This time of year is so fantastic with
everyone geared up to action in their New Year's Resolutions but have you made
them with your kids? This is a perfect time of year to introduce new fun
activities for your children, helping them connect to their bodies and create
healthy habits at a young age.
Here are a few fun activities we offer here at Movement
Works...
Kids Yoga
A lot of times we forget that the hustle
and bustle of everyday life effects our children too. By cultivating a practice
for them that teaches them to care for their bodies through movement and breath
they learn to handle challenges in a more peaceful way.
Most of the same poses that are taught in
adult yoga classes are taught here but in a more imaginative and playful way.
Many yoga poses are inspired by animals and nature, so in kid’s yoga we
approach them with stories and sounds.
Children will walk away with more
flexibility, strength, keener concentration skills and calmness. They hold all
the benefits of practice all the while having fun.
Researchers
at California State University recently examined the correlation between yoga
and academic performance, discipline, attendance and self –esteem. The study
showed a 20% increase in the number of students who felt good about themselves
and a 6% increase in classroom discipline, indicating that students who had high
participation in yoga class also had fewer discipline problems. These research
results also showed a “statistically significant” link between yoga
participation and better grades.
Slovacek, S.P, Tucker, S.A, & Pantoja L. (2003) A Study of the
Yoga Ed Program at The Accelerated School. P2, 10.
Dance
Dancing is a fun and athletic form of self-expression as they
learn to move fluidly with their bodies as well and train in strength
coordination, flexibility and concentration.
Here are four amazing reasons your child should dance!
1. Improved physical health.
- Dance corrects poor
posture, creates stamina, flexibility and physical strength. It improves
balance and coordination and not to mention a fantastic cardiovascular workout.
2. Social Benefits
- Because dance is a social
activity, children learn to interact with others and become a team player and
learning to perform for others allows for more confidence in speaking or performing
for others.
3. Educational Benefits
- In order to become a
skilled dancer one must be committed to a dedicated practice which creates
focus and discipline. These skills can later be adapted to other areas of their
life academically or otherwise.
4. Improved Self Esteem
- When practicing dance
regularly a student becomes more aware of their body in how it operates, is
cared for and moves. This understanding of their body creates comfort in their
own skin and self-expression.
Students who participate in arts learning
experiences often improve their achievement in other realms of learning and life. In a
well-documented national study using a federal database of over 25,000
middle and high school students, researchers from the University of
California at Los Angeles found students with high arts involvement
performed better on standardized achievement tests than students with
low arts involvement
Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and
Student Academic and Social Development. The Arts Education Partnership
(AEP)
Martial Arts
Why should my kid take Martial Arts?
1. They will be physically active
2. They will learn dedicated focus and
stillness
3. They will learn to take hits (in form of self-defense and
disappointments in life)
4. They will attain self-respect and
confidence
5. They will connect mind and body
6. They will learn to breathe
7. They will learn to resolve conflicts
This disciplined practice teaches honor
and respect for one’s self as well as others and is actually a training in
non-violence.
One cross-sectional study controlled for
self-selection and attrition by studying both current and former students of
Karate, Tae Kwon do or Jujitsu. They found an inverse relationship between rank
and aggression in students studying in "traditional" settings. Former
students also had these lower measures of aggression. This suggests a decrease
in aggression can be attributed to training, not attrition. Martial arts
practice cultivates decreases in hostility and feeling vulnerable to attack.
They also lead to more easygoing and warmhearted individuals and increases in
self-confidence, self-esteem, and self-control
Psychosocial Benefits of the Martial Arts:
Myth or Reality? A Literature Review by Brad Binder, Ph.D 1999
As you can see all three activities are
beneficial physically, mentally and emotionally. Which one resonates with your
child?
Our Youth Program starts this week January
12th, 2015!
Check out our website for more
details.
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