Category: science and psychology

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” Dr. Seuss   The developing mind is a fascinating field of study, one which SKILLZ Worldwide takes very seriously. While the physically supportive elements of our childhood development programming are certainly important to ensure the overall […]

Teaching With Purpose. Exploring the role of the adult in the Skillz learning environment. Take five for just a moment and pause for reflection. Let your mind float back to the carefree days of your youth. Let the rustling of autumn leaves crunch beneath your feet as you smell the crisp, cool air. Let the […]

Have you ever taken a moment to truly admire the art and incredible beauty of watching a child at play? Their fully engaged spirit, drive, imagination and passion are all completely vested in the mission of the moment. Whether tinkering with their next greatest creations or saving the day as their favorite superhero, children demonstrate […]

Guest Post by SKILLZ Founder Melody Johnson When I started martial arts in 1987 as an 11-year old, things were very different. Kids and adults trained side-by-side and everyone tested on the same material for their belt, regardless of age. Needless to say, kids usually didn’t make it very far before dropping out because the […]

Everyone likes PIES! This is pretty much a true statement in my opinion! Our staff at Excel Martial Arts in Port Coquitlam are such huge fans that we take our PIES to the next level! The PIES Method What do we mean when we say “PIES”? P – Physically I – Intellectually E – Emotionally […]

Regaining Health – Role Modeling Healthy Habits   The “Quarantine 15” has been yet another horrible reality of the pandemic. Not only were we separated, friend loved ones and friends, but unstructured days, decreased motivation, and increased boredom led to unhealthy habits for families. The result, for many, has been weight gain and reduced fitness […]

Parenting the Shy Child     In a world that highly values the traits of extroverted individuals, shy children are often assumed to have something wrong that needs to be fixed. However, shyness is simply a personality trait that is part of their temperament. Children are born with unique personalities, although the environment can play […]

Regaining Health – Role Modeling Healthy Habits   The “Quarantine 15” has been yet another horrible reality of the pandemic. Not only were we separated, friend loved ones and friends, but unstructured days, decreased motivation, and increased boredom led to unhealthy habits for families. The result, for many, has been weight gain and reduced fitness […]

Strength-Based Thinking Reframing Children’s Challenging Behaviors   Children’s challenging behaviors have long been the focus of adults’ pessimistic viewpoint of characteristics that don’t fit the mold of societal expectations. This rigid “deficit thinking” causes parents to complain about their child’s qualities and make them try to “fix” what is wrong or make excuses as to […]

Sensory Processing How Does Your Child Respond?   As we navigate the world, we all use our senses to receive input from our surroundings, let our brains process, and then tell us how to react. Generally, we respond with minimal disruption to our routine. However, processing sensory stimuli can be a challenge for some people, […]

  How Motor Skills Affect Learning   Most are aware of the benefits of physical activity for people of all ages… a stronger cardiovascular system, improved muscle tone, weight management, motor coordination, etc. Additionally, there are brain-boosting benefits that help children with brain function and learning, leading to better school performance. Unfortunately, however, many adults […]

The Secret to Developing Well-Rounded Athletes   Over the last year, sports programs have had shortened seasons, if any at all. Because of that, training time for athletes of all ages has dropped significantly. Now, with sports returning to a more normal duration, young athletes are working hard to regain lost skills and recondition their […]

Celebrating Each Child’s Uniqueness Parents everywhere want their children to achieve success. This is usually defined by fulfilling societal norms, whether in terms of grades, athletic abilities, or something else. And the push to accomplish these things first is putting pressure on children and parents as well. Comparisons are fueling the expectation for children to […]

  Proper Warmup – The Key to Sports Injury Prevention Children and teens are involved in a myriad of physical activities and sports. And whether they are at a competitive or recreational level, the basic physical requirements are the same. In order to achieve optimum training levels, it’s important that the exercises prepare the athlete for the best physical outcome. […]

