How to Help Your Child Use the Confidence They Already Have in New Situations
Your child already has confidence somewhere. Here is how to help them carry it into new situations, like a new class, team, or school. For Troy parents.
Mastery Martial Arts · Troy, MI
Parenting, confidence and karate.
Practical articles for Troy parents, written by Denny Strecker after 34 years teaching children.
What would help your child today?
Shy or unsure of themselves?How can I help my shy child build confidence?Confidence grows from small wins your child can point to. Start with tasks they can finish this week.Read the guide →Hard to get their attention?Why can't my child focus or listen?Focus is a skill kids practice, like a muscle. Short, clear directions and a place to move help most.Read the guide →Quits when it gets hard?Why does my child give up so easily?Kids keep going when the next step is small and they can see their progress. Here is how to set that up.Read the guide →
How to Tell If Your Child Feels They Belong in a New Activity
Starting a new activity? Six signs your child feels they belong, and what to do if they hang back by the door. Plain advice for Troy parents.
Too Much Energy After School? What to Do With It
Does your child have too much energy after school? Five simple ideas for the hours between pickup and dinner, from a Troy kids karate school.
Indoor Activities for Kids in Troy, MI: A Michigan Winter Survival Guide
When it’s 12 degrees and dark at 5pm, kids still need to move. The best indoor activities for kids in Troy, ranked by energy burned, before the screens win the season.
Moving to Troy, MI with Kids: A Local Parent’s Guide to Landing Well
Schools, activities, parks, and the part nobody plans for: helping your child make friends fast. A practical guide to moving to Troy MI with kids, from someone who’s welcomed new-to-Troy families for 34 years.
Homeschool Activities in Troy, MI: Where Families Find PE, Structure, and Friends
The academics are handled. It is the PE, outside structure, and social circle that take work. A guide to homeschool activities in Troy that cover all three, from a school that’s taught homeschool families for decades.
Why Martial Arts Is the Best After-School Activity for Focus and Confidence
Most activities entertain kids for an hour. The best after-school activity builds them, and by the measures that matter to parents, martial arts wins on more of them than anything else on the list.
How to End Homework Battles Without Yelling, Bribing, or Hovering
If evenings at your house are negotiations that end in tears, this is the system to end homework battles, built from the same structure that gets kids to practice kicks 40 times without complaint.
Why Kids Listen to Karate Instructors But Not Their Parents
You’ve seen it through the viewing window: your child, your child, standing at attention, following every instruction. This is why kids listen to karate instructors, and the five mechanics you can take home.
Consequences That Work for Kids: Beyond Timeouts and Taking Things Away
Grounded, timeout, no tablet, and the behavior comes right back. These are the consequences that work for kids, why the usual ones stop working, and the 4 rules that separate teaching from punishing.