Let’s Juggle!

Juggling isn’t just a cool party trick or something to awe your friends with. (Even though I get paid to do that quite a bit.) It’s actually a fantastic way to give your mental health a big, bouncy boost. Yep, you heard that right! Learning to keep those balls in the air can do wonders for your brain. Practicing and messing up is just as important as being able to keep the balls flying.

First off, juggling is like a workout for your brain. It improves your concentration because, honestly, if you don’t focus, those balls are hitting the floor. It forces you to live in the moment – a form of mindfulness, if you will. You’re not stressing about tomorrow’s meeting or yesterday’s awkward conversation, or the test you have to take; it’s just you and those balls staying airborne.

Then, there’s the coordination and motor skills bit. Juggling makes the connections between your brain’s hemispheres stronger, enhancing your reaction times and giving you those ninja-like reflexes. Okay, maybe not ninja level, but you get the idea.

But here’s the real kicker: the sense of achievement you get from finally keeping those balls in the air? Gold.

For the best mental health benefits, practice juggling a little every day. Need help? Check out my learn to juggle videos on YouTube @dankirkjuggler.

Don’t be afraid to mess up. And don’t start with three balls. If you can’t do one in the proper pattern, you certainly won’t be able to do three. Get comfortable tossing one back and forth. Then move on to two in the proper pattern before going for the Gold.

Enjoy the failures. Laugh at yourself. Have a good time with it. And soon you’ll be juggling.

Dan Kirk, aka The Juggler With The Yellow Shoes, enjoys teaching juggling and related skills to children of all ages following one of his educational school assemblies or as a stand alone event.

Practicing juggling and related skills on a regular basis has many benefits. Here’s a list of what might happen to you if you practice the skills Dan can teach on a regular basis. You could:

• Improve Concentration
• Stimulate the reading center of the brain improving the ability to read
• Reduce the onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia
• Improve balance, coordination, and timing
• Improve writing skills
• Speed up your brain processing capabilities by growing new brain cells
• Have fun exercising
• Increase test scores
• Increase attention span
• Have a calming effect
• Build self-esteem
• Clear your mind (You can’t think of a lot of other things while juggling)
• Cause giggles and laughs

Dan has workshops made just for elementary school students. Although a first grader probably won’t be able to juggle 3 things, Dan has activities that they will succeed at trying. And they will have fun with using one or two objects.

Some of the things Dan can have students try in a forty-five minute workshop is scarf juggling, feather balancing and even plate spinning. It’s a great introduction in movement training.

Some schools have high interest days. That’s a day where students get to do special activities throughout the day. Maybe there’s a rock wall or an art project to do or a baking class. Dan has been hired to come to schools, spend the day, and teach juggling to the students.

First Dan will show off some of his juggling skills and then he’ll present hands on education.

Along with providing amazing school assemblies for students of all ages, Dan likes to teach the art of juggling to students of all grade levels. For additional information about having Dan Kirk, The Juggler With The Yellow Shoes, at your school, please visit: http://www.dankirk.com/school-assembly-programs/

Call or text 920-722-1881 or email: juggler@dankirk.com with questions.