The importance of “grit,” “determination,” and “work ethic” are all the rage right now in determining school success in children, a concept that is wholeheartedly understood and observed by thousands of coaches all over. It’s a fact that athletes with less natural ability, but high levels of work ethic surpass athletes with lots of natural ability but less grit. But how do we foster this important value in kids?
Intrinsic motivation is key. Naturally children work hard on things they feel intrinsically motivated to achieve. They will work through setbacks and small failures to reach their goal, just like a toddler learning how to walk. No stickers or rewards are needed, a toddler simply wants to walk because they knows they can do it. That’s not to discount the important role of a supportive and enthusiastic caregiver, as that child knows he has support and is succeeding at doing hard work! Instead, the combination of intrinsic motivation and effective coaching helps children realize they can do things that seem improbable at first glance.
Why NinjaZone? NinjaZone is perfectly suited to building these qualities in boys and we’ve seen it happen countless times. NinjaZone offers cool skills that boys want to learn. Quite simply, boys naturally want to flip, kick, and do “ninja” moves, especially after sitting for long periods of time at school, and doing paper/pencil tasks at school – something developmentally inappropriate for ideal learning.
Achieving these tasks takes self-discipline and focus. Offering developmentally appropriate tasks in developmentally appropriate environments with trained coaches is what is best for kids, which is exactly what NinjaZone does on a daily basis. The NinjaZone program offers skills kids wants to learn, translating to individual improvement and success in many areas. Coaches have a specific plan for students, including skill development, the “NinjaZone pillars”, fun, and competition; making the NinjaZone curriculum intentional, and developmentally appropriate.
Intentional programming means increased successes. Through many repetitions, interrupted by small failures, NinjaZone students learn many new skills. With NinjaZone, kids instantly know what success feels like, know when achieve a skill – and how great it feels! Trained coaches break down skills into smaller parts, providing encouragement and positive feedback, even when they haven’t yet mastered the skill. So, even when a student hasn’t mastered a particular skill yet, an expert is saying he’s on the right path to success, celebrating achievements big and small.
There are not many places where young children can develop self-confidence and a strong work ethic, but NinjaZone is one of these places! NinjaZone has coaches reinforcing the belief that kids can do hard tasks and sequences, if they put their minds to it. The mastering of these tasks early translates into the ability to take on other hard life skills later in life, leading to real success, intrinsic motivation, and self-confidence creating good students with time management skills, self-control, and leadership skills, who aren’t afraid of hard work, able to defer gratification, and be good team members.
These are all skills that will make them great leaders in both school and work, throughout life.
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