Last season in Mallorca I wrote a post “Entertainer = ninja” that explains what the entertainer’s job is about. This post will talk about the kids’ ninja. What does it mean exactly? Go on and read.

You probably know that I always did animation for adults and I tried to avoid kids (my colleagues can confirm it). I didn’t feel confident about working with them so I decided to work just with the adults. When I got the offer to work in Menorca, I was told that at the beginning and the end of the season I will have to manage with the programme for adults as well as for kids. I wasn’t really excited by that fact but I took it as a challenge and I decided to try to survive three weeks at the beginning and three weeks at the end with the kids.

Kids’ challenge

I have never had a problem to make a fitness and sports programme for adults but I hadn’t really done a kids’ programme before. Of course I knew what it is about – playing games, creating things etc. – I always watched my colleagues in miniclub but the practical part is totally different.

To manage with more kids that you don’t even understand, can be quite difficult and complicated. Nevertheless, I found out that kids are very smart and are able to understand many things without saying a word or just using some words you know from their language. I just feel a bit sad about the fact that I don’t understand the kids that like talking a lot. It seems that they are telling me many important or interesting things and obviously they have no idea that I don’t understand a word. They always seem to be excited about what they are saying and I feel quite disappointed or even stupid.

In love with kids

You might not believe it but I actually started to like the kids (of course not all of them, I got some favourite ones and I was quite sad when they had to leave). I know it can be surprising but many parents have told me that they think I am very good with kids and that the kids like me a lot and enjoy especially the minidisco.

In the previous seasons I always hated minidisco, it was something necessary that I had to do, I didn’t really enjoy it, I felt stupid and that’s why I was happy last year in the hotel without it. This season I couldn’t avoid it, I had to manage. Because I always want to do my job well and I know how the minidisco is supposed to be, I started to do it in some kind of crazy way dressed as a clown and doing stupid things during the dancing. At the beginning I wasn’t really sure about it but the kids like it, the parents were happy and they also told me how they appreciate my job and how their kids enjoy the time with me. When I heard it for the first time, I didn’t really believe it. During the time, more parents came and told me that I do really good job and the kids had much fun with me. Maybe it doesn’t seem special to you but for me, everytime I’m told such nice words, I feel special and appreciated, I feel that my job has a purpose. One woman even told me that it looks like I live this job and maybe she is right. When I do animation, I do it with all my heart, I do enjoy it and I try to do my best. It’s just something that I really like.

For me, working in entertainment always meant to entertain the adults but the beginning of current seasons has already changed my point of view. I think I became a Kids’ ninja.