Most kids' activities ask parents to do one thing: sit and watch. Drop off, find a seat, scroll your phone, pick up. At Movement Taekwondo Center in Coconut Creek, a lot of parents skip the seat. Our kids classes for ages 7 to 12 are family classes, and parents are welcome to step onto the mat and train right alongside their children.
It is a big part of why our students call this place the Movement Family. Here is what training together looks like, and why it works so well for so many of our families.
It Usually Starts on the Sidelines
The story is almost always the same. A child signs up. A parent watches a few classes from the side of the room. Somewhere around the second or third week, watching starts to feel like missing out.
One of our parents, Cherie, put it simply: "I had registered my son and within a week I joined!" Another, Holly, describes how it went in her house: her son started first, her daughter joined him, and then, "instead of watching them have all the fun, I (mom in her early 40's!) too began my Taekwondo journey." Nearly three years later, the whole family is still training.
What Training Together Looks Like
In a family class, you and your child warm up together, learn the same fundamentals and work through the same drills. You are not a spectator and you are not a helper. You are a student, bowing in and bowing out like everyone else on the mat.
Everyone Learns at Their Own Level
A parent and a ten year old will not move the same way, and nobody expects them to. Kids tend to be fearless and flexible. Adults tend to be patient and good at picking up details. Each of you gets coached where you are, and you end up learning from each other as much as from the front of the room.
You Become Training Partners
The class does not stop when you leave the building. Families who train together practice in the living room, remind each other how a form goes and notice when the other one is getting better. Your child gets a partner who is always available, and so do you.
Why It Works So Well
Your Kids Watch You Learn Something Hard
Children hear a lot about trying their best and not giving up. It lands differently when they see a parent do it. When you are the beginner, miss a kick, laugh it off and try again, you are teaching the most important lesson in martial arts without saying a word.
Quality Time That Is Not Screen Time
Between school, work and everything else, a lot of family time ends up being time spent in the same room looking at different screens. On the mat, everyone is present. As Holly says, "Taekwondo time = quality family time."
A Workout You Actually Keep Doing
Taekwondo is real exercise. As another of our parents, Christian, puts it, "It is definitely a workout." And it is a lot harder to skip a workout when your child is standing at the door in their uniform asking if it is time to go. You keep each other consistent, which is the part most fitness plans are missing.
Goals You Share
Belt rank gives every student a clear next step. When a parent and child are working toward their next belts at the same time, those goals become something the whole family talks about and celebrates. Doris, who trains with her 5 and 9 year old, says it best: "We can't wait for the next belt."
"But I Have Never Done Martial Arts"
Most of the parents who train with us had not either. You do not need a sports background, flexibility or a certain fitness level to start. You need to show up and be willing to be a beginner for a little while, which, honestly, is exactly what you are asking your child to do.
Our instructors, led by Head Instructor Master Tyler Salamone, work with brand new students every week. You will learn the basics step by step, and you will be surprised how quickly they start to feel natural.
What About Younger Kids and Teens?
Our Little Champions class for ages 4 to 6 focuses on listening, coordination and basic Taekwondo movement, built specifically for that age. Parents of our youngest students are welcome to ask us about the best way for them to train too.
Teens 13 and up train in our teen and adult Taekwondo classes, where parents and teens can train together as fellow students. And our kids program for ages 7 to 12 is where family training is built right into the class.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Our kids classes for ages 7 to 12 are family classes, and parents are welcome to train right alongside their children. You do not need to sign up separately for a different class to train with your child.
No. Most of our students, kids and adults, start with zero martial arts background. You learn the basics at a pace that makes sense, and your fitness builds as you keep showing up.
That is completely fine. Plenty of kids train on their own and love having something that is theirs. Many parents watch for a while first, and some end up joining later when the timing feels right.
Yes. Children ages 4 to 6 train in our Little Champions class, ages 7 to 12 train in our kids family classes, and teens 13 and up train with adults in our teen and adult Taekwondo classes. Families with kids in more than one age group train with us all the time.
Claim a free class using the form on this page. We will help you find the right class for your child, and you can let us know if you would like to train together from day one.
Get on the Mat Together
If you have been watching your child train and wondering what it would feel like to join in, that feeling is worth listening to. Training together gives you shared goals, a real workout and time with your kids that you will both look forward to every week. Claim a free class and come see what the Movement Family is all about.