Although this past spring has been less than stellar here in the Pacific Northwest (how much rain do we need, anyway?) I still hold out hope that the summer will be warm and relaxing. Summer has always been an opportunity both to try new things and to deepen my focus on the things I already do, and the dojo is usually at the top of the list. The dojo also gets a lot of new students during the summer as well. I can understand why: aikido seems to be one of the perfect summer activities.

As the father of three kids, I know very well how challenging summers can be. In particular, the lack of schedule can be a huge deal for us. As parents, we all know that, following the first week or two of post-scholastic happiness, there are real risks for boredom or listlessness. Having some sort of activity would be great, wouldn’t it? But regular sports are difficult to commit to. After all, summer is when we have vacations, relatives visit, and do all sorts of things that the rigors of the school year prevent. Plus, as much as I enjoy a good baseball game (especially when my daughter is on the field!), standing out in the hot sun for hours can be difficult–especially when you have little ones, as I do.

Aikido Kokikai South Everett sidesteps these issues and offers a great family-oriented activity for the summer. Here’s why:

• Our dues are very minimal, making it easy for kids to join without worrying about interruptions for vacations and the like
• We have classes throughout the week, so students can adjust their schedule week to week if they need to
• Our large waiting area and kids activities means that siblings and parents can relax while their student trains
• Classes are in the evenings, which usually means we avoid the hottest parts of the day (I’ve appreciated this fact more than once!)

Of course, aikido is tremendously fun, too, and it provides a fantastic opportunity for kids to build the calmness and focus they need to start the next school year.

I freely admit: I hope that any student that joins in the summer continues to train into the following year. And, in fact, most students do exactly that. But even if that doesn’t happen, I’m convinced that aikido remains a fun, rewarding, easy-to-start summer activity.