Boredom – An Essential Ingredient for Creativity     Remember when you wished the weekend would last forever? As weeks of the “shelter in place” order have passed, the eagerness for some “time off” has lost its spark. Children’s boredom is growing day by day and will continue, especially as many schools will be ending the school year earlier than normal. The rising monotony of each day brings about an increase in technology use to keep children occupied. What they should be doing, however, is embracing the boredom and allowing their creative juices to flow.     When we are bored, we are more likely to engage in “sensation seeking.” A study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology states that boredom causes us to look for activities to stimulate the reward centres of the brain. Since using devices increases dopamine, the neural connections for this increase, and our brains crave it more and more. The ability to let our minds wander is diminished and any moment that lacks stimulation makes us uncomfortable. And, unfortunately, our children are learning to satisfy these unpleasant feelings with technology.       As Bertrand Russell, a British philosopher, said “We are less bored than our ancestors were, but we are more afraid of boredom.” However, when we try to rid ourselves of every moment of boredom, we close off our ability to think on a deeper level. Boredom breeds creativity and when children can fulfil the stimulation they are seeking by allowing themselves to “space out,” associative thinking is engaged. Sooner or later, they will create a new game, find different uses for items, or be inspired to find a new skill.     By enforcing an amount of boredom daily, children not only tap into creativity, but they also give their brains an opportunity to rest and reset. When the brain is relaxed, mental clutter diminishes, and new possibilities are abounding. A sense of curiosity presents itself and children learn problem solving skills by a need to fulfil idle time. Their confidence is then built because they are taking chances with new experiences and goals. By allowing children the time to explore new things, parents help them learn life skills that will stick with them when things go back to normal.   To support children even more, parents can be role models by resisting the urge to pick up a device during every moment of down time. Parents can also take the opportunity to implement Parent SKILLZ techniques and information. By putting down devices, parents can be more attuned to their child’s curiosities and prompt them to try new things. Doing so in a way that is fun and fosters new interests can also enhance the parent and child connection.     With our current situation, the summer slump and ensuing boredom will surely hit harder this year. Creating a plan for children that allows space in their routine for “boredom” will promote curiosity. Remember, as Robert M. Pirsig said, “Boredom always proceeds a period of great creativity.” Learning to “space out” again and avoiding the constant use of technology will create a more relaxed mind and cultivate a more inquisitive approach to life.  Read More

Maintaining Healthy Development     With our country at somewhat of a standstill due to the current pandemic, it’s easy to get into a routine that is more laid back. Anything from going to bed late to increased screen time, habits may start leaning on the unhealthy side. And one of the major behaviours that appear when we are in a stressful situation is that we reach for comfort food. And while it may seem as though the current situation will only last for a short time, the long-term effects of our eating habits can have an impact on children’s physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development. Therefore, it’s essential that parents maintain a healthy lifestyle for their family.       In today’s pandemic, it’s even more important for children to consume food that is nourishing to the body. Keeping immune systems strong is vital, especially in the face of our daily health threat. But not only does proper nutrition increase immunity but it is vital for proper physical growth and development in children. Since children’s physical development happens very quickly, utilising nutritious foods that will help them maintain a healthy weight, stabilise their energy levels, and prevent short term illnesses is necessary.      And although schools are closed, intellectual development doesn’t stop. Children are still attending school and must meet educational requirements so parents should make sure children consume “brain foods” that will help boost learning and problem solving. Maintaining healthy eating habits during this time will help keep the brain in “grow mode” which ultimately supports children in learning new things. A nutrient rich diet is linked to changes in a brain protein that helps make proper connections between brain cells. This is especially important now, when learning is more self-reliant.      And while everyone is required to stay at home, emotions can run high. In addition to that, children are still developing emotionally, so the ability for them to mange their behaviours may be more of a challenge. Much of children’s mood swings can be contributed to developmental changes and the stress of the current situation but knowing that certain foods can trigger chemical and physiological changes in the brain is vital. In order to help keep moods more stable and help children develop a healthy relationship with food, parents should encourage children to make healthy choices, in the face of stress, so that these habits will stick with them.     Until recently, family mealtime seemed like a thing of the past. The “on the go” eating plan became the number one way to save time between activities but by doing this, families no longer had time to reconnect after a busy day. However now, we have the time to do this. By taking advantage of these moments, parents can help children develop in a socially healthy way. This time allows parents and children to communicate, for parents to help build better self-esteem in their children, and for children to learn healthy eating habits and table manners. Children can then apply these behaviours when they begin attending other social events again.       With the feeling of uncertainty in our world today, things may feel out of our control. And while we don’t have power over a lot of things, we can influence how our children develop physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially. Small healthy changes, each day, will create constructive shifts. And, using the time we have in a productive way and teaching our children how to handle stress in a positive manner will have lasting benefits.  Read More