Rebuilding Social Skills During the Summer There’s no doubt that children’s social skills have become rusty over the past year and not progressed as they should have. With more limited interactions than usual, children have experienced adverse effects on their social development. And while many children have had the opportunity to engage in some school […]

Rebuilding Emotional Skills During the Summer Over the past year, children have faced many disturbances in their daily lives and interactions. These things have contributed to a lot of emotional imbalance and brought on or exacerbated feelings of sadness, fear, and anxiety. Since children are still developing abilities to regulate their strong and ever-changing emotions, […]

Rebuilding Intellectual Skills During the Summer Summer break is typically viewed as a time for relaxation, fun, and no schedules. However, considering the dramatic change in our lives over the past year and seeing communities begin opening back up in a full capacity now, this summer would be the perfect time to get children back […]

Rebuilding Physical Skills During the Summer For the past year, children have mostly been stuck inside, in front of a computer for school, and on a device during free time. And as much as parents have tried to keep their children active, it’s been a struggle with the limitations of many activities. But now, as […]

Single-Focused Tasks The Key to More Productive Learning Productivity is one of the most highly regarded traits in the work world today. And to be productive, multitasking is the go-to method. The ability to switch between multiple tasks rapidly is seen as a special skill, but it stifles productivity and increases the likelihood of making […]

Boost Attention Span by Making Learning Fun Again Attention span has long been a topic regarding the relationship between children and learning. As the years have passed, technology has been at the forefront of our everyday lives. This has caused the concern for inattentiveness to become even more of an issue. Children are constantly presented […]

The Benefits of Game-Based Learning for 7-9 year olds When we hear the word “learn” we often think of children sitting in a classroom, at a desk, with a teacher educating students on a particular subject. We rarely ever imagine playing a game as a teaching and learning tool. However, the benefits of utilizing this […]

Brain Training for ADHD Although Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is such a prevalent diagnosis, there are still many misconceptions surrounding it. People often assume that ADHD results from poor parenting, laziness, or some learning disorder. And with these assumptions come a wide range of approaches to “fix” the problem. However, with the lack of proper […]

  How Can I Help? Shifting from Judgmental to Curious In the words of Whitney Houston, “I believe that children are our future…show them all the beauty they possess inside.” All too often, the magnificence of individuality is overshadowed by a need to meet the status quo. When a child exhibits behavior that is “problematic” […]

Quiet Parenting Stopping the Cycle of Yelling Parenting can be one of the most rewarding responsibilities we ever take on. With that, however, comes the ups and downs of getting children to comply with what we say while being pulled in a thousand different directions. It’s no wonder why parents often resort to yelling when […]

Childhood Fears Developmental Expectations Children of all ages have fears, from babies to teens. And whether these fears are from real or imaginary places, they are nonetheless scary. Since our brains are wired to protect us, fears are a normal part of a child’s development. Children will eventually outgrow fears but being knowledgeable about what […]

Playful Connection Filling Your Child’s Emotional Cup Over the years, healthy connection levels between parents and children have decreased, leading to more challenging behaviors from children. Today’s modern lifestyle has interfered with the opportunity for the parent-child bond to grow. This vital aspect of a child’s life is essential for their emotional cup to be […]

The Power of Predictability As hectic as life is most days, parents are often more concerned with getting everything done instead of strategically planning out their day so that it is predictable for their children. Knowing what activities to expect each day and knowing how parents will respond at the moment is critical in helping […]

Teens Need Structure Too Most often, when we think of implementing structure into our children’s lives, it is because we have a newborn that needs a feeding schedule, a toddler that needs a nap schedule, or a child that needs an activity schedule. When children become teens, they are often left to implement their schedules. […]

Should I Worry? Tuning into Teens’ Emotional Shifts As we approach the one-year mark of an ever-strong pandemic that has rocked our world, we are searching for ways to keep ourselves mentally and emotionally in check. For teens, this has been an even more difficult feat. Adolescence is already fraught with stress and moodiness but […]

