Have you ever taken a moment to truly admire the art and incredible beauty of watching a child at play? Their fully engaged spirit, drive, imagination and passion are all completely focused on the mission of the moment. Whether tinkering with their next greatest creations or saving the day as their favorite superhero, children demonstrate […]
On any given day, we may experience moments of high emotion in reaction to an event, or we find ourselves trying to control everyone and everything around us. Either way, our mental well-being is in danger, especially if we find ourselves stuck in these types of scenarios for long. And it can be difficult for […]
The growth and development of a child can be one of the most fascinating things to watch unfold. From infants mirroring movements to toddlers and children mastering high level developmental skills, the growth they experience in a short time is astounding. And while all skills are important for children to master, bilateral coordination is an […]
Most people are aware of the benefits of physical activity… a stronger cardiovascular system, improved muscle tone, weight management, motor coordination, etc. Additionally, there are brain-boosting benefits of exercise that help children with brain function and learning, which lead to better school performance. Unfortunately, however, many adults aren’t knowledgeable about the significance of underdeveloped motor […]
Parents have always served as the primary, and usually, the most important role model for their children, even though family members, teachers, and coaches have a significant impact on a child’s development as well. However, in the wake of the pandemic, these people have had less of a presence in children’s lives which ultimately left […]
The “Quarantine 15” has been yet another horrible reality of the pandemic. Not only were we separated from our family and friends, but unstructured days, decreased motivation, and increased boredom led to unhealthy habits for families. The result, for many, has been weight gain and reduced fitness levels, which has set the stage for disease […]
It is becoming increasingly apparent that no one is to blame for anything that happens. So, if this is the case, how do we get ourselves in such turmoil if no one is responsible? Although this seems ridiculous, the use of “blame-shifting” has become the go-to way of justifying mistakes. When we have arguments or […]
Parents everywhere want their children to be successful. Achieving success is usually defined by fulfilling societal norms, whether in terms of grades, athletic abilities, or something else. And the push to accomplish these things is putting pressure on children and on parents as well. Comparisons are fueling the expectation for children to develop at a […]
Adolescence has always been a challenging time for parents and teens. This is typically because adults feel teens are lazy and/or out of control. However, these behaviors are usually present because teens feel uninspired and lack the right motivation in their lives. And while the development of the brain hasn’t changed, the environment around teens […]
Although Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is such a common diagnosis, there are still many misconceptions surrounding it. People often assume that ADHD results from poor parenting, laziness, or some learning disorder. And with these assumptions come a wide range of ways to “fix” the problem. However, with the lack of proper understanding of this disorder, […]
Healthy connection levels between parents and children have decreased over the years, leading to more challenging behaviors from children. Today’s busy lifestyle has interfered with the opportunities for the parent-child bond to grow. This vital aspect of a child’s life is essential for their emotional cup to be full, which gives them healthy self-worth and […]
As we navigate the world, we all use our senses to receive information from our surroundings, let our brains process it, and then tell us how to react. Generally, we respond with minimal disruption to our routine. However, processing sensory stimuli can be a challenge for some people, either because there is too much or […]
The past year and a half of school has been such a roller coaster ride. From school closures to virtual classes to reopening, it seems as if our children have experienced every out-of-the-norm scenario we could imagine. And although the goal was to keep them healthy and safe, children’s development took a significant hit. We’ve […]
Children’s challenging behaviors have long been the focus of adults’ negative view of characteristics that don’t fit the mold of societal expectations. This rigid “deficit thinking” causes parents to worry and complain about their child’s qualities and make them try to “fix” what is wrong or make excuses as to why they can’t do certain […]
Today’s world is busy; people are rushing here and there to get to work, school, or the next extracurricular activity. Even our leisure time is filled with things to do. And during all of it, we are distracted by our electronic devices. This not only leads to us missing important moments in our lives, but […]
Advancements in technology have definitely made our lives easier. We can work from home, go to school, shop online, and watch newly released movies, among many other things, all without leaving the couch. And while this is convenient and time saving, it can lead to unexpected health consequences. The reason is that we are sitting for […]
In a world that highly values the traits of extroverted individuals, quiet and shy children are often assumed to have something wrong with them. However, shyness is simply a personality trait that is part of their temperament. Children are born with unique personalities, with varying degrees of introversion and extroversion. And it is apparent that […]
