Summer vacation for families is a stressful and busy time of year. Montana summers, in particular, is a short season to pack in so much recreation.
We get it. With kids out of school and vacations on the calendar, you can barely manage routine activities. That’s when we hear from parents that they “just want to take time off of activities.”
Taking time off of for summer vacation may seem like the most convenient approach, but it sets parents up for major headaches in the fall.
Dedication to your passion. It can be a problem for kids too try too many activities when they are younger. They can end up being jacks of all trades, and masters of none. As soon as they start to actually develop a sport specific skill, the season ends.
More importantly, building new habits is challenging, whether you are a child or an adult. “Taking a break” sends kids the message that it’s okay to give in when things get hard.
Growing Gorillas who stick with the program have the experience of mastering a skill and fulfilling a long term commitment no matter how tough it is.
Teach them to make habit a habit. Children have a different perception of time than adults. It’s difficult for them to think abstractly about the future, and they are far more interested in their immediate wants and needs.
Kids will have days when they want to quit, are unmotivated, or they say the don’t like BJJ anymore. Like adults, their motivation waivers from week to week.
Under the age of 10, parents shape their children’s experience. As the parent, it’s up to you to choose the activity, keep the routine, and hold kids to their commitments.
Personal development doesn’t take breaks. Sports are great for teaching children of any age the benefits of movement and exercise. But what about respect, confidence, resilience, and grit? They miss out on learning resilience, confidence, and self defense against bullies. There are few other sports where your child can learn this.
In SBG’s kids martial arts program, not only does your child develop good habits for exercise but also for personal growth. Our curriculum integrates aspects of personal development into our activities. With guidance from their coaches, they learn how to apply those life skills on and off the mats. That is something that never goes out of season.
Structure, routine, and down time for parents. The hectic end of the school year is followed by an open schedule for your child. They quickly go from doing 100 things to 0 things. For the parent who is caring for them at home, this means less down time.
You go from having them in school 5-7 hours a day plus 1 hour of BJJ to having them full time at home. That was the time you prepped meals, ran errands, or simply vegged out in front of Netflix.
Your kids are going to be at home – bored and restless – and expect you to entertain them. Break time for parents often becomes screen time for kids.
A structured routine for your child gives you down time that will keep your home life balanced.
Keeping Up with Their Peers. Your child may take a break, but their peers will continue training. In 3 months their teammates will have belt promotions, better jiu jitsu skills, more confidence, and stronger relationships with other students.
When kids take a break from jiu jitsu, they miss out on all of that. It’s disheartening for them to return from an extended break and see that the friends they once trained with are more advanced than they are.
When they progress alongside their teammates, they form strong bonds and grow from shared experiences with their teammates. These are the relationships that will shape your child into the best version of themselves.
Structure during summer vacation helps kids adjust to changes in schedule in the fall. Growing Gorillas kids martial arts program sets your child up for success when school starts and there are more demands on their time.
Our kids martial arts program stays active during summer vacation, so you can have that hour to come up for air, while your child continues their development into a fantastic human being. Give them the opportunities that motivated you sign them up in the first place.
