Yoga In My School » yoga games

My Favorite Yoga Prop – Feathers

DonnaKFreeman — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:44:44 +0000

Guest post by Sarah Herrington.

Bringing out a bag of colorful soft feathers adds instant excitement to yoga class. Feathers allow kids to see the breath, add a fun twist to bird poses of any kind, and make for some fun yoga games! Feathers can even make savasana more special.

Pranayama Practice

Even the youngest of yogis can become more aware of breath and the connection between breath and emotions. Simply holding a feather in front of your nose during kid-pranayama practice (which might consist of Bunny Breath to energize or Take Five Breath to calm down) makes breath visible. Try blowing soft enough to move the fluffy part of the feather and then hard enough to move the stiff part of the feather. Can you see your feather move, fast or slow, depending on how you’re breathing? How does “fast” breath make you feel? How does “slow” breath make you feel? Practice Ujjayi breath by holding the feather under your nose and keeping your lips sealed like an envelope.

Floating Feather Game

Celebrate the power of breath by playing this game with yourself or a friend. Using only your breath (no fingers or toes), keep your feather afloat. Don’t let it touch the floor! Try playing a little feather-volleyball with a friend.

Find the Feather Game

“Find the Feather,” is an intuition game. Invite one yogi to be the “seeker”, and ask her to hide in the corner of the room, with no peeking. Then, hide the feather under another yogi’s mat. Invite the seeker back and ask her to guess where the feather is hiding. Talk about what it means to “go with your gut” and use your intuition. You’d be amazed how many times the yogi will find the feather on the first or second try!

Bird Asanas

Feathers make learning our bird poses even more fun. Hand out feathers when working on Eagle pose or Flamingo. Let the kids be inspired to feel the source of their asanas even more fully given the feathers. Decorate your pigeon with a feather or two or allow your swan to ruffle its feathers in movement.

Savasana

Feathers are great to use during savasana/ relaxation. You can give your savasana-students “Feather Massages.” As always, ask kids if they want to be touched. (I have students put a thumb up in the air during savasana if they want an adjustment or massage.) Lightly move the feather across the third-eye area. Kids will lie really still in anticipation of a feather massage, so this helps in savasana management! You can also gently place a feather on the belly or chest during savasana so there is an awareness of how breath effects the body when it enters and leaves. You may even want to place several feathers around each relaxing yogi and lead the class through a “Bed of Feathers” guided visualization. All of these techniques keep young yogis more still during savasana time.

Let your imagination soar as you and your students invent even more ways to use feathers in yoga class! Even hanging some feathers in the yoga space can act as a constant reminder of this important, but invisible, part of the yoga practice. Breathe deep, and let the feathers fly!

Sarah Herrington is a full-time kids and Vinyasa yoga teacher in Manhattan. For the past several years she’s taught 25 kids yoga classes a week in the public school and charter school system in NYC. She has completed trainings through KarmaKids Yoga, MiniYogis and YogaEd, along with the training of teaching daily. Her kids classes are infused with the joy and fun of yoga, and her Vinyasa classes with the power of intention, mindfulness, and breath. She can be found online at: http://www.sarahherrington.com

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My Favourite Yoga Prop – Hoop Yoga

DonnaKFreeman — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:02:53 +0000

Guest post by Karen Gilmour

They come out for picnics, birthday parties, and backyard summer fun. The hula hoop - one of America’s oldest fads predating the 1950s – are now sneaking their way into yoga studios!

Hoop Yoga recently made it’s way to an Alluem Kids class at Alluem Yoga in Cranford, NJ. The kids grabbed their hoops and started hooping it up! Hula Hooping alone is a great tool for connecting with your body, which is what we strive to do in yoga. Grounding your feet into the earth for stability, being mindful of your surroundings, utilizing core strength, and feeling the hoop rotate the circumference of your body – all aids in achieving body awareness. And what better way to teach a child about body awareness then through play!

