Safe Voice, Smart Feet

Personal safety for kids taught through games, not fear — check first, big voice, run and tell a trusted adult

Kids martial arts
Kids 5–9 · Any art
45 min
8–20 kids (helper useful above 14)
1 coach
Effort 2/5
Full mat area
safety
life-skills
character
parent-shareable

The MatPlans curriculum teamBJJ black belts & coaches · 12+ yrs on the mat

Kit: Mats, 8 spot markers, 4 cones, 2 kick shields or firm cushions

Warm-up8 min

Bow In & Bubble Tag

Setup: Bow in on spot markers first. Then a big open mat with a cone at each corner. Set the tone before the game: tonight is about being safe and strong, never about being scared.

How it works: Everyone imagines a bubble around them, two arms wide. Jog anywhere without popping anyone's bubble. On BUBBLE CHECK, stop and spin slowly with arms out — clear air means a clear bubble. Then add gentle tag: taggers score by touching a shoulder, but a bubble-guard freeze (arms out, knees bent, eyes up) makes you safe for three seconds. Swap taggers often so everyone chases and everyone guards.

Rounds: Keep the bubble word — it comes back in every block tonight as the signal for 'make space.'

What to say

“Your space is yours — that one sentence is the whole warm-up.”
“Praise the dodgers who use their feet, not their hands: 'smart feet, Maya.'”
“Eyes up in the freeze — a child who sees the room early stays safe in every game.”

Easier

Walking pace, bigger bubbles, no taggers — just bubble checks on the move.

Harder

Shrink the play area every minute so protecting the bubble takes real footwork.

Drill10 min

The Check-First Rule

Setup: Class seated in a half-circle, one spot marker behind them as home base. You stand where everyone can see your face — this block is acting, and your acting should be silly, never scary.

How it works: Teach the rule in one line and have them chant it back: before I go anywhere with anyone, I check first with my grown-up. Explain it simply: most people are kind, so we do not need to guess who is safe — the rule works on everyone, even people we know. Then play it: you act out friendly invitations in daft voices — 'I have a puppy in my car', 'help me find my kitten', 'your mum said to come with me' — and the class answers together with the script, 'I need to check first', then walks tall back to home base. Anyone who forgets just hears the class say it and joins in — no wrong answers tonight, only practice.

The technique, step by step

Learn the line: before I go anywhere with anyone, I check first with my grown-up.
Coach acts a friendly invitation in a daft voice.
Class answers together: 'I need to check first.'
Walk tall back to home base, heads up.

Common mistakes

Turning it scary — keep every scenario cartoon-silly; the skills stick, the fear should not.
Only practising with 'strangers' — the check-first rule is for everyone, and say so.

What to say

“Silly voices, cartoon scenarios — the lesson lands through laughter, never through fright.”
“The rule beats guessing: 'we don't sort people into good and bad, we just always check first.'”
“Walk tall to home base — head up, brisk feet. Rehearse the body, not just the words.”

Easier

Class answers all together every time — nobody answers alone until they volunteer.

Harder

Kids answer in pairs, and add the follow-up: check first even for lovely offers, even from people we know.

Drill12 min

Big Voice, Smart Feet

Setup: Two lines facing you, each child on a spot with space to step back. Kick shields ready for the voice drill. Teach this as the Safety Three — the only three moves tonight.

How it works: Move one: the fence — step back into your art's guard with palms open and out, and say 'STOP' in your biggest voice from the belly, not the throat. Move two: make space — two more big steps back, hands still up, eyes on the person. Move three: run and tell — run to a trusted adult and say what happened. Drill each move on your call, then chain all three as choreography. For the big voice, hold a kick shield in front of each child in turn and let them shout 'STOP' into it — the shield makes big voices feel safe to use. Finish with the telling line, repeated together: I tell an adult I trust, and I keep telling until someone helps.

The technique, step by step

Fence: step back, palms open and out, big belly voice — 'STOP.'
Make space: two more big steps back, hands up, eyes on them.
Run and tell: fast feet to a trusted adult, say what happened.
Chain all three on the call: fence, space, run and tell.

Common mistakes

Whispering the STOP — go back to the shield until the big voice shows up.
Running without telling — the telling is the finish line, every single time.

What to say

“Big voice comes from the belly — hands on tummies, feel the shout push out.”
“Palms open, not fists — the fence says stop, it never starts anything.”
“Running away is a win: 'fast feet to a trusted adult is the strongest move we teach.'”

Easier

Practise the voice all together first — solo shouts only when a child wants a turn.

Harder

Random order calls — you shout 'fence', 'space' or 'tell' and they hit the right move from anywhere.

The rest of this lesson is free — along with 3 more this week.

MatPlans curriculum team

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