Is Your Child Real World Ready? In recent years, parenting has undergone a shift and has become hyper-focused on the child. And while care, attention, and love are necessary for forming healthy attachments and helping children reach developmental milestones, an over-protective or coddling type approach can also hinder them. Rest assured, this parenting tactic comes […]

Rapid Resets Quick Ways to Calm an Emotional Flood As we know, children can lose control of their emotions for various reasons, and the behaviors we witness are generally unplanned. And since anxiety can look like defiance, adults often respond in counterproductive ways. When children are stressed, the amygdala, in the downstairs brain, is triggered, […]

Nature and Nurture Influencing Genes for Success Is it nature, is it nurture? That is the question. This age-old debate, in the world of psychology, has been a source of controversy for decades. At some point, all parents have toyed with thoughts of which one has most influenced their child concerning personality traits, abilities, etc. […]

The Power of Yet Developing a Mindset for Success Goal setting is a characteristic that significantly links an individual to their future success. Having the right mindset is crucial and encourages our behaviors as we encounter different challenges. Since our mindset incorporates our own beliefs about skills and abilities that we possess, we must have […]

Behavior Shaping Implementing Reinforcement Schedules Getting children to behave how we want them to can be tricky. Even with the best intentions, parents often fall short regarding enforcing positive behaviors in their children while also extinguishing negative ones. Understanding reinforcement schedules and strategies for implementing them can be beneficial to parents and create positive behavior […]

  Reinforcement vs. Punishment Understanding Behavior Modification All parents want their children to exhibit positive behaviors that will help them transition smoothly through the different stages of their development. And while parents have the best intentions, they often don’t use the most effective discipline strategies to achieve that goal. And granted, parents do their best […]

Parenting Styles Implementing the Most Effective Methods Becoming a parent is, for the most part, an exciting adventure to undertake. Along with this, however, comes an enormous amount of responsibility. And while most feel prepared, others may experience anxiety and uncertainty about how to begin this journey. But no matter what, parents ultimately want to […]

Holiday Parenting Keeping the Joy Alive The hustle and bustle of the holiday season, this year, maybe a little less intense but, no doubt, still exciting. While holiday parties may be missing from our typical December schedules, the pandemic can’t stop the spirit of the season! Decorating the house, wrapping gifts, and baking goodies will […]

Attachment Awareness How Attachment Styles Affect Classroom Behavior All children have their own unique way of interacting with the world around them. And while much of this is contributed by their temperaments, the degree of emotional nurturing plays a significant role. This essential piece is how attachment is formed. The emotional bond between a child […]

The SKILLZ Zone The Sweet Spot for Learning We’ve all set goals, to some degree, throughout our lives. Some were easily achieved while others we just gave up on completing. This is because most plans are either set in the comfort zone or the danger zone. And while our initial motivation generally puts on a […]

The Mood Booster Increasing Endorphins to Improve Learning Children today are presented with varying types of stressors in almost every aspect of their lives. The infamous “bar” has been set so high that in order to achieve it, children are asked to forgo “fun” and work towards superiority in everything they do. And while goal […]

All children act out from time to time. However, children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), as defined by the Child Mind Institute, “have a well-established pattern of behavior problems that are more extreme than their peers.” Children with ODD display aggressive behaviors and have a hard time recognizing social cues. To diagnose, the behaviors are […]

The Second Brain Boosting Serotonin to Enhance Learning We have all experienced, from time to time, that uneasy feeling you get when something doesn’t seem right. Often, we can’t put our finger on it, but we know that we feel bothered. For children, that uneasy feeling may show up as grumpiness or irritability, which can […]

Maintaining Healthy Development With our country at somewhat of a standstill due to the current pandemic, it’s easy to get into a routine that is more laid back. Anything from going to bed late to increased screen time, habits may start leaning on the unhealthy side. And one of the major behaviors that appear when […]