Kids Holiday Camp
As the Holidays approach, Parents look for ways to keep their children entertained and educated and off their screens. But how do parents choose the right activity for their kids? What skills and benefits should parents look for when evaluating their choices? BeWater breaks down what their Christmas Kids Camp involves and why it might be one of the best choices this school break.
In Hong Kong there is no shortage of extra curricular activities or holiday camps. When considering the plethora of play, music, art and sports classes, parents might want to take a moment to consider the deeper benefits and suitability of each, for your particular child and his/her developmental needs.
Sports always seem to be one of the more obvious options because of the cognitive & motor skills, team-building practices and self-esteem gains. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (commonly referred to as BJJ), shares many of the same benefits, but what parents might not realize is that it’s so much more than just self-defense or choreography based martial arts.
For starters, anyone, no matter their fitness level, age, size or strength, can participate successfully in BJJ. Unlike other martial arts that rely on strength, speed and agility to strike an opponent, BJJ techniques are based on principles of leverage, optimum positioning and holds, allowing a smaller or weaker individual to overcome a larger and stronger opponent by taking the fight to the ground, where size and physical strength can be offset by the knowledge of mechanical force.
But more than being able to defend yourself, perhaps some of the greatest (and lesser known) advantages offered by BJJ for kids, are the psychomotor developmental benefits (cognitive, emotional, motor and social capacities). When combined with the practices of yoga as we do in our Kids’ Camp, it becomes a powerful tool for youths to harness and take into adulthood. The collective building blocks establish a solid foundation of physical disciplines of movement, flexibility, strength and stamina with the mental focus to improve concentration, temperament, emotional responses and mindfulness in a non-competitive environment where each child can learn at their own pace.
Furthermore, Affective Development is an area often overlooked when considering the benefits of extra curricular activities for kids. BJJ involves physical contact, the spirit of teamwork, camaraderie, mutual respect, discipline self-control, and awareness of their own physical limitations. Not only is BJJ a great tool to develop all of these areas, but the lessons and principles are carried with them and applied into other areas of their lives, for the rest of their lives, helping to form a society of better equipped adults, able to handle emotional, mental and physical challenges.
Kids who participate in the combined practices of BJJ and Yoga at BeWater’s Kids Camp will gain lifelong skills such as:
- Not quitting when they want to or are too tired
- Self discipline
- Taking care of their body
- Working well with others and treating others with respect
- How to deal with disappointment, even when you put in the hard work and effort but things don’t go your way
- Setting and accomplishing goals
- Commitment to hours of hard work and practice to achieve something great
- How to establish and build lifelong friendships
- Develop tactics and strategies to solve problems.
- To enjoy time on the mats instead of on their screens
- Develop confidence they can carry through into their lives.
- To defend themselves and avoid being the target of bullies, in a safe environment
- Mindfulness; learning to quiet the mind
- Paying attention to, and observing breathing
- Being compassionate and happy
- Being grateful and present
- Knowing how to remain calm in situations rather than constantly reacting to them
Throughout the 4-day, 12-hour Kids Camp, we hope to empower children and young teens with a deeper sense of responsibility, enjoyment and fulfillment in a safe, and more importantly, fun environment.
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