Victoria Maus, from Birmingham in the UK, was recently involved in our #LottieInstaTakeover with her 6-year old daughter Eleanor.

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We, at Lottie HQ, were so inspired by the wonderful stories she told on Instagram, that we caught up with Victoria to find out more about how Kawaii Karate Lottie encouraged Eleanor to step out of her comfort zone.

"A year ago my five-year-old started karate lessons, feeling encouraged by Kawaii Karate Lottie. Inspired by our daughter, we started lessons too! In a year, she has achieved four belts, and even learnt some Japanese, but more than that she's gained self-confidence and a belief that she can do anything she puts her mind to. And it all started with Lottie..."

'Eleanor is 6 years old and lives in Birmingham (UK) with her little sister Phoebe, Mummy and Daddy. Eleanor is adventurous, inquisitive and creative; she loves nature too and being outdoors. If Eleanor were a Lottie doll she’d be Autumn Leaves Lottie - outside building dens and stomping through crunchy leaves!

Eleanor and her sister love Lottie dolls and have eight of them, as well as lots of different accessories.  They love their Lottie dolls because they identify with them – one minute they can be superheroes, the next they can be scootering or fossil hunting. They can gaze at their stars, build sandcastles or play football. Lottie shows them that they can do anything.'

'Last year, Eleanor’s Mummy thought it would be great if Eleanor started karate lessons with the Zen-Shin Martial Arts Association, mainly to help with Eleanor’s self-belief and confidence. Eleanor wasn’t keen on the idea - she thought that karate was for boys and older children and that she wouldn’t be able to do it. She got a Kawaii Karate Lottie for her 5^th birthday and it really boosted her confidence. She couldn’t wait to wear a gi just like Lottie and learn the techniques that came on Lottie’s cards.

For the first few lessons, Eleanor was still nervous so Kawaii Karate Lottie came along to cheer her on with Mummy. It didn’t take long for Eleanor’s confidence to grow. Inspired by Eleanor, her Mummy and Daddy also joined karate lessons and her sister can’t wait to start when she’s old enough too!'

'A year later, Eleanor is such a keen karateka. She trains twice a week, often does extra weekend sessions and recently went to a weekend training camp with her club and took part in over 10-hours of karate in three days! In one year she has achieved four belt grades and is grading for her next one in two weeks, as well as trying out for the club’s Kumite squad.

Karate has given Eleanor (and her family) a fantastic hobby, a community to be a part of and a healthier way of life. And it all started with Lottie.'

Kawaii Karate Lottie

Thank you so much to Victoria for this wonderful, inspiring post about Eleanor, and indeed your entire family, taking up karate! We love to hear when Lottie encourages kids to try new things, especially things that give them such self-confidence.

• To follow Victoria's adventures, you can find her on Instagram
• She also has a blog called Thimble End
• If you'd like to know more about their karate club, please visit the Zen-Shin Martial Arts Academy website