What Our Kids Learn Through Taekwondo Classes

My grandson starting taking Taekwondo classes in Kindergarten. During his first year of classes, he became passionate about:

the kicks
punches
physical fitness games that required cognitive thinking while completing a pattern of activities

Becoming Culturally Sensitive

As my grandson worked through his program, he became more culturally sensitive when learning the Korean words for the various moves. A significant experience is the spirituality and respect the children learn for others that is reinforced in all individual and group activities. This respect is reinforced when my grandson:

Learns how to bow and make eye contact with his instructor and with his classmates when starting an activity
Is taught courtesy and self-defense when completing his kicks and punches
Becomes respectful of others and the environment
Is taught how to center himself in in relation to others and the environment

Learning Core Values and Confidence

When considering the relevance of what my grandson and peers are learning in class and how this applies to their daily lives, I have observed that:

Kids become more respectful with their teachers and peers at school and with their family at home.
They feel more self-confident when managing their emotions and care for their body.
The children are taught to seek support from their teachers and other adults when threatened by another child acting out.

Overall, Taekwondo has helped my grandson become more confident in managing daily life stresses.

Much success in helping your children become self-confident in their daily lives!

Joyce

Learning About My Grandson When Cleaning

A couple times a month, I help my grandson sort out school papers and clean his room. Although it looks like we are helping mom accomplish a difficult task, I love helping my grandson because I am able to learn more about his interests and what he is learning in school.

A Shared Experience

Our room cleaning project has provided the following insights:

We occasionally sort through his toys to identify what he wants to keep and what he no longer needs and would like to donate to other children.
As we sort the toys, we discuss happy memories playing and what we would like to do in future on various play dates.
We discuss various interests and how his toys can help him explore new interests. For example, Lego can be used for various science explorations.
My grandson is able to reflect on what he values and I can share my experiences.
We brainstorm new activities and outings we can share together to explore new and expanding interests.
Sometimes, we sort through his book collection and talk about our many memories of reading various books together. We may start reading the book together again and relive various interests and outings that are relevant to the story. My grandson may also decide that some of the books should be donated to other children.
When sorting artwork, we discuss how he felt when making the art piece and what it represents. My grandson may describe a wonderful adventure that he was thinking about when creating his masterpiece. Other times, he will share a silly story about how his art piece was developed and what it represents. We have wonderful laughs and discussions as he selects which artwork he wants to hang up in his room.

A Final Thought

When I help my grandson organize and clean his room, it is not about organizing his possessions. The focus is to gain a greater insight into what he is thinking about when he creates his projects. I also learn more about his passions and interests. The activity is just a vehicle that brings us closer together with many shared memories and special discussions.

Much joy in helping our kids organize their rooms!

Joyce

“Out-Growing Their Age” – How to Initiate Self-Reflection for Your Child

It is my firm belief that self-reflection can be nurtured in children while they are young. It’s different for each child since children mature at different rates, but in general, kids are independent enough around age five to start reflecting for personal growth and accepting responsibilities for their actions. Here is a strategy I have used with my children as they approached each birthday. In our home, we call it “Out-growing our age.” Even as my children are pre-teens now, we continue this practice to encourage self-reflection.

5-Year-Old Reflections

This first started when my kids were approaching their 5^th birthday. They started becoming aware that birthday parties were all about them and that the whole event would be a celebration of them. While I love my kids and love celebrating who they are, I didn’t want their birthday party to be self-centered in the negative way. Instead, I wanted their birthday to be a pivotal point for self- assessment. If they were going to get a birthday party, what would I get out of their growing older? I wanted my kids to mature: to out-grow personal bad habits and negative behavior.

A week or so before their birthday, I would tell them that I’m so proud of them and that I’m really looking forward to their getting older and turning 5 years old. I also told them that sometimes, just like how we out-grow our clothes and shoes and can no longer wear them anymore because they no longer fit, we also out-grow bad habits. Could they think of something that is a 4-year-old habit or behavior that they would like to out-grow because it is not fit for a 5-year-old? I left her with a few suggestions to think about.

A few days later, I checked in on my 4-year-old, and amazingly, she said she would like to out-grow screaming tantrums and “I want” demands. (Cue Mama-bear happy dance!) I hugged her and let her know that was the perfect thing to out-grow. I also gave her guidance and suggested she should use the phrase “May I” or “Can I” when requesting something she wanted. We had a few initial lapses, but a few reminders of what she wanted to out-grow was all it took to get her back on track.

