Kids love to play with toys!  Many times they have a toy that is a little more than just a toy, it is a special friend.  Dolls, action figures, stuffed animals, are just a few that are on the top of the list.

As we mentioned in a prior post, we allow kids to bring in a toy to Yoga class and talk about it with the group, kind of like a “show and tell”.  Depending on the toy they bring, we usually try to do a few Yoga poses related to the toy.  They really love this!  Not only do they enjoy the activity, but they also become very creative when trying to relate a toy to Yoga! It is great watching their minds go to work!

During summer vacations kids not only rest from their daily school routine, but lots of them also like to take the time to rest from their after school activities, such as Yoga class!

July is a very atypical month since our Yoga classes in the studio are practically empty, except for a few children who continue coming to class.  So for this small bunch we like to do different activities that are not part of the “usual” Yoga routine.

These past two weeks we have done YOGART… a combination of Yoga and Art!

So after our typical welcome and warm up session, we changed gears and worked on a few “art projects” enhancing fine motor skills, imagination and creativity.  All of course, while having fun and doing Yoga!

We found some really neat foam animal stickers and some foam build-your-own animal kits that we have been using this week… especially with the younger children (that seem to be the ones that continue coming to class).

With the stickers we had the children come up with a story that they would portray on paper using the sticker and crayons.  Once they finished their “art work” they went around in a circle telling us the story and acting it out with the relevant Yoga poses.  They had lots of fun doing this… and oh what stories they came up with!

The build-your-own animal kit had 3 animals to choose from and build from scratch.  Once the kids made one they wanted to keep on going with the other two!  This was also a very nice activity since it calmed them down because it required them to concentrate.  Once the animals where put together, we did the corresponding poses and also came up with some interesting stories!

We hope to keep exploring YOGART… next time maybe with paints!  Please share any ideas or experiences that you may have had with YOGART!

It is true that you can do Yoga just about anywhere and without the need of any equipment, even a mat is somewhat of a plus to have rather than a necessity.  Similarly, you can teach Yoga to children without anything more than the love and enthusiasm you share both for children and Yoga!

However, after a few months at our studio we have noticed that there are some “instruments” that are nice to have handy during our kids Yoga classes. These are everyday materials, that simply make class a little easier and much more fun!

Yoga Kit:

1. Balls: children love to play with balls and as soon as they see one they get really excited and just want to throw or kick it! Kids love participating in activities with this great prop. For more detailed activities, you can check our post: “Balls… Props That Come In All Sizes”.
2. Colorful Handkerchiefs: not only do they light up the room with their different colors, they are great for breathing exercises and can also be used as butterfly wings, amongst other things.
3. Soft floor: If you can splurge a little, cushioned floor mats are worth the extra investment.  Having a soft but sturdy floor gives kids the extra confidence they need to try difficult poses!
4. Yoga Posture Cards:  can be used for games such as memory and freeze and are a great tool for introducing new postures or as when having the kids make up their own sequences.
5. Music: Everybody loves music. You can create different moods depending on the music that you choose.

Creativity: last but certainly not least… creativity is by far the most important tool to always have present in a kids Yoga class!

Sometimes after teaching 16 Yoga classes a week we feel that our creativity is just not there! It can be difficult to come up with something new to add to each class and suddenly we run the risk of classes becoming monotonous instead of fun and creative.

What can we do when our creativity is running on empty?

We found that the answer is simpler then you may think… let the kids be your fuel!  Instead of running the risk of falling into the dull routine trap, let your students be the ones who give you the ideas of how to make class fun and creative. Kids love the chance to be the teacher, let them be the ones to lead the class for a moment. Children love it when their opinions and ideas are taken into consideration.  They become very excited knowing they were the ones who “invented” a new activity or came up with the idea of what to do next.

Children are very creative and we are sure that you would be impressed with all the new and exciting ideas and activities they can come up with.  Give it a try, be open to the idea of letting them be the teacher once in a while, we assure you that everyone in the class will have lots of FUN!

Do you remember Michael Jackson doing the Moonwalk? What does that have to do with Yoga, you might ask! Well, the other day we did the Michael Jackson Moonwalk on the wall while in plow pose, it was great!!!

When you think of Plow pose or Halasana what may come to mind are the many benefits it provides, such as strengthening the back, stimulating the endocrine system, balancing metabolic functions and toning the abdominal area.

Getting into and staying in plow pose for a few minutes can be difficult and a little tedious for some kids.  So why not make Plow pose a bit more interesting and fun! One way to do it is passing a ball or soft object from one person to another in plow pose, while lying down in a circle.  Another way is the Dancing Yoga Moonwalk…

Here is your MOONWALK YOGA DANCE LESSON:

1. Start by sitting with your back against the wall and legs stretched out.
2. Prepare your leg muscles by coming into forward bend (paschimottanasana).
3. Now move forward, away from the wall, about leg distance from the wall (so you are basically sitting down where your feet were when you were in forward bend).
4. Lie down and come into Plow Pose, but instead of touching your feet to the floor, keep your feet up against the wall.
5. Begin walking your feet up and down the wall, let the walk slowly turn into the Moonwalk sliding or dragging your feet up and down.
6. Accompany the movement with good music and feel the stretch on the back of your legs!

Have fun and relax with this Yoga “dance” movement!

It is amazing how Yoga allows creativity to flow! Creativity is actually a very important and necessary tool to use during children’s Yoga classes.

Using this creativity, we wanted to see how to combine reading and spelling skills with Yoga! Of course, we love reading books and doing the Yoga poses relevant to the story, but we wanted to try something new.

