Kids are not naturally self-motivated. When your child’s mindset is not in the right place, even the most fun activities can be a struggle to get to. With that said, here are some strategies to help you work around a lack of motivation when trying to get your kid to class.

1. Be attentive to what your child is doing at the moment he/she is supposed to get ready for class. If he/she is playing or having fun with a friend, then be ready for a battle. With that said, have your child participate in a chore or task that’s not as much fun around10 to 15-minutes prior to getting ready for class
2. Be attentive to your own projection of emotions as you get your child ready for class. If you are stressed, rushed, or aggravated in any way, this will project the same emotions on your child. With that said, be sure to project positive and upbeat energy as you are getting your child ready for class.
3. Be attentive to how you respond to your child’s overall performance after class. If you are expressing too much emphasis on what he/ she did wrong versus right, then those negative feelings will carry over. With that said, be sure to limit criticism and focus more on productive conversations after class.
4. Be intentional with your goals by communicating with your child’s instructors. The goal is to foster motivation. Let the instructors know about your struggles so that they can be mindful to motivate your child before, during, and after class. It takes a village, so don’t be afraid to ask for support!
5. Prompt motivation by rewarding your child. Remember that children’s brains are still growing, and most of their development comes from positive stimulation and experiences. With that said, pre-frame the proper behavior that you would like to see when going to class, and then set an attainable number of classes he/ she must attend with this behavior, along with a reward for doing so. For example: attend the next 3 classes with the proper behavior and we will grab an ice cream on the way home.

These tips aren’t “rocket science” but are often overlooked. As parents, we get caught up in the daily grind, so we forget that situations like this require attentive and intentional parenting. I hope this post sheds some positive light on how to help your child get ready for class. Good luck!

It is officially 2020. New Year’s Eve has come and gone, and with the start of a new decade comes New Year’s resolutions. Instead of using motivation to go to the gym or start a new hobby try to use self-discipline. The motivation to wake up early to finish a project or go to the gym is not always there, but self-discipline is. The first step is always the hardest, so once you get going remind yourself how much effort you’ve put in, and what your end goal is. By doing so you will help cultivate self-discipline you can use to reliably complete tasks, goals, and personal projects throughout your life.

Are you following your work out regimen, or dedicating free time to your project every day? Great work! don’t stop now! You’ve already put some much effort into it, so why stop now? Use your self-discipline to push through the tuff days you feel like giving up. By doing so you not only strengthen that discipline but also makes the next hard day exponentially easier.

Family Martial Arts

A common question I receive from new students is “how are you so flexible?”. When I was in elementary school I wanted to be able to do the splits. Every night while I watched TV I would practice by stretching several different ways, and eventually, I achieved my goal! This achievement did two things, it improved my overall ability to do all stretches, and taught me that if I set a challenging goal I can achieve it.

I still set stretching goals for my self to achieve through continued practice. I stretch every morning after I get out of bed, and multiple times a day while I teach classes. But not everyone can spend hours of their day touching their toes, so how can you become more flexible?

Set a goal for your self. It could be as simple as touching your ankles in pike stretch, or as challenging as touching your chest to the ground in a straddle. Then set aside 2 – 5 minutes every day to practice that one stretch. Practice a few different ways like seeing how long you can hold the position or have someone assist in your stretch. Since your already on the floor stretching you might as well do the other normal stretches from class right? If you want to be more flexible this is a great way to go about doing it!

See you guys in class!

We have been learning about patience this week in our Little Dragons classes. Sometimes patience can be a really hard thing to have, and that’s why it’s important to practice good patience. Every time you wait for something patiently you are growing your patience skills! The next time you have to wait for something, like if your food is to hot or your in a line, practice your patience and see how long you can wait patiently!

Back in 2018 we decided to expand our services from Stillwater, Oklahoma to downtown Enid! We are so excided to continue our growth and we are currently getting ready for our upcoming Summer Camp and After School Pick-up Programs!

These programs have been wildly successful in Stillwater and we can’t wait for them to catch on in Enid!

Our Sister School in Stillwater, Stillwater Martial Arts, just recieved the Small Business of the Year award. To give them kudos we wanted to share their post so our students in Enid can see the direction we are going!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us on our journey to becoming Stillwater’s Small Business of the Year! It would not have been possible without all of our amazing staff and students working hard every day to be the best at what we do!