Yoga With Kids
I have been an elementary teacher for 20 years and about a decade ago I saw a private school on TV for kids with ADHD that started each morning with schoolwide yoga. They discussed the benefits of the practice so, I decided to start it in my classroom.
Yoga at School
I loved doing yoga with my students aged 5-9 depending on the year. They loved it too! When weather permitted we always did it outdoors and in the winter months we just made room in our classroom. I even rearranged my room and got rid of my desk and any other unnecessary furniture to accommodate yoga.
I tried to get the whole school to do it and although that never took off I did have other classes join us from time to time.
Q and As Often Asked:
how we got the yoga mats I put it on their school supply list and bought a few cheap ones when needed
How I fit it in with an already bursting schedule I shaved minutes from academic subjects because I found this valuable
Am I a yoga teacher I never took a class before
How I learned I printed pictures of yoga poses and copied them
With My Baby!
So naturally when my daughter was born I wanted to make yoga a daily practice for her too. In all truth, I’m still striving for the daily part but we have been doing it since she was a toddler and love it.
Tips For Yoga With Kids
Make It Motivating
take it outside on sunny days
light candles inside
turn on music
buy a cute mat
get yoga games and books
Don’t Expect Too Much!
Keep it short and work up to longer practice. I do 10-15 minutes with my elementary aged classes but when my daughter was a toddler we did maybe 3 poses. Now that she is 5 we do about 5 minutes.
Mix Up the Vibe
Calm & Peaceful Vibe:: dark, soft music, cozy, balance and rest
Bright & Cheerful Vibe: sunny, fast moving, upbeat, strength
Fun & Silly Vibe: partner yoga, animal sounds with poses, challenging
Add In Meditation
My kids love when I take them on guided meditations which are really just relaxing, imaginative stories that involve their senses. They lay with their eyes closed at the end of yoga and breathe as I take them through the experience. They ask for it all the time.
Add In Gratitude
I use yoga as an opportunity to prompt thoughts of gratitude. While breathing in lotus I might say think of someone who is in your heart and send them a positive thought right now so that your love travels to them. Or, during child’s pose I might say close your eyes and think of something you can say thank you for today like your breakfast or a compliment someone gave you. You get the gist- this peaceful relaxing time is a great time to work in this kind of positive thinking so it becomes a habit for your child or those you teach.
Add In Self-Regulation
Yoga is also a great time to train kids to self-regulate. Ask them to notice if:
They were able to stay still during morte pose or if a still body is very difficult
They could concentrate on just the sound of their breathing or if their mind kept wandering
They are staying in the moment or thinking ahead to the next thing
How tuning out other distractions improves their balance
How their focus improves their poses
I teach them techniques like belly breaths, balloon breathing, and penguin breaths. I think in our rush around society giving kids self-regulation techniques and practice is crucial to their lifelong well-being.
Get Started!
I hope this post inspires you to start doing yoga with your children and or students! This is a practice with immense benefits including: mobility, strength, balance, flexibility, core strength, mindfulness, an attitude of gratitude and so much more. So, start as young as possible and try to make it a daily practice.