Parenting can be tricky. We want our children to be resilient, empathetic, and able to self-regulate. However, with the busyness of life, the experiences that build these characteristics fall by the wayside, and “no” becomes an automatic response. Children are continually being told what to do and what not to do. As a result, the […]
Over the past year, children have faced many disturbances in their daily lives and interactions. These things have contributed to a lot of emotional imbalances and brought on or exacerbated feelings of sadness, fear, and anxiety. Since children are still developing abilities to regulate their strong and ever-changing emotions, they need assistance in strengthening these skills. Providing […]
As the pandemic carries on, our coping skills are starting to unravel. For many people, this has become the ultimate emotional test. As we continue to maintain our distance from each other, not only have our social lives been halted, but our emotional support is wavering as well. And while we have been living this […]
The recent closures of schools and businesses are widespread and have led to major disruptions in the daily routines of families. Children are trying to adjust to doing school at home and parents are now trying to balance their new work from home life with their role as teacher to their children. To cope, it’s […]
Stress is a significant part of our lives today. And while we all experience it, children and teens have a more difficult time managing it. Academic pressure, social tensions, family stressors, etc all impact a young person’s mental well-being. For this reason, it’s important for parents to help their children develop coping skills by guiding […]
We live in a competitive world and most parents would jump at the chance to give their child every advantage imaginable. The world can also be unkind and, as parents, we feel a need to protect our children from everything possible. And yes, parents are supposed to help and protect their children but when does […]
The development of a child can be one of the most fascinating things to watch unfold. From infants mirroring movements to toddlers and children mastering high level developmental skills, the growth they experience in a short time is astounding. And while all skills are important for children to master, bilateral coordination is an important prerequisite […]
The New Year has arrived and lofty resolutions have been set. Anything from working out daily to saving money to losing weight, our society knows how to dream big! However, when big dreams aren’t broken down into smaller, achievable goals, failure often ensues. And to make matters worse, our children watch us throughout this short-lived […]
School safety should be a right for all students alike. It’s up to you as a parent to teach your child about bullying. Empower your children with the facts and ways to stop bullies in their tracks. Bullying is a serious problem that can a have long-term negative impact on the victim, the bully, and […]
Physical activity is not only essential for healthy growth and development, it is also important to learning and getting good grades in school. Active kids are proven to get better grades, better sleep, and have better attendance in school. In the age of apps, tablets, and streaming it can be difficult to keep these items […]
“Don’t talk to strangers” used to be the cure all to protect your child, but there are two sides to this statement. If your child wants to make friends or is lost…they need to talk to a stranger. Instead of creating an encompassing rule of “Don’t talk to strangers”. Teach your children to learn who is […]
Have you ever wondered why children and teens seem to be so addicted to their smartphones and other devices? Parents are frustrated with their children’s lack of attention and motivation but what do their devices have to do with this? The answer is found in science! Often referred to as the “motivator molecule,” dopamine is […]
When it comes to parenting, emotions can run high. When children act out negatively, parents often become frustrated quickly and react by trying to fix the behavior immediately by yelling, punishing, etc. However, this approach is never a win for the child or the parent. As a Pediatric Ninja Specialist, Melody Shuman, the founder of […]
Does your child have a hard time making good decisions or trouble following the rules? The good news is that they are not doing this on purpose. After years of working with students and observing the emotional and social stages of development we recognize that every decision they make (Good or Bad) ultimately has a […]
Hey SKILLZ Parents! Our staff at Murrayhill Martial Arts hopes your ninja will love every second of their new school year! We wanted to share one of the many ways our Basic SKILLZ program help prepare kids for the new school year… By reinforcing their ability to show good TEAMWORK! In class we work of different types of TEAMWORK including: […]
It is Back to School Season! Our staff here at Murrayhill Martial Arts knows that Back to School season is an exciting time for children. We also understand that it can be a little intimidating as well. One of our goals here is to help prepare our ninjas be rockstars everywhere they go and prepare them for […]
Summer break is a fun and essential time for children to take a break from school, create life long friendships and develop their creative spirit. I’d argue that perhaps summer breaks should be even longer, or that the kids should have longer breaks through the school year. But, that’s another topic. However, there may be […]
The Best Summer Camps Teach Martial Arts It might not seem possible, but summer is almost here. The kids will be out of school – and you’ll be wondering what you can do to help them fill their days with something other than endless rounds of video games. We have the ideal solution in our […]
