Teaching Your Child Self-Discipline with MissionFit
Self-discipline is an incredibly important skill. Other than coming in handy when it’s time to sit down and do homework, years down the road, when it’s up to them to wake up early enough to get to their job and drive themselves there, self-control will be the drive that makes them successful. This is a skill that can be grown and honed in the gym. The time spent at MissionFit can help you and your child gain the self-discipline skills needed for a strong foundation of a great future.
Start With Structure
Without structure, it is very hard for children to understand what behaviors are appropriate and inappropriate and how to adjust what they’re doing as a result. Here’s one way to support youth by starting every day with structure: Think about the basic morning routine that a student can handle every day—eating breakfast, brushing their teeth, combing their hair and getting dressed. This short routine has easily defined steps that make it easy to enforce. After all, you either combed your hair or you didn’t! The more that your child practices their routine, the more that it will become part of their day and something that they do without being told to do so. When they master their routine, let them take a leadership role in building their own routine.
Go One Step at a Time
Self-discipline takes time. How many adults do you know who still lack the ability to stay disciplined? Instead of expecting your child to be able to take care of everything themselves without a reminder, take things one step at a time. At MissionFit, our Coaches always aim to encourage and motivate youth to do their best, even when they are only making minute improvements. Progress is progress!
Give Plenty of Praise
Finally, give your child plenty of praise when they do practice self-discipline. Make sure to dwell more on good behavior that you want to see more often. For example, instead of saying, “Good job not raising your voice when I asked you to stop playing video games,” try saying “Good job using a positive tone to respond to my request.” How have you helped your child to learn more self-discipline? Share in a comment below!
Get Moving with MissionFit
MissionFit is dedicated to strengthening Baltimore youth through classes and an open gym. It’s our goal to encourage positive traits, like respect and teamwork, and provide children with a place to gain self-confidence and enjoy some exercise. To learn more about our classes or donate to support our mission, visit our website. Want to Support? We’re making health a possibility and a priority for Baltimore’s youth. If you want to support us, here are three easy ways to do so:
- Donate here!
- Amazon Wishlist– buy something specific that will make it easier for youth to achieve their health goals.
- You can put your online shopping to good use by donating a percentage of your purchase with AmazonSmile! To get started, sign in here, search for “MissionFit” and select us as your charity of choice.
