The
Stages of Development of
Children
Little Phoniex Ages 3-4
This age group is considered the
pre-school group. Many parents
and even teachers alike have
believed in the past that
knowing the alphabet and
counting to 20 meant that their
children were ready for
pre-school and the tasks that
follow. But actually, children
do not need academic knowledge
before they enter school—they
need
listening skills, a good
attention span and motor skill
development.
Why is this important? Children
who participate in outside
activities develop faster and
better if they acquire the
skills mentioned above at an
early stage. Studies have proven
that children under the age of
five who possess the ability to
listen and pay attention, tend
to perform better in pre-school
and elementary education. This
“jump start” can have a dramatic
difference in their overall
attitude throughout their
childhood. Furthermore, children
in this age group, with above
average gross motor skill
development, are more likely to
excel in physical and social
activities, boosting their level
of confidence and emotional
state. Again, why is this so
important? Because Martial Arts
is the prefect source for
developing and nourishing the
skills that are deemed important
to ensure the best possible
scenario for childhood
experience. In other words, we
can make a dramatic difference
in a child’s life, even for a
child as young as 3!
Super Phoniex Ages 5 & 6
Do you think 5 and 6 year olds
are ready for a traditional type
of Martial Arts curriculum? Not
yet, because they are in the
growth stage, they lack the
preliminary development in their
eight basic fundamental skills:
Focus, teamwork, control,
memory, balance, discipline,
fitness and coordination.
A good Martial Arts school can
use these eight skills as the
foundation of a preliminary
curriculum to fully prepare
students for the challenging
Martial Arts training ahead.
Don’t rush them; there is no
reason to throw an unprepared or
under developed child into an
advanced Martial Arts program
class with older students. Such
type of atmosphere tilts the
balance of learning. With this
said, let’s explore how we can
take this idea and turn it into
two results driven Martial Arts
curriculums that are
age-specific. |
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