Category: PARENT SKILLZ

Is Your Child Ready for School? The past year and a half of school have been such a tumultuous ride. From school closures to virtual classes to partial reopening, it seems as if our children have experienced every out-of-the-norm scenario we could come up with. And although the goal was to keep them safe, children’s […]

Rebuilding Intellectual Skills During the Summer Summer break is typically viewed as a time for relaxation, fun, and no schedules. However, considering the dramatic change in our lives over the past year and seeing communities begin opening back up in a full capacity now, this summer would be the perfect time to get children back […]

Parenting the Shy Child In a world that highly values the traits of extroverted individuals, shy children are often assumed to have something wrong that needs to be fixed. However, shyness is simply a personality trait that is part of their temperament. Children are born with unique personalities, although the environment can play a significant […]

Brain Training for ADHD Although Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is such a prevalent 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 approaches to “fix” the problem. However, with the lack of proper […]

              Is Your Child Real World Ready?   In recent years, parenting has undergone a shift and has become hyper-focused on the child. And while care, attention, and love are necessary for forming healthy attachments and helping children reach developmental milestones, an over-protective or coddling type approach can also […]

Nature and Nurture Influencing Genes for Success Is it nature, is it nurture? That is the question. This age-old debate, in the world of psychology, has been a source of controversy for decades. At some point, all parents have toyed with thoughts of which one has most influenced their child concerning personality traits, abilities, etc. […]

The Power of Yet Developing a Mindset for Success Goal setting is a characteristic that significantly links an individual to their future success. Having the right mindset is crucial and encourages our behaviors as we encounter different challenges. Since our mindset incorporates our own beliefs about skills and abilities that we possess, we must have […]

Reinforcement vs. Punishment Understanding Behavior Modification   All parents want their children to exhibit positive behaviors that will help them transition smoothly through the different stages of their development. And while parents have the best intentions, they often don’t use the most effective discipline strategies to achieve that goal. And granted, parents do their best […]

            The Developing Mind Understanding Your Child’s Behavior One of the biggest struggles in parenting is understanding why perfectly sweet and smart children can, in an instant, turn into the most difficult beings ever faced. It’s often as if a switch was flipped and chaos has ensued. This typically results […]

The Motivator Molecule Boosting Dopamine in Constructive Ways Nowadays it seems that children are only interested in their video games, smart phones, and social media platforms. Parents are frustrated with their children’s lack of motivation for and attention to other activities that they are at a loss as to what to do. Therefore, parents often […]

  Attachment-Seeking Reframing How We View Negative Behavior     If the pandemic has taught us anything, it has taught us to slow down and appreciate the moments we have with our loved ones. On the flip side, it has also caused some additional stressors for parents as they have had to play the role […]

Certification Matters Three Tips to Choosing a Martial Arts School Choosing a martial arts school has always been a guessing game for most parents. Unless they have prior experience, to them, any style is coined “karate” so deciding on the best place is purely a guess. Parents generally look for a school that teaches punching […]

  Preparing Children to Return to School – A Social Approach Over the past few months, interactions have been minimal, and our social skills are rusty. Since prolonged school closures have a negative impact on children’s social development, we are now faced with how to regain skills while moving forward with new skills. Though some […]

Accepting Responsibility Teaching Children to Avoid Blame Shifting It is becoming more and more apparent that no one is to blame for everything 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 […]

Nurturing Children’s Social Development During the Pandemic For the past two months, we have been asked to socially distance ourselves from others in order to stop the spread of COVID-19. We’ve put most of our “normal” daily living routines on pause and created a secluded environment for ourselves and our children. And while many things […]

            Supporting Children’s Emotional Needs During the Pandemic Part 1 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, […]

EDUTAINMENT Children hardly ever embrace the concept of learning. As a parent, this can be very frustrating because our primary role is to teach children skills necessary to become independent individuals. With that said, being an ‘EDUTAINING’ parent is a key strategy for success!   So, what does it mean to use EDUTAINMENT?   It […]

Conflict Resolution   Let’s face it, conflict is hard and is bound to happen no matter what ground rules are put into place. Whether it’s on the playground or right in our own homes, children will clash. And while it can create challenging situations, it is a normal event that occurs between children. This is […]

Attunement Do you ever feel like you can read your child’s mind?  You know what they are going to do or say next because they have had the same reaction before?  This is attunement.  Improving your attunement skills will allow you to create a more patient and understanding relationship with your child. Modify Your Child’s […]

Resilience: Helping Children and Teens Build Coping Skills 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 […]

How To Manage Your Child’s Temperament Every child is born with their own unique way of interacting with the world. Some are flexible in the midst of change while others may experience stress when presented with new situations or a change in schedule. This is what is referred to as temperament. And while some temperaments […]

  How Parental Involvement Increases Child Success Parents are an essential element to their child’s success in anything. The enthusiasm and support, or lack thereof, of a parent can make or break a child’s accomplishments. In SKILLZ martial arts, it is even more essential that parents be involved as part of the teaching team since […]

How Mirror Neurons Impact Learning Learning is a big part of child development and how children learn things is dependent on a variety of factors. Much of the time, observational learning contributes to how children learn information and behaviors. This type of social learning can be greatly influential because of the role that mirror neurons […]

The Importance of Bilateral Coordination on Physical and Cognitive Skills 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 […]

  Helping Children Set Age-Appropriate Goals 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 […]

