Sensei's Weekly Mokuso Aug 30th- Sept 6th
Onegaishimasu Parents, and Students,
Ok Parents, Its time to get your child ready for.....Back to School
This is our last week to help prepare your children for back to school in whatever capacity that is. Our mission now is to help you, our wonderful parents, make this year, your child’s BEST YEAR EVER in school, home and life.
Parents, you are the number one educators, and driving force behind your child’s success at home, at the dojo, and at school, and whether you are sending your children back to school or have chosen to homeschool, now is the time to do what all Black Belts do, and it is so important for your child’s development. It is the critical success habit of STARTING STRONG!
The following may seem oversimplified but, success comes from the repetition of good habits, Our habits become our disciplines, which become our identity!! Here at Keiko Martial Arts we know which habits result in high achieving, successful, happy, children, and adults.
We have a major learning opportunity coming up this week, in preparation for back to school, and want to help set your family up for success and to reinforce the success habits of…
Structure, Routine, and Consistency, and how we as parents, apply these to the discipline, psychology, and mindset of “Back to school”. It is always hard to restart anything and especially after such a long break from school. This is even worse or more amplified for our kids.
1. Structure: A regimented approach to the day, and in a broader sense the week. Have a plan for the day, and the week with well laid out expectations and times for your child to follow. Ie; reading time, planned excursions for back to school shopping, free play time, chores, etc.
2. Re-establish Routine:
a. Get them back into a school sleep/wake routine. Start today!!!
b. Pre-plan everything. Get everything ready for next Tuesday morning...their clothes, backpack, breakfast, lunch...everything! Do not leave anything for the last minute.
3. Consistency: Call this a very high form of discipline.. Make your morning, daily routine, and structure a constant and very predictable one for your child. Don’t waiver. Children do better when they have certainty and predictability in their lives, and you will be the example for them to follow.
Homeschoolers…..Some of you are seasoned veterans at homeschooling and for you this is routine, however, for those new to homeschooling this fall, you will have a unique set of challenges. Homeschool parents will need to work diligently to establish a structure routine and consistency in the house designed to balance education time (and dedicated space), physical time, screen time, personal time, all while fostering a productive learning environment. We have resources available to you….Send us an email and we can help.
The psychology behind it all…..
Get Excited: This is one where you can only lead by example. Get your child involved in the process by having them make a list of supplies they may need for school. Offer suggestions to get your child excited for back to school and for the opportunity....the best way to do this is YOU!!!
You need to get excited! Get so excited you cannot stop talking about it. Your child feeds off of your emotions and energy. You need to be ten times more excited than they are!
Take care of you first: Make sure you get to bed at an appropriate time, wake early, and are fully ready, energized and excited before the kids even get up. I am always the first up….It allows me to zero myself in mentally and prepare for my day while it is still quiet in the house.
Get them up strong: Get them out of bed right away. You are probably doing this already, but in case you aren’t, teach your kids to set their own alarm clock and to get up the first time it goes off. All highly successful people have one thing in common....they get up early, they get up strong, they have a strong morning routine, and they start their day energized and excited.
Stay ahead of the game: Most of the stress of a school morning is caused by one thing…..being late.
Homeschoolers: Have a completely separate room in the house dedicated solely for school, and let your child help design what their classroom will look like. Vesting your child mentally in the process could pay off huge in setting both you and them up for success.this year.
Gratitude and the Big Picture - When you catch yourself thinking this is too hard or "why", just remember you have one of the greatest gifts in the world and one of the greatest responsibilities in the world: Your child. Take a very deep breath and go into your heart and remember how lucky you are. Go to gratitude.
This is what every child needs most from you, for you to be fully present with just a moment of emotional connection. Gratitude will facilitate this. Do this and your children will look forward to getting up, and will touch in you what is truly the most important thing you can give them as a parent.
Are you ready to Start Strong, and have your….BEST YEAR EVER!!?
Have an amazing week
Sensei Chris
Keiko Martial Arts
Keiko Karate – “Actually we do make Ninjas and Superheroes here………………we turn kids into Ninjas and we turn their parents into their superheroes!”
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