, meaning they want to be involved in the same activity as those around them, but do not necessarily want to play WITH those around them.
- We expect them to mimic one other, such as falling when their classmate falls. We also expect them to crash into things when they are excited, sometimes even on purpose.
- The goals for our program are to help them build good social skills such as spatial awareness; not interrupting when others are talking; and taking turns properly.
By understanding the stages of development of 3 and 4-year olds, we were able to select 8 age-appropriate skills that make up the Early SKILLZ Program:
- KICKING
- PUNCHING
- BLOCKING
- CRAWLING
- HOPPING
- ROLLING
- RUNNING
- CATCHING
We cover one of the above skills per class (in order). During each class we run a warm-up; deliver a mat chat about the skill to help the kids connect with the lesson; run two or three skill-building drills to engage their working memory; and then we have them demonstrate the skill to earn their skill-stripe. Students must earn all 8 skill-stripes in order to graduate to the next martial arts belt level. Once they earn their next belt they will continue to run through all 8 skills earning their skill-stripes with more challenging curriculum as they advance to each rank. They graduate to the Basic SKILLZ program after they have successfully completed all 9 belt ranks of the Early SKILLZ program.
Here is an example of what a white belt must demonstrate for each of the 8 skills above in order to earn their next belt:
- KICKING – Front kicking in the air, alternating legs. They must be able to execute ten kicks in a row alternating legs in order to pass.
- PUNCHING – Straight punching in the air, alternating arms. They must be able to execute ten punches in a row alternating arms in order to pass.
- BLOCKING – High blocking in the air, alternating arms. They must be able to execute ten high blocks in a row alternating arms in order to pass.
- CRAWLING – Bear crawling across the mat. They must be able to bear crawl up and down the floor without their knees or elbows touching the mat in order to pass.
- HOPPING – Hopping down the floor with both feet. They must be able to hop down the mat with both feet together, and without falling, five times in a row in order to pass.
- ROLLING – Rolling a ball down the floor. They must be able to roll a ball down the floor while alternating hands, and keeping at least one hand on the ball at all times, in order to pass.
- RUNNING – Running down the floor. They must be able to run down the floor as fast as possible without falling in order to pass.
- CATCHING – Catching a ball thrown underhand from one step away. They must be able to catch a ball five times in a row in order to pass.
As you can see we take Martial Arts training for preschoolers to a whole new level! We use early elements of traditional Martial Arts curriculum to build skills that are appropriate for 3 and 4-year olds, focusing more on skill development than technique memorization. This means that your child will learn and grow at a pace that is not too easy, nor too challenging. The best part is the Early SKILLZ program will equip your child with skills that they will utilize in every area of their life!
Check out our Early Skillz martial arts program and schedule your child’s free 1-on-1 lesson with one of our instructors here: 