  Parenting During the Holidays It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Shopping for gifts, decorating the house, baking goodies, attending parties, visiting family…there are so many fun and exciting things to do. With all these wonderful events, who wouldn’t be happy all the time? Unfortunately, children and especially children with any type of […]

Not All Ninjas Are The Same All parents want the same thing…for their child to be a positive member of society and experience success. And while these are important things, they often come through a push to achieve and be the best in everything. Unfortunately, this is frequently done through comparing their children to others. […]

The Secret Senses To Better Behavior We’ve all heard of the main 5 senses; taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing. However, there are two other, very important, senses that don’t get enough attention. Those are the vestibular sense and proprioception. These two senses are vital in the development of a child but are often overlooked, […]

AGE-SPECIFIC MARTIAL ARTS CURRICULUM – WHAT IT REALLY MEANS The term “age-specific” is used very often in education and healthcare. It has a very definite meaning and is used to describe things that are prepared specifically for the age of the child it is targeting. However, this term is often used more loosely, especially in […]

s It Rude, Is It Mean, Is It Bullying?   As they say, kids will be kids. And yes, children and teens can be unkind to their peers and feelings get hurt. The problem is when these behaviors become common and target the same person repeatedly. This is when kids being kids begins to cross […]

Realistic Behavioral Expectations ✅The tween and teen years often feel to parents and teachers like they are back at the “terrible twos” stage. The challenges of working with children at this age can be frustrating. They are very smart but their emotions are all over the place. This can make it difficult for adults to […]

The golden years for children are between the ages of 7 and 9 years old. At this age, children can grasp new information quickly. They start seeing the world in a new and exciting way and, because of this, they are beginning to develop their morals and values. And while they are making leaps and […]

Summertime is coming to an end, and with that comes all of the back to school anxiety and jitters that are common amongst children. Your child may experience common physical effects of anxiety associated with back to school time including symptoms from stomachaches to sleeping problems. They will also experience emotional stress from the fear […]

At Home Practicing Tips!It is common knowledge that the more time and effort you can put into developing a skill the faster and farther you can become great! But after a long day at school or at the Dojo it may be hard to find the motivation to practice.Below are 3 easy steps to teach […]

Benefits to SKILLZ Training Over Summertime During the school season teachers, assistants, and counselors are focused on helping your children learn and grow. But what happens during the summer season when these people are not around? It makes sense that as a parent you would want your child to maintain some level of growth and […]

ENDORPHINS The Key to Effort and Focus in Children and Teens Endorphins are natural chemicals produced in the body to reduce pain and boost happiness. They are most often associated with exercise since the release of these “feel-good” chemicals cause a state of euphoria and is usually known as a “runner’s high.” However, most any […]

SEROTONIN: The Key To Reinforcing Positive Behaviors In Children and Teens Have you ever had a “gut feeling” about something? Have you ever considered that children have these as well? Of course they do! The problem is, they don’t know how to express this to us. They know something doesn’t feel right, so they act […]

DOPAMINE The Key to Increased Motivation and Focus in Children and Teens   Have you ever wondered why children and teens seem to be so addicted to their smart phones 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 […]

The C.O.A.L. Method – 4 Quick and Easy Steps to Dealing with Children’s Negative Behaviors By Jennifer Salama 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 […]

Consistency Your child needs to know that no matter what happens, you are always going to be a consistent parent. Maintaining consistency means that you are going to be patient, connected, adaptable, and edutaining with your child all the time so your child knows what to expect from you and you know what to expect […]

Adaptability Adaptability is about how you respond to your child, especially when things do not go as planned. Your child will have a variety of great days, bad days, and everything in between. Here are a few ways you can apply adaptability to your parenting and keep your child motivated: Intrinsic Motivation: 1. Choices What […]

Nurturing Being a nurturing parent means adjusting your child’s behaviors, not trying to change them. In other words, change the behavior, not the child. 1. Let them Know that Mistakes are Okay I get excited when my son makes a mistake because it gives me the opportunity to teach him, which is what parenting is […]

EdutainmentAll Posts Be the parent your child needs you to be. They need you to be in their world. That means interacting and playing with them on their level to prompt them through the tasks and chores they don’t want to do. Here are some tips and examples of using effectively using edutainment with your […]

Prompting How can you set your child up for daily success? One of the most effective ways to do this is to focus on prompting instead of punishment. Here’s what you need about prompting your child toward good behavior and decisions: 1. Friendly Competition One of the ways to prompt your child toward good behavior […]

Patience Take a few extra seconds when responding to poor behavior. This demonstrates compassion, empathy, and self-control on your part. Sometimes all you need to do is think about responding in the most patient manner to help re-direct your child. A few seconds can make a big difference. 1. Ask, Listen, Explain Patience helps you […]

Do you ever feel like you can read your child’s mind? You know what they are going to do or say next because they have had the same reaction before? This is attunement. Improving your attunement skills will allow you to create a more patient and understanding relationship with your child. 1. Modify Your Child’s […]

It’s not always about what we say, but it’s more about how you say it. Communication is so important, whether dealing with a spouse, co-worker , family member and our children. Keep in mind the saying , ” It’s not always about what we say, but it’s more about how you say it.” The way you […]

  Hey Parents, We wanted to share some great tips on the Parent SKILLZ word: PATIENCE. “A few seconds can make a BIG difference…” Sometimes as parents we respond with too much anger, and that can be harmful and cause regression in our child’s behavior. When you take a few extra seconds before responding to […]