Training adults is quite complicated. You have to deal with different body types, different goals, different issues, different attitudes, different strengths and weaknesses — you get the idea. Now, imagine taking all that and removing any semblance of an attention span. Now we’re working with children! Thankfully, there are things you can do to make your time training children just a little bit easier. Here are some tips on how to approach children and help them improve their fitness levels.
5) They will forget — Children get distracted easily and they also replace what they learned with what they think is more important. Repetition is essential. Don’t feel bad about having to recap things you taught in the last session, or children asking things that you already explained or demonstrated. Just smile and roll with it.
4) Don’t sacrifice form — When teaching, it’s easy to want to find shortcuts and just give commands, especially when your charges have zero attention span! This is where your own maturity comes in. You want the children to learn the right thing and develop proper movement patterns. Their bodies are young and are less susceptible to injury, but even children can get long-term injuries. I used to jump off batting cages as a teen, but the end result is reduced hip mobility as I got older. Don’t let your charges suffer the same fate.
3) Maintain structure — Children need structure. This aids in their ability to learn as well as teaching important lessons on navigating the world as they get older and have to interact with a boss, a client or employees. Make sure that your sessions are broken up into segments and try to stick to it. Granted, sometimes there are extenuating circumstances that may cause you to deviate from your plan (or throw it away completely), but still develop one.
2) Limit your lesson plans — Children tend to have very short attention spans, so it’s important to not make it like a regular class. This is something they are doing after school or on a weekend, so no need to recreate the school environment. Teach a little at a time and they are more likely to retain it.
1) Remember they are CHILDREN… Fun is the key! — Learning through play has shown to have incredible results in the classroom, so in a physical environment like training, you can apply the same idea. Develop games that can teach movement patterns (and burn energy). Include races in between major exercises. Crack jokes, talk about cartoons, include a storytime — whatever it takes to break from the monotony of “teaching”. You’re more likely to make them want to come back because they enjoyed this session.
So there you have it — five tips to increase the chances of making a positive impact on children’s lives in the world of fitness. These guidelines can actually be used in just about any field. The important thing is to find ways to get through to them. Every child is different, but by utilising a combination of techniques as suggested here, you increase your chances of reaching all of your charges and enriching their lives.