The Importance of Uniforms(Doboks)     For many years, uniforms have been used in a multitude of industries. From school, to the military, to sports teams, to work, uniforms have remained an element that helps people distinguish one team or organisation from another. And while uniforms are mainly used for this reason, sports teams, the military and some other organisations have supplemental uniforms that have their own purpose as well.      No matter what type, uniforms give people a sense of unity and helps promote pride in being a part of a larger organisation. Loyalty in a group also increases and a feeling of team boosts the morale among everyone involved. Members also feel more confident and enthusiastic because they belong to a group that has the same interests and goals. In the greater scope of things, this cohesiveness also creates brand recognition and consumer trust within the community.      In Tae Kwon Do /Ninja Skillz, wearing a uniform is an important custom and each martial arts style has their own traditional attire that represents it. These uniforms are worn in class for training as well as at formal events such as belt promotions/gradings, tournaments, and demonstrations. When people are seen in a traditional Tae Kwon Do uniform, it is recognised that they are a part of some form of the art. There is a sense of unity in their own individual style, but they also feel a sense of belonging to the martial arts world as a whole.      And while tradition is important regarding martial arts uniforms, it is a challenge to keep them looking their best when they are worn daily in class. For this reason, my schools offer a supplemental uniform. Which is black and gold, or our club branded t shirt to go with the bottoms. Which is comfortable as well as functional. This is especially important since my drills consist of physical training that involves floor exercises and Tae KwonDo movements. It also provides students and parents the flexibility of having options for training.     Much like the military, students wear this training-type uniform in class daily. By wearing this class uniform the students can keep their formal, traditional uniforms in tip top condition for official events. Even better I’m having t-shirts made for specific classes so it creates unity among them. And since my branded ninjas will be displayed on the shirt, this keeps all students connected.      Uniforms are a great way to create a union among people in an organisation and create a consistent appearance. When traditional Tae Kwon Do uniforms are thought of as a “dress uniform” and are to be worn for special events, it creates a higher sense of appreciation for it. Utilising a training uniform or “fatigues,” on a daily basis, is a more practical approach, especially in children’s TaeKwonDo/Ninja classes. Having uniforms that are durable, as another option for training time, is a great alternative for students and parents appreciate the simplicity that comes with this.    Just for fun I have emailed a blank uniform template for your child to design their own.  Post /email your pictures, there will be a prize for the best one.   Stay Safe everyone      Master Fearn Read More

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 help their children develop coping skills by guiding them through tough times instead of jumping in to save them from any discomfort that may come along.     Children and teens often present stress as what adults call a meltdown or a tantrum. Psychologists call it “flooding.” This happens when a wave of strong, negative emotions flood in and rational thinking goes out the door. The amygdala, which helps coordinate emotional responses to the environment, is engaged during this. Since the pre-frontal cortex, or self-control centre, is not fully developed, children and teens struggle to get control of the powerful wave of emotions. And to top it all off, emotions are contagious, so when children are upset, parents get upset too.      When parents experience this with their child, it often leads to one of two possible responses. Either the parent wants to jump in and save their child from the distress or they feel that the issue is not as big of a deal as the child is making it to be. However, we must remember that children deal with situations that are real and big to them, such as starting a new school year or studying for an exam. If we don’t address stressors that our children experience, it can lead to the development of poor coping skills, a weakened immune system, and an increase in anxiety.      To counteract the effects of anxiety, it’s important to help children become resilient in the face of adversity, stress, or failure. This means that parents need to refrain from “fixing” and, instead, connect and be present for them while validating their feelings. In the heat of the moment, working on calming techniques such as deep breathing or going for a walk can help calm them since oxygen stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system.  Once they are calm, for younger children its best to help them name the feelings they are experiencing. For teens, brainstorming solutions is effective.     Many adults were not taught healthy coping strategies growing up so teaching and modelling appropriate ones for children and teens is difficult. On a positive note, there are numerous resources available to help. In my Ninja Skillz program, Teaching SKILLZ and Parent SKILLZ are going to be a new addition to my schools and will be used to help children develop a growth mindset by stimulating positive brain chemicals and helping parents better connect and be attuned to their child’s needs. Each class also carries an optimistic tone throughout, so children embrace mistakes and, therefore, develop a growth mindset.      Coping skills take a lot of practice and it’s important for parents to role model healthy ones and guide their children in the development of their own skills. Finding things that makes a child feel good is key in creating these abilities that will lead to resiliency. As the neuroscience saying goes “neurons that fire together, wire together.” Too much stress and no coping skills causes negative wiring in the brain to get stronger. But this can be changed when we strengthen the positive circuitry in the brain and spend more time working on healing procedures and healthy coping skills. Read More