Hula Hooping is also a great opportunity to teach children about heart rate. As hooping is a cardiovascular activity, have the kids take their pulse before and after hooping so they can see the way a constant rhythmic movement gets the blood flowing. Incorporate pranayama to slow down the breath even while moving. Take a deep breath to 5 rotations of the hoop and exhale to 5 rotations of the hoop. See how slow you can get the breath to go.

What if the child can’t hula hoop? The first lesson there is practice and patience! It takes time to learn a skill and we don’t all get it on the first try. Using focus and concentration to increase coordination is the key. But not to worry, Hoop Yoga isn’t just hooping! There are so many ways to incorporate a hoop into your asanas. Starting with stretching, holding the hoop with extended arms over the body will intensify the experience. In Mountain Pose or Butterfly Pose stretching left, right, front, back opens up the shoulders and the heart. Move through a Sun Salutation using the hoop to help aid alignment. Hips high in Downward Facing Dog balancing the hoop. Forward bend over the hoop reaching for the floor. Incorporate the hoop into a variety of poses. Allow the hoop to help lift your back leg in Dancer Pose. Tall spine and hoop over head for Tree Pose. Balance on your seat with the hoop surrounding you in Boat Pose. Balance the hoop on your feet in Candlestick. Allow the kids to be creative and make up poses of their own with the hoops!

Add some non-competitive group games to the mix:

“Pass The Hoop” is a game to work on body awareness and working together. Holding hands and forming a circle with the hoop linked around the players’ arms, the object of the game is to simply pass the hoop from one person to the next stepping through it without letting go of each other’s hands. Be prepared for smiles, giggles, and cheering!

“Over Under” is a game to increase flexibility down the back body. Standing in a line, the first person passes the hoop over head, arching back to the next person. The next person bends forward stepping over the hoop passing it to the next person. Leave ample room between each player.

“Walk, Hop, Hoop” is a game to work on listening skills. With hoops spaced out around the room, instruct the children to carefully walk around the hoop, hop in or out of the hoop, or to pick up the hoop and hula hoop. To increase the difficulty, tell the kids that when you say “Walk”, you want them to “Hop”, and when you say “Hop” you want them to “Hoop”, and when you say “Hoop” you want them to “Walk”. That will really get them paying attention!

The list of activities for Hoop Yoga is endless! Open up the imagination gate and let the creativity flow! Have fun with it and connect mind, body, and spirit!

Karen Gilmour: Upon discovering yoga in 2004, Karen watched her true self shine through every time she practiced. After experiencing the many benefits of yoga first hand, she knew bringing these benefits to children could help shape their awareness, self-esteem, and confidence now and in their future. Karen trained with Little Flower Yoga in NYC and currently teaches classes at Alluem Yoga in Cranford, NJ. When Karen is not practicing yoga, she is most likely working on illustrating her next children’s book. She has currently illustrated 4 children self help books focusing on health, emotions, imagination, and self-esteem.

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Endangered Animals Kids Yoga Class – Elephant Journal

DonnaKFreeman — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 12:50:43 +0000

I love National Geographic. Always have. Maybe it was because my Dad insisted on having a subscription and keeping every single issue—I think they still have them on shelves in the basement. As a child I would spend hours looking at the amazing photographs and reading about the world and its many wonders.

As a family we also would watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom every Sunday evening and join Marlin Perkins as he traveled around the globe sharing his love of wildlife and the many dramas that unfold in the animal kingdom. And of course, there is World Wildlife Fund (WWF) with their work to sustain nature and save endangered and threathened animals.

Needless to say, I’m a big fan of protecting endangered and threatened species. I figured with all the animal yoga poses it would be natural to mix the two. So when I found these great colouring pages of a variety of precious species at Kids for Saving Earth I knew it was meant to be.

Read the full article on elephant journal.

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Useful and Fun Yoga Games – Yoga Jenga

DonnaKFreeman — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:00:16 +0000

Most of us are familiar with the game of physical and mental skill called Jenga where a number of wooden blocks are stacked in a tower and each player must try to remove one block per turn using only one hand without toppling the tower. Adding a yoga element to this classic game is a sure fire hit to include in yoga class. It maintains interest, can be used with any sized group, helps kids learn how to take turns, improves hand eye coordination, instills patience, and is easy to use again and again with endless variety.

