PreSKILLZ Is Rolling Out a New Feature!

by Melissa Torres, MAIA Division Manager

Eighteen months ago, MAIA launched a done-for-you curriculum created by child-development expert Melody Johnson. This program, called PreSKILLZ, was designed to give any instructor the know-how needed to teach children ages 3-6. PreSKILLZ leads you through the eight essential skills children should develop and provides warm-ups, mat chats, games and skill-building drills to be used in class.

PreSKILLZ was the first curriculum MAIA launched after I became the division manager, and I have tremendously enjoyed being a part of it. (It’s also not a bad gig to get to visit Johnson in St. Petersburg, Florida, twice a year to film new content — right on the beach!)

Over the course of the past year and a half, we have heard dozens and dozens of success stories and seen the excitement from our schools that have implemented PreSKILLZ. When Johnson takes the stage at the Martial Arts SuperShow and speaks, it’s clear how knowledgeable and passionate she is about teaching children.

I’ve seen so many schools become inspired when they witness Johnson and her instructors, Clayton Maxcy and Hunter Johnson (no relation), teach the pre-conference event at the SuperShow and demonstrate a class. I’ve even had instructors tell me that, thanks to PreSKILLZ, their kids program has gone from the class they worried about most to the class that’s their favorite to teach.

Well, it wasn’t easy, but we managed to make a great program even better! I’m thrilled to announce that we are once again adding on to PreSKILLZ. When we launched the curriculum, you would get a month’s worth of content for the next skill every 28 days or so. You would start with the skill FOCUS, and then, in a few weeks, get the content to teach the skill TEAMWORK, and so on through all eight skills.

By month nine, you would start back at FOCUS. However, the drills, games and content would be brand new. Without becoming repetitive, this rotation instills the foundation of the skills the children need at their age.

We have officially switched from a month-to-month content drip to a library format. This means that as a PreSKILLZ member, you now have access to all the skills at once. You’ll be able to create your own plan with a library of warm-ups, skill-building drills, games and more. If you like the done-for-you class planners, don’t worry — they are still available! You just have more options now.

How could this new feature be applied? Suppose that one month, you have an influx of new students who are struggling to pick up a drill that you’d planned for the week. You can immediately go into your digital library and find a different drill to substitute. You’ll never be short on ideas again.

We want to constantly improve on the experience of being part of PreSKILLZ, and we’re excited to change the format so you can have more flexibility to learn the material and prepare for your classes on your time when you’re ready.

You will have more freedom to make the program your own, while still following class planners put together by a child-development expert who’s studied how kids learn and who knows how to put the “fun” in fundamental skills.

If you’re currently a PreSKILLZ member and have additional suggestions on how we can continue to deliver the best children’s programs for martial art schools, let us know in the members-only PreSKILLZ Facebook group.

If you’re ready to try out this new library format of PreSKILLZ, check it out at PreSKILLZ.com. We look forward to your feedback.

To contact Melissa Torres, send an email to [email protected].