Children learn in many different ways and there are a few traits that help them do so. Martial arts training involves a large amount of learning, ranging from philosophy to motor skills. A lot of the learning skills that are needed to succeed in martial arts can help in other aspects of life. Whether it’s learning in school, at work, or through hobbies, an early training in martial arts can help set the stage for lifelong learning. Here are just a few of the many ways martial arts can help children learn.

Auditory 

Not every child will have their best learning opportunities come from the same source: many children learn in different ways. Auditory learners need to hear the lessons to retain it. Whether you are an auditory learner or not, listening skills are huge for learning in the classroom setting. With martial arts being taught in person, children have to get used to taking in and processing information that the instructor is vocalizing. Instructors should also focus on improving their descriptions to help these children learn different techniques and forms.

Visual 

Visual learners prefer seeing things, in order to learn them. As martial arts are a very physical exercise, visual learners will see the move being taught, to process them and to learn from them. Breaking down teachings into steps, demonstrating them in a fluid movement, and finally showing them in a practical context can help them internalize the technique. For visual learners, we suggest the parent speaking to instructors to encourage visual demonstrations, if the instructor isn’t doing so already.

Discipline

To finish homework on time and to be ready for tests involves study skills and discipline. Martial arts can help with both of these. Most martial arts have forms to memorize and many require learning about the philosophies and tenets, for each belt promotion. This can help develop the study skills necessary to keep these teachings in mind. Discipline helps one succeed in many aspects of their life, in many ways. In our opinion, it’s one of the most important traits that the martial arts can teach students. Check out our blog post on 5 ways to instill martial arts discipline in your students, for more details.

Attention Span

One of the most difficult things to deal with when teaching children is their limited attention span. They tend to be more energetic than adults and many of them haven’t learned the self-restraint we learn as we age past adolescence. The martial arts teach many lessons that help children with their attention span. First, respect is held in the highest of regards, and listening to someone when they’re speaking involves a lot of respect. Respect combined with discipline helps create a learning environment that helps improve attention spans. 

Self-Confidence 

With successful learning comes increased self-esteem and confidence: this can be huge in helping children learn, wherever they are. Low self-esteem can reduce the student’s desire to learn, focus and take risks. With every belt promotion, a student’s self-confidence is bound to go up. While it may take a little while to get the ball rolling, the boosts in self-esteem can translate to higher abilities of learning, in many children.

Check out our previous blog posts on how to keep your young students coming to class and our article on the benefits of martial arts. Want to help keep kids engaged, track their progress, and make parent-school relationships easier? See how Xplor Recreation martial arts management software can help.