Elementary Age Kids’ Reflections

Over the years, we had many good heart-to-heart birthday talks about what bad habits and negative behaviors they would like to out-grow. We think of it as a personal year-end review or a self-assessment. Our girls have wanted to “out-grow” forgetting to pick up their stuff (socks, shoes, backpacks, snot rags) around the house, dilly-dallying before bedtime, and being mean to their sister.

Preteen Conversations

Now that our kids are 10 and 12, our conversations are on the positive slant. We look for characteristics of maturity that we want to grow into. For example, the girls have said they want to have better time management, to be more forgiving, to let others have more opportunities to speak at the dinner table, and to be more responsible. These days, their birthdays are a mark of maturity and a real reason celebrate!

Cheers,

Jaime

Parents Are Their Children’s First Teachers

Parents are silhouette-1082129__340 their children’s first and primary teacher. As the primary teacher of their children, they are responsible for nurturing their children’s healthy development.

Parents As First Teachers

The following strategies can assist parents in providing their children with loving guidance and support:

Communicate through your actions, words, readings, and by writing. Preschool children love to sing, talk, and act. All children love to read with their parents and talk about the story, predict, ask clarification questions, and create new adventures with the book’s characters. Children can enjoy telling stories that are captured through writing and pictures.
Listen with respect and ask questions for understanding. When listening to children, parents can ask clarification questions for added information. Thoughtful questions help children clarify solutions to their problems.
Give your complete attention each day and engage in playful learning. Children need and relish their parents’ time and attention. Parents can create a playful environment with their children and talk with them during your special times together. When engaging them in thoughtful conversations, parents can ask them questions that help them think and problem-solve solutions for everyday situations.
Advocate for your children’s needs. When children are struggling, parents can ask for help and acquire the necessary resources to help their children succeed. Parents do not need to have all the answers. They should not be embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help when their children are struggling with life or school.
Set appropriate and consistent boundaries when disciplining your children. Children feel loved and supported when parents work with them in setting limits for misbehavior. Once boundaries are established and defined, it is important to consistently reinforce them with respectful guidance.

Next Steps

Finally, you can reflect and comment on examples of how you successfully help your children as their primary teacher. Best practices can be shared in future blogs.

Treasure the journey!

Mary Ann

Back to School, Already?

I always loved the beginning of the school year as a student and as a teacher. It was always an opportunity to begin again, to do things better in the new school year.

How can we as parents and guardians be better this year? We are, after all, partners in the education of our children. Taking on the role of partner with our children’s school is the best way to ensure our children will receive the best education possible. Research has shown a connection between parent engagement and improved student learning. How can you be supportive partners and advocates? Here are some suggestions:

Get to know your children’s teachers and the principal. Communicate regularly.
Get to know various teachers’ personalities and how they work with children. Get to know their expectations and goals for their students.
Talk to the teachers about your children. Tell them about your family’s values and traditions. Build two-way relationships.
Learn about what your children are learning. Some teachers send notes home with that information. If they do not, ask your children and ask the teachers. Look at the work your children bring home to get a clue. Sometimes schools hold literacy, math or science nights. These are great opportunities to become familiar with what and how your children are learning.
Talk to your children about their day. If the answer you receive to “What did you learn?” is “Nothing.”, ask more specific questions. “Tell me something funny that happened in school today.” “Tell me something surprising that happened.” “Tell me something serious or sad that happened.” These starters should get a conversation going.
If your young child is having problems with homework or with schoolwork, and you are at a loss as to how to provide support, schedule a meeting with the teacher. Use the time to share about your child’s experience from your perspective and seek to understand what your child needs to be able to do from the teacher’s perspective. At the end, clarify how the teacher will support your child’s growth and how you will support it from home. Follow up until you are satisfied that your child is doing better.
As children get older they should be encouraged to communicate directly with the teacher when they are having problems learning, but it is still helpful to your child if you monitor to make sure the support is being sought and received.
Help in the classroom or take part in classroom activities such as field trips to the extent you can. Children love seeing their parents in school. That will likely change when they reach middle school, so take advantage while you can.
Get involved in school activities. Attend meetings and social events to keep abreast of the needs of the school at large. Parents can play a critical role in the school’s welfare, whether through school beautification activities or fundraising efforts aimed at enhancing educational opportunities for students.
Know that the school belongs to you as a member of the community. Own it. As you take on the feeling of ownership, so will your child. When children have a feeling of belonging in their school, they learn better.
If English is not your first language and you are having trouble communicating at school, request translation. Schools must provide translators when a language is spoken by at least 15% of students at the school.

As parents and guardians, we have the opportunity to renew our commitment to the education of our precious children, a critical path to their future and to ours.

With love and affection,

Rosemarie