Benefits of martial arts / sports groups for younger children
KB’s Cubs programme is designed specifically for children aged 3 – 6 years old, and there are many reasons why it can be beneficial for children in this age group to attend sports based groups.
Firstly, our Cubs programme is fun. It is a safe environment where young children can come and run off some of their never ending energy, and take part in fun activities which are designed just for them.
Encouraging children to take part in exercise from a young age is also great for developing healthy lifestyle habits. We all know just how important exercise is for us, and if children get into the habit of exercising frequently, and hopefully develop a love for a sport at the same time, it really can give them the best chance of continuing this into adulthood.
Our Cubs programme also helps our students develop so many skills which will be important for them in life, as well as when transitioning into our 6+ programme. Many of the activities they do are not obviously martial arts related, but all of the activities are aimed at developing the core skills they will need to progress. Balancing on a floor beam, for example, will develop their balance, which will be needed when standing on one leg and doing kicks, and popping bubbles will help improve their hand-eye co-ordination. We also incorporate much of the basic structure of the older programme, into the Cubs sessions. Warm up, stretches, a game, cool down, circling up to end the session for example, are all activities which tend to take place in both sessions. This means that the transition tends to be quite smooth, as the students are used to the general structure, and can then adapt more easily to the introduction of other different activities.
Attending a short, regular group can also be great for developing the independence and self confidence of young children. Often, they are having so much fun that they forget that they are doing so in an independent way. Once they have adapted to the new structure of their class, you also often find that they develop a new level of self confidence, and the quietest of children can soon be the ones to volunteer first to do an activity. It also helps them to get used to working with other children, and develop valuable skills such as following instructions and taking turns.