Yoga Jenga

Take a jenga game and write a different pose on each block. I took inspiration from the 60 poses included in Once Upon a Pose writing the English pose name on one side and the French name of the other thereby creating a bilingual game (the name in Sanskrit, Spanish, German, etc. would be equally as effective – See Language Learning Thru Yoga).

Have a couple of kids set up the game by stacking three blocks across three blocks until a tower is formed.

Choose a child to carefully remove a jenga block.

Perform the yoga pose written on the block.

You can place the block back on to the top of the jenga tower in order for it to continue to build. If you don’t want to repeat any poses during the class simply place the used jenga blocks off to one side. As well we more often than not simply run out of time long before the tower comes down.

Choose another child and repeat until all children have had a turn, class is over, or the tower falls over.

Visit the Yoga Games page for more engaging yoga activities to use in your class. Also join us on Facebook and check out our YouTube Channel where there is always lots of great content to keep your kids and teen yoga classes fun and inspiring.

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My Favourite Yoga Prop – Parachute

DonnaKFreeman — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:13:27 +0000

A parachute is an ideal prop to involve a large group of children, teens and adults in cooperative, non-competitive activities and games. These games help reinforce turn-taking and sharing as well as develop listening skills, gross and fine motor skills, and coordination.

Yoga Poses with Parachute

Space children evenly around the edge of the parachute. Perform various yoga poses while holding on with one or two hands. Some fun poses include: mountain pose, tree pose, warrior I and II, dancer and chair pose.

Popcorn

Place a number of balls (pingpong balls, tennis balls, beach balls, etc.) on top of the parachute. Everyone makes waves with the parachute and bounce the balls like popcorn. See if you can keep them all on the parachute or, alternatively, bounce them all off.

Mushroom

Everyone crouches down on the ground holding the parachute. On the count of three everyone stands up and raises the parachute above their heads. When the instructor says “Go” everyone brings the parachute down behind them to the ground and they sit under the parachute on the edge. You can tell a joke, riddle, or story while under the parachute.

Cat & Mouse

Pick two kids to be cats and two kids to be mice. Cats stay on top of the parachute, crawling trying to find the mice, who are crawling under the parachute. All other children are holding the parachute making waves to conceal the mice. Once the mice are found, it is time for new cats and new mice. Remind the cats that pouncing will end their turn.

Shark Attack

Chose 2-4 lifeguards and 2-4 sharks. Have the remaining children sit on the ground with their legs extended under the parachute and make waves with the parachute. The sharks crawl under the waves and try to drag children into the sea by pulling gently on their feet. When a child feels a shark attack he/she must yell for a lifeguard to save him/her. If the lifeguard gets there in time they can pull them out from under the parachute and they remain shaking and making waves. If the shark is successful the child becomes a shark. Remind children to not pull legs or arms very hard and to be careful under the parachute to avoid crashes.

The Grand Ole Duke of York

A song with actions

The Grand Old Duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill (Parachute Up)
And he marched them down again (Parachute down)
And he marched them to the left (Walk to the left)
And he marched them to the right (Walk to the right)
And he marched them up (Parachute Up)
And he marched them down (Parachute Down)
Oh what a silly sight (Shake the parachute really fast)

The Yogainmyschool.com Yoga Games page has a complete listing of fun and interactive games that will take your yoga class from good to great!

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Cinco de Mayo Kids Yoga Fiesta Fun

DonnaKFreeman — Wed, 05 May 2010 18:16:04 +0000

I love Cinco de Mayo. Maybe its the lively music, amazing food (enchiladas, fresh salsa, ensalada, chimichangas, mole, tamales, sopapilla…YUM!), remembrances of time spent in Latin America, or the entertaining atmosphere which permeates every Cinco de Mayo fiesta I’ve attended. Each year I like to include some fun Cinco de Mayo inspired yoga activities into my kids yoga classes. Here are a few suggestions.

