Which sport for a child on Nuns’ Island?

01The short answer

02Six questions before choosing

How old is the child, and which group matches? Needs and attention span change between 4, 6 and 10. Do they like learning movements, playing on a team, running, swimming or creating? Enjoyment is what makes regularity. Is the trip realistic after school? An activity that is close and compatible with homework is easier to keep up. Does the class take beginners? What do you need to bring? And what is the real frequency — the one on the published schedule, not a general availability? For a child who already has a sport, the question becomes that of the second sport: The American Academy of Pediatrics writes, in its 2016 clinical report on sports specialization, that participating in multiple sports, at least until puberty, decreases the chances of injuries, stress and burnout in young athletes. Karate and other sports says what the dojo adds alongside, sport by sport.

03What the dojo answers, question by question

Age and group: the Petit Samouraï takes 4- to 6-year-olds on Saturday morning, the kids programme follows on weekdays to age 13, by age and by level — The Petit Samouraï, ages 4 to 6 and Karate classes for kids in Montreal. Beginners: yes, everyone is one at the first class, and the trial is free. What to bring: comfortable clothes and a bottle of water; the karategi is bought only once the decision is made. Frequency: the one on the schedule, which gives the groups and times. Several children: each in the group for their age, not necessarily at the same slot; the pricing page publishes family rates. Our classes run in both languages, which is why this site exists in four.

04The real trip from the school, home or daycare

No walking or driving time is shown here: it depends on the starting point, the hour and the mode. Type yours, choose how you are coming, and the map opens with the route to the dojo. Suite 010 is on the lower level; access is by stairs. Parking is free; you park in the loop in front of the building and follow the Kyokushin signs.

05For the families of the island’s two elementary schools

École primaire Île-des-Sœurs (530 rue de Gaspé) and École des Marguerite (100 boulevard de l’Île-des-Sœurs), both from kindergarten to the end of elementary school, in the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys. If your child attends either one, compare the trip to home, to the dojo and to the week’s other activities — the form above does the calculation from the school’s address as well as from yours. These schools are named as landmarks: they are neither partners nor sponsors of the dojo, and karate is not a school activity. The dojo offers neither after-school care nor transport: a karate session is an independent activity, where the parent or designated adult brings the child in and picks them up at the end.

06What an hour asks of a child

A kids’ class follows a fixed order — bow, warm-up, basics repeated in lines, kicks, pads, partner work, bow — and the place kumite takes in it is described in What kids’ classes are like, not inferred here. Nobody sits on the bench: karate is practised in a group, but everyone progresses at their own pace. The three questions parents ask before the trial — contact, how the hour goes, age — have their page: Kyokushin for kids.