A new study has found that taekwondo can improve self-regulation in children. Extracurricular activities will always be important for children, for many reasons. They help them stay active, they help them socialize and learn how to be part of a team, and they also help them learn how to win or lose with grace and dignity. Activities teach children so many skills, and studies are constantly being done to see what each skill can offer a child. Depending on the individual child and their needs, there is likely a sport for them.According to Medical Xpress, taekwondo can help to improve elementary school children’s self-regulation skills. This was shown through a study that was done by the University of Surrey and it can be read in full here. The study involved more than 200 children between the ages of 7 and 11 year’s old and it followed them for 11 weeks.Self-regulation refers to a person’s ability to manage their own emotions, behavior, and thoughts. When children are able to self-regulate their emotions, they are shown to have better mental health skills and they perform better in school. The study involved breaking up the children into two groups. One group took part in a taekwondo class, and the other was part of the control group.The control group received two 45-minute general gym classes a week, while the other group had two 45-minute taekwondo classes a week. They collected data from the children before the classes started and after they had finished. They found that children who had participated in the taekwondo classes were rated higher by their teachers at having better attention in class than those who took the gym classes. They also found that the children’s self-regulation skills improved and any symptoms of mental health struggles were reduced.[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/arrowheadpeds/status/1479468385750908937[/EMBED_TWITTER]This study is promising for parents out there who have thought about placing their children in taekwondo. While taekwondo has many benefits, this may be the push parents need to sign their child up for some classes. Researchers are also using this study to say that schools may want to consider adding taekwondo to their gym class curriculum because all students could benefit from this. As of right now, schools don’t typically offer taekwondo or any martial arts, and classes may not be accessible for parents. They may not have enough time, or the resources to afford them, but adding them to public school can be a way that all children can access them.Sources: Medical Xpress, APA PsychNet