Spanish Language

Teach some of the pose names in Spanish. (Since I don’t speak fluent Spanish I used my iTranslate app. Very handy.)

tree=árbol, mountain=montaña, warrior=querrero, boat=barco,etc.

This will help children to broaden their cultural horizons and appreciate the marvelous diversity which makes up the world. For more information on second language learning in the yoga classroom listen to this interview with Beth Reese of Yogiños.

Burrito Roll (Sushi Roll)

This is a great sensory activity which makes kids feel safe and secure and stimulates the proprioceptors (the neurons which relay the information of one’s own body position and movement).

Have child lie across the end of a yoga mat with their head off one side.

With their arms down by their sides, roll them up in a mat (include a favourite stuffed animal if desired).

Unroll them.

Sometimes kids like to do this themselves by grasping the mat up near their neck and rolling and unrolling repeatedly as they desire. I have one autistic student that does this whenever he feels the need during class which will often inspire the rest of us to join him.

Mexican Hat Dance

Have all the children make a giant circle while holding hands. Place a sombrero in the center of the circle. Begin to play some Mexican inspired music and have the children walk to one direction around the sombrero. When the name of a child is called, that child leaves the circle and dances around the sombrero until another child’s name is called when they rejoin the circle. Continue until all children have a chance to dance in the center.

Buenos Amigos

Provide each child with a paper and pencil. Have each child write as many nice things about their classmate (amigo) to their right as they can in a given amount of time (5 mins). Suggest kind things about how they act, think, play, work, etc. Give the paper to the amigo to take home.

You could also include a craft like paper plate maracas or colouring page of children in traditional mexican costumes.

What are some ways you enjoy celebrating Cinco de Mayo with your kids yoga classes?

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Useful and Fun Yoga Games – Ball Pass

DonnaKFreeman — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:10:22 +0000

Sensory games are a fun way to improve a child’s ability to move the body as a whole and to integrate the senses. They are an enjoyable way to teach necessary social skills like teamwork, turn taking and verbal/non-verbal communication. Ball Pass also develops core and leg strength, balance, and co-ordination. This game is adaptive for children with autism, dyslexia and other SPD’s, as well as children who are considered “neurotypical”. All children enjoy this game and like the challenge of using only their feet.

Ball Pass

You will need a rubber spikey ball, beach ball, basketball-sized Nerf ball, or other soft ball that the feet can grasp.

Have everyone sit in a circle.

Pass the ball from person to person using only your feet! The person receiving the ball has to “catch” it with their feet, and so on around the circle.

Young children and children with adaptive needs may have poor muscle tone and have difficulty with this task. They can play by rolling the ball with their feet to the next person. The idea is to build core & leg strength rather than to pass and catch perfectly.

Encourage the children by saying “Just do your best! Lets have fun!”

Older children can play by “throwing” and “catching” (with feet) to anyone within the circle.

Expand the game (for children 6 and up) by pairing auditory processing with the movement much like musical chairs: play music while the ball is being passed. Randomly stop the music, and when the music stops, everyone has to “freeze” including the person with the ball. Music starts, play continues.

Increase difficulty and sensory processing by adding a second ball, possibly of a different size, weight, colour and texture, to be passed around the circle.

The game is over when time is up or children start getting distratcted.

Thanks to Bodylogique a creative and adaptive yoga program which encourages children and families to stay healthy and have fun.

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Useful and Fun Yoga Games – Heart’s Hide ’n Seek

DonnaKFreeman — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 11:29:45 +0000

When teaching children yoga you always need a number of fun and engaging yoga games at your disposal. Here is a suggestion from yoga expert Aruna Humphrys of Young Yoga Masters. This game focuses on increasing intuition, awareness, and sensitivity to others and the environment. It also teaches about our senses and how heavily we rely upon the sense of sight. By playing Heart’s Hide ‘n Seek, children develop their sense of hearing and touch in order to navigate unharmed and locate their classmates.