We have developed an excellent, proven program to help give parents and toddlers a great way to interact while working on developmental skills at the same time. The reasons for starting a program such as ours are vast and include the following: Intellectually Their thinking skills are across the board,which makes it hard […]
We are happy to announce our newest class for an extremely fun group of kids… Toddlers! Toddlers 18 to 36 months will be joined by their Mom, Dad, Grandparent or Nanny in this fun class, led by our highly trained instructors. As with our other classes we engage in fun,educational class activities designed […]
Parenting is hard, it’s likely the highest pressure thing we do, with the most at stake. Sometimes, we all wish that someone would just tell us what to do. Perhaps it’s easier to identify the “to-don’ts” instead of the “to-dos” Here are some things that we do with the best of intentions. And, some possible […]
Today I want to share with you the Extreme SKILLZ (10 to 14-year olds) martial arts curriculum breakdown. Ten to fourteen-year-olds are the smartest students in the school. Yes, they are smarter than most adults! They are also physically competent and can excel in most physical challenges that are presented to them. The problem we […]
Today I want to share with you the Core SKILLZ (7 9-year olds) curriculum breakdown. Seven to nine-year-olds are what most people consider “the golden age.” They are proficient in their vocabulary and problem-solving skills, yet they are not at the age where they want complete independence from adults. This makes the teacher-student relationship stronger […]
Here’s an overview for the stages of development of children ages 5 and 6: • Physically- they typically do not know how to apply their muscles so they fall often when their body is in constant motion. Also, they have a foundation for leg, arm, core, and abdominal development, but they still lack a lot […]
Here’s an overview for the stages of development of children ages 3 and 4: • Physically- they typically have low tone and poor hand-eye-coordination. We expect them initially to drop their arms when punching and fall when kicking or jumping. We also expect them to have no concept of spatial awareness, therefore they will drop […]
Dear Parent, Today I’d like to talk about tough situations, struggles, failures, and the importance of following through in a manner that promotes growth in children. When things get tough for our kids the two most common ways parents handle these situations is to either swoop in and be the hero or to leave them […]
Here are 12 great points as discussed in Professor Ricardo Almeida one of the top Brazilian Jiujitsu professors in the country.His article is linked for you below. I strongly recommend reading the entire article if time permits. http://www.ricardoalmeida.com/12-reasons-martial-arts-better-kids-team-sports/) 1. Self-Defense Martial arts teach you the techniques to defend yourself, but also the way to […]
When it comes to educating kids to be well-rounded martial artists and raising them to be good adults, we want them to be resilient. We want them to happy, healthy and successful. And, we know that the world, and their lives won’t be unicorns and rainbows all the time. We want them to be able […]
Dear Parent, Stress and anxiety in our own lives is something that we “put up with”, but when it comes to our kids we don’t want them to unnecessarily be anxious or stressed out. However, stress and anxiety are a part of life and we can’t completely inoculate them from these realities. What we can […]
Guest Post By Master Melody Shuman When I started martial arts in 1987 as an 11-year old, things were very different. Kids and adults trained side-by-side, and everyone tested on the same material for their belt regardless of age. Needless to say, kids usually didn’t make it very far before dropping out because the training […]
As parents, we do our best to have the appropriate amount of control on the content and sources that our children have access to. When they are very young it is 100% in our control but as they grow and get more exposure to peers, teachers and third party information sources that control will diminish, […]
I started teaching martial arts to children almost 25 years ago. The parallels between the evolution of martial arts teaching styles and parenting styles is interesting. I see martial arts instructors teaching the same way today as 25 years ago. I see some parents raising their kids in a similar way that they were […]
One of the biggest concerns from parents during the school year is bullying. Some 160,000 kids skip school every day because they fear of being attacked or ridiculed by bullies. The good news is that these disturbing statistics can be limited with the proper education. As an educator that has worked with hundreds of children on anti-bullying […]
As seasoned children’s martial arts instructors, we have witnessed just about every sort of behavior and outburst from working with hundreds of martial arts students over the years. We have seen it all from playful name calling to angry tantrums. Some things are difficult to not take personally, but our experience allows us to put […]
Part of the Children’s Martial Arts Tradition is to help them to improve physically, emotionally, intellectually and socially through martial arts classes. And, we hope that these lessons and improvements stick both in and out of the martial arts studio. However, with technology our ability to observe and watch over our children is greater than […]
As parents there are so many responsibilities to raising a child. One of the big ones is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. It’s also a big part of what we do with martial arts training. It can be tempting to shower them with good-jobs, hurrays and high fives, but we also need to ensure […]