Fun and educational
How is Aikido good for a child’s physical and mental growth?
Aikido strengthens not only the body but also the mind and spirit. Your child will gain a strong sense of focus and self-confidence, while practicing in a friendly atmosphere. The instructors teach the children how to defend themselves without hurting others.
Non-competitive
Aikido is a non-aggressive and non competitive martial art. What does this mean? Some kid’s games and exercises can be competitive, and that creates an antagonistic environment for play. With Aikido, there’s no competition, and the focus is enjoying the activity. In fact, children are encouraged to help each other understand the motions and perfect them together. Uniformity in the movements of all participants is something that children will thoroughly enjoy. Children participating in Aikido focus on their instructor and themselves, and not on each other.
Calm the mind
Of course, kids shouldn’t be calm all the time. But Aikido gives them the choice. If they need to sit still at school, or concentrate on homework, or focus during sports, Aikido shows them exactly how to do that. The techniques and ki testing we do teach them correct calmness. This is entirely different from keeping their emotions bottled up. Aikido calmness feels good.
Improve concentration
By training in Aikido, kids develop calm, clear minds. As a result, they absorb knowledge easier, and think with greater clarity. Aikido is about developing the full human potential, and school is one of the most important places for this potential to be realized.
Positive world view.
It teaches that in order to create something worthwhile, you must work in harmony with your environment. It teaches that if you make trouble, you will lose. But if your mind is correct, calm, and positive, you can make something good out of whatever the universe hands you.
What to know for your first Active Kids class
Studying any martial art, and aikido in particular, has tremendous transformative benefits for kids. Apart from the physical benefits, studying a martial art improves concentration; teaches children self-discipline and respect, both for themselves and for others. Aikido has been shown to improve balance, agility, strength, flexibility, stamina, muscle tone, and coordination.
The mediation component of Aikido can help to calm the mind, improve concentration, reduce anxiety, and lower blood pressure and heart rate. In order to learn the Aikido’s movements and perfect them, children need to pay attention, focus and concentrate. They must maintain this mindset for the duration of the session. The more children learn to focus their minds and concentrate on a task, the more these skills will develop and improve. As a martial art, Aikido also teaches children discipline, a sense of inner calm, and appropriate social skills. Aiki can be particularly helpful to children with ADHD, anxiety, and physical disabilities.
Overall Benefits of Aikido for Kids
Getting the kids involved in exercise classes might seem like a daunting task, especially if your kids are different ages and sizes. The good news about Aikido is that the classes are designed to suit all ages and all physical strengths (and weaknesses). This is truly the type of class that is great for all ages!
When you start looking for sport and exercise classes for the kids, you might initially think about separating them. You know how it goes; ballet for the girls, football for the boys, right? Maybe it’s time to stop doing that. aikido is a unique and beneficial form of exercise that both boys and girls can enjoy at the same time and in the same space.
Children can learn to socialize on a more mature level when participating in Aikido. When children have nothing in common (or no common goal/interest), social encounters can seem disjointed or chaotic. Aikido can change this type of scenario. As children learn to observe, help each other with movements, and have a common interest it can help them to socialize in a calm, appropriate manner. Aikido can teach children about teamwork, leadership, and communication.
Some kid’s games and exercises can be competitive, and that creates an antagonistic environment for play. With Aikido, there’s no competition, and the focus is enjoying the activity. In fact, children are encouraged to help each other understand the motions and perfect them together. Uniformity in the Aikido movements of all participants is something that children will thoroughly enjoy. Children participating in Aikido focus on their instructor and themselves, and not on each other.
In order to learn the Aikido’s movements and perfect them, children need to pay attention, focus and concentrate. They must maintain this mindset for the duration of the session. The more children learn to focus their minds and concentrate on a task, the more these skills will develop and improve.
Outside play is quite important for developing a child’s physical strength. Playgrounds are typically designed to incorporate activities that help to develop a child’s arm and leg muscles and teach them how to balance and coordinate more effectively. As Aikido develops muscle tone, strength, stability, and flexibility, a child’s natural balance and coordination skills will develop and improve too.
Studies have proven that Aikido can actually reduce hyperactivity in children when done consistently for just several weeks. Aikido is a very slow, controlled, calm martial art that requires focus and attention to detail. Children with ADHD get distracted easily when forced into tasks that are seen as “work”. As Aikido is a fun group activity, it is a great way to bring about a sense of calm in your child without making it seem like it’s a concentrated task.
It can be difficult to get a child to exercise and build physical strength. And you probably aren’t going to sign your young child up for weight lifting at the local gym. Aikido is not an aerobic sport, but it does provide a full body workout. All muscle groups are worked, strengthened, and developed in a slow, controlled manner. When kids have fun, they don’t even know that they are exercising.
Anxiety is more prevalent among young children and teens than ever before. Parents can feel quite helpless, watching their child struggle with anxiety. When someone feels anxious, deep breaths are often recommended. People are also typically told to try focus and calm their minds and think of something that’s relaxing. Aikido is perfect for this. The exercise requires slow, steady breathing, and calm movements. It requires focus and a calm mindset – and that just happens to be the entire basis of Aikido.
Nowadays, children sit for long periods of time in classes and in front of the television. This can negatively impact on their postures. Spine, neck, and back problems are common among children causing incorrect posture and leading to pain and discomfort. With Aikido, children can develop better posture through strengthening and developing of the muscles. To do Aikido, correct posture and a careful balance must be maintained. This can help to address the problem of incorrect posture and minimize the potential for strains associated with it.
Some kids experience anger and frustration and don’t know how to deal with those feelings appropriately. Teaching a child that they can work through their stresses in a calm and collected manner while maintaining an even temper, is important for their overall emotional well-being. Aikido focuses on deep breathing as well as slow and calm movements – these are ideal for quelling feelings of frustration and anger.
Teaching children to trust themselves enough to learn and complete a task or skill is vital for instilling a sense of confidence and self-esteem. Aikido takes some time to learn and requires children to truly commit themselves. Once your child learns the movements and starts enjoying the art, you can expect them to feel more confident in themselves and their achievements.
Discipline is something that all children need to learn from a young age. Without discipline, your child will never have the drive and commitment to complete tasks or progress in life. Aikido is excellent for teaching discipline as it requires regular practice, and a child must fully apply him/herself.
Tearing kids away from the confines of the house and their screens can be hard nowadays. Group activities are a great way to encourage children to get out and about in the fresh air and sunshine. Aikido can be enjoyed outside in the fresh air. Classes (Especially Aikido’s camp) can be held outdoors.
Getting your child to go on a bike ride once or go for a walk around the block a few times will do little towards teaching them the importance of exercise. When your child starts learning Aikido, they will need to practice on a daily basis as well as attend regular classes. They will very soon learn the importance of exercise and that it must be done regularly.
Aikido is excellent for mental, physical, and emotional well-being. Aikido focuses on a mind-body connection and is known to calm the mind, boost concentration levels, minimize anxiety, and even lower blood pressure. Aikido is a great release for pent up tension something many kids tend to have these days.
Aikido is an art form that is highly beneficial to people of all ages. It is thoroughly enjoyed by young and old, and there are several versions available to cater to a variety of unique physical strengths and abilities. If you are wondering if Aikido is beneficial to kids – the answer is a definite yes!