Heart’s Hide ’n Seek

Ask everyone to close their eyes and have them raise their arms out in front of them, reaching with their finger tips. They will slowly walk around, eyes closed, and try to feel for the other kid’s finger tips. The game is to be quiet, if they meet someone keep their eyes closed and don’t talk, they only touch gently. Can they feel the person’s energy through their fingertips? Then they can whisper “Hello” or “Namaste” and then move on to find someone else.

The teacher needs to watch the kids because everyone has their eyes closed. But it is fun to see if the kids can feel their way around the room without using their eyes. They can use their heart and intuition. Feel instead of see.

Many kids will have trouble keeping their eyes closed and being quiet, but it is still a fun challenge to try it and they can build up to going longer times. And it also has to be an empty room so the kids don’t get hurt.

Visit the Yoga Games page for a complete listing of yoga games that will take your lessons from fun to fabulous.

If you enjoyed this post subscribe via RSS or e-mail. Also be sure to download your FREE copy of THE PET STORE (see right sidebar) for an easy and interactive kids yoga lesson in English and French.

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Useful and Fun Yoga Games – Swami Says

DonnaKFreeman — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:25:04 +0000

This game is always a hit and can be used as a warm up, to review poses, simply to fill a few minutes, or to change the pace of the lesson especially if kids are getting a little wiggly. This is a fun way to teach listening skills. Studies also show that this game improves self-control and restraint of impulsive behavior. Furthermore, playing Swami Says attunes children to the power of example as we automatically want to follow the leader but sometimes need to choose our own actions (in the game) and path (in life). Teach leadership skills by allowing children to take turns being the ‘Swami’ and calling out poses to perform. I usually review 4-7 poses that we will be using before beginning the game to make sure everyone knows what’s what.

Swami Says

This game is played like the playground favourite ‘Simon Says’, however this time the Swami is in charge. The ‘Swami’ calls out instructions such as, “Swami says Cat pose.” Everyone performs Cat pose. If the ‘Swami’ calls out instructions without “Swami says” then everyone should disregard the instruction.

I never play so that kids are ‘out,’ instead simply remind them to listen carefully and reward their great auditory and yoga skills. Usually we all have a good laugh and continue on. Speeding up the poses ‘Swami’ calls out will make this much more difficult as will simply using the suggestion “Swami says Do this” while performing the pose desired. The later also works really well with younger kids or those new to yoga who don’t know the names of the poses yet but do know how to do them. Another tricky suggestion, once your class is good at this, is to say one pose but perform a different pose. Ohhhh, I knew you’d like that.

Have fun and play a yoga game today!

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Useful and Fun Yoga Games – Freeze Dance/Statues

DonnaKFreeman — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:50:29 +0000

When teaching yoga to children you always need a number of yoga games at your disposal. Freeze Dance/Statues is a quick and easy one to use at the beginning or end of class. It helps kids to break free of constraints and let their inhibitions go. Integrating music into the yoga classroom is most natural. Choose music to correspond to the class theme or just something fun and upbeat. This activity will really get the heart rate up and increase the positive energy in the room. Kids LOVE playing Freeze Dance/Statues so be sure to pull this one out of your instuctor’s bag o’ tricks often.

Freeze Dance/Statues

Begin by reviewing a few suggested yoga poses. Mountain, Warrior, Eagle, Tree, Dancer, and other standing and balance poses work especially well with this activity as they are easy poses to assume when dancing around a room. Next turn on some music. Fun, up-tempo tunes work best. While the music plays everyone freestyle dances around the room. When the music stops everyone must freeze in a yoga pose…become a statue.

The teacher can then go around and provide adjustments or give suggestions on how to better perform the pose. Be sure to only do one or two students at a time as its hard to hold some poses for a long time, especially for kids who really want to be dancing. I generally praise creative poses or ones that are a little more difficult. Also one rule we follow is that you can’t do the same pose twice in a row – that’s the reason for reviewing a variety of poses at the beginning.

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