We came across small foam letter stickers that seemed perfect for the activity we had in mind.  Why not spell words and names out and then do the Yoga pose for each word and letter?  The kids loved the activity!

This activity not only reinforced spelling and reading skills, but also helped calm down the energy level of the group.

Try this simple, fun and useful game for children over 5 years old:

Materials needed:

1. Letters
2. Imagination
3. Creativity

How to play:

1. Make a circle with the mats (if using them)
2. Spread all the letters in the middle.
3. Let the children find the letters of their names or the word they are going to spell.
4. Spell the name on the mat.
5. Taking turns, each child will do a pose for each letter (or word) and the rest of the group will follow them.
6. Sometimes the group can work together to do the pose of a single letter; it is amazing to see how creative they can be!
7. Spell names, poses, objects or just have fun inventing words.

The habit of reading is a simple tool with which an individual can access an infinite and abundant amount of knowledge. It is good to instill reading habits at any age and at any time. So why not during Yoga class?

Reading and storytelling stimulates creativity, a very important skill that we are constantly working on in our students.  A really nice activity we do with our Little Yogis and Kid Yogis groups is Active Storytelling. The activity consists of using our imagination as we go around the circle telling a story and acting it out.  To make it a little easier for the younger kids, we may provide a flashcard to each child with a picture of an animal or object to help them get started with their story.  One person begins, showing the flash card if they have one, telling their story. As they tell their part of the story, they also act it out, and the rest of the class follows. The next student needs to continue the story and so on.

At the beginning, when we explained the activity to them, they did not seem very excited about it. But as soon as we started the activity everything changed! We noticed the expression in their eyes and their excitement and restlessness, waiting for their turn to be the “authors” of the story.

So that’s how we began narrating our own YOGA STORY. While each yogi told their part of the story, everyone practiced the Yoga poses that went along with the story.  Children where exercising not only their bodies, but their imagination and creativity as well.

It was amazing how much they enjoyed this activity! Each child could not wait for their turn to share the most creative story they could come up with.

Let your yogis and yoginis be part of this wonderful world of imagination and knowledge and encourage them to tell stories they have read or listen to or even made up! Enjoy the amazing world of books and stories!

After we do relaxation and foot rubs, we usually end our class with a healthy snack.  Kids love to spend those last few minutes of class sharing a moment with their friends, talking and eating.

Kids finish the class very hungry, after working so hard and having fun during Yoga!  They know that after all that work, there is a healthy fruit waiting for them, usually apples, strawberries, grapes or bananas.  Even the kids who usually don’t care much for fruits adventure out and try one… even if they eat only a small piece!

An all-time favorite are grapes, green or red, or both!  Grapes are a delicious and nutritive snack rich in potassium, copper, iron, vitamin B and fiber.

Grapes are also a wonderful fruit for our heart; they help the blood flow freely and not form clogs nor do they allow cholesterol to hang out in our arteries.

For all these reason, and because they are delicious and refreshing, we share the love of grapes with all our yogis and yoginis!

It is quite normal for us to have a stronger or more dominant side of our body. This is very noticeable when doing Yoga poses; there is usually one side that seems “easier” than the other. We may be stronger or have more balance, even be a bit more flexible one the right side in comparison with the left, for example.

During our Kid Yogis class last Monday we did some fun exercises meant to work on our “weaker” side of the body.  An exercise as simple as throw and catch suddenly became quite a challenge for the kids!  At the beginning when we started throwing and catching the ball the kids didn’t seem to understand what we were doing since an activity such as this one is fairly easy for 9 to 12 year olds. But everything suddenly changed when we asked them to pay close attention to which side they were using to throw and catch. Was their dominant hand the right or the left? We asked them to change hands, to use the hand that they would not normally use in an activity such as this!

As you can imagine, their first reaction was to laugh when they noticed how clumsy they suddenly felt. They realized that they did not have the same control or direction in this arm and hand. And all of a sudden this simple game became a real challenge, as they tried to gain control of the ball and their bodies, requiring them to concentrate a little bit more than usual!

Try throwing and catching the ball with a partner, or throwing the ball into a basket with your “weaker” arm, it is amazing how much fun you can have while concentrating on a simple game of catch!

When you think of Yoga for kids can you picture a group of 1 to 2 year olds doing down dog and tree pose?

One of the age groups we have been working with are toddlers from 2 to 4 years old.  However, we have a few children that have not yet celebrated their 2^nd birthday who love participating in our Yoga classes.  So we decided to separate our Mini Yogis into 2 subgroups – children 21 months to almost 3 years old and 3 to 4 year olds – and it has worked out so much better!

At the beginning we decided to ask the moms to leave the kids in the studio while they waited in the reception area.  There were some kids who did not have a problem doing the class on their own.  However, there were others, especially the youngest ones, who expressed the need to have their mother or caregiver by their side since it resulted in a difficult task to keep the routine of the class because they constantly went out in search of them.

After a few classes we decided to invite the moms and caregivers to participate in the class. They shared a mat with their little yogi or yogini and did all the motions and exercises with them. This seemed to work out great for the younger kids; however, the 3 and 4 year olds all of a sudden also wanted their mommies in the class with them even though they had been doing a great job independently.

This is when we decided that it would be best to separate Mini Yogis into 2 subgroups. Once we made this change we noticed that all the children seemed much happier! The youngest group really enjoyed sharing Yoga class with their mommies and the Moms were also very excited to be able to do a little bit of Yoga while sharing a special moment with their little ones.  The older group was once again able to feel comfortable and happy doing Yoga with the other little yogis and yoginis in the class.