Children between 3-6 are changing every day. Any activity they participate in is laying the foundation for both their physical and behavioral development. Our curriculum uses martial arts, not as the end goal, but as the vehicle for laying that foundation. We concentrate on gross motor skills, focus, discipline and becoming a good student. They do learn martial arts basics, however the other goals are more important.
While we do not focus on things like memorization or differentiating left/right sides of the body with this group, we do train them to be able to move large muscle groups effectively and hone their balance among other things. Tigers work on basic levels of fitness and prepare to move forward as students.
From a non-physical perspective, Tigers learn to focus on the instructor, discipline themselves mentally and follow instructions. While memory is not a requirement, we also challenge our more experienced Tigers to exercise through lead/follow activities. After growing through the program, our more experienced Tigers become the example to follow for our newer students.
Our last goals for Tigers include becoming reliable and effective partners for other students. This teamwork prepares them for continuing their training and working with students who may be much older.
From a holistic standpoint, all our young students know that their behavior should not begin/end only when they are on the mat. In order to reinforce this idea, we have a number of systems we encourage our parents to use outside of the school that integrate our lessons into daily life.