Mikki Lee Martin describes ways to drill your kids repeatedly without boring them to distraction.
At the CrossFit Kids Trainer Course, we discuss some teaching methodologies based on how kids learn. They learn primarily through imitation and shared attention, and retention is then further enhanced through repetition, novelty and complexity. Novel experiences are more likely to be retained.
Likewise, youngsters with short attention spans learning perishable skills will also benefit and retain more through repetition. Think of it as a kind of insurance that important concepts and movements will be embedded through the development of neural and motor pathways that will be retained through the period when “pruning” begins.
Upon first glance, these concepts of repetition and novelty seem to be at odds with each other. This is where creativity comes in.