Guest post by Janet Williams

I teach yoga to children ages 4-8, on a weekly basis, at a local yoga studio and I have used many of the activities from Donna Freeman’s fabulous book “Once Upon a Pose”.  I also teach parents and teachers how to do yoga with children and I wanted to share how effective and fun the game “Sea Shells” has been with my students.

One of the children’s favourite activities is the “Sea Shells” game, which my students request on a weekly basis.  I always encourage creativity in my yoga classes and I enjoy empowering children and fostering self-confidence within them by letting them ‘direct’, ‘lead’ and ‘teach’ the class through a yoga pose or share an idea that we all can try.

I have also been blessed to teach highly intelligent, fun and inventive children, so when we started playing “Sea Shells”, I started with having them run to the Sea and to the Shore and then calling out “Sea Shells” and having them do a Yoga Pose.  They loved it and we played it so often that I started adding distinctions like Deep Sea vs Shallow Water, and Shoreline vs Shore.  This all happened gradually and each week, the children and I would add something new until a story started to emerge.

Each part of the story has a different area of the room that the movement or activity has to be performed in.  We ended up with so many movements and activities, that I created a map.  We also used some of the poses that are from my book “What I See, I Can Be:  A Guided Yoga Flow for Children”.  This is a wonderful activity because children like to run, which gets their heart rate up, they find it fun wondering what will come next that they will have to dash off to, and they get to incorporate yoga poses into a story.

When I call out “Sea Shells” they choose which yoga pose they are going to do.  I encourage them to choose a different yoga pose every time that I call out “Sea Shells”.  I also leave the “What I See, I Can Be” Full Size Poster in a place that they can easily reference, in case they need an idea for a yoga pose.  This helps alleviate any potential stress for young children who may not be able to remember all of the poses or think of a new yoga pose to do in the excitement of running from place to place, and allows them to focus on the fun aspect of the game.  This is also an excellent activity because other than the poster, no equipment is required and every one is a winner.

The story goes like this:

“All the children get into the car – mom and dad are taking us to the beach”. – The children then do an excellent abdominal yoga pose by sitting on their bottoms, bend their knees, put their feet in the air and press on the imaginary gas pedals, and their hands are on the steering wheel straight out in front of them.  They drive the car to the beach and I call out – “Faster, Slower, Turn to the right, Turn to the left, Stop at the light, Go again, See the Beach Entrance, Find a Parking Spot”.  This encourages them to hold the pose longer, as they pretend to drive their cars.

“Everyone we have arrived.  Time to get out of the car”. – The children stand up.

“Run to the Shoreline and put your Toes in the water.  Check the temperature of the water”. – They go to the shoreline.

“Swim to the Deep Sea” – Using their arms they swim as they run to touch anywhere on the back wall.

“You see Dolphins swimming and playing. Go in and join them” – They do the Dolphin Yoga Pose, by placing their hands and forearms on the ground and with their feet behind them, they push their bums into the air as they would in Dog Pose.  Then they make their heads move in a circle by coming forward with their body as far as they can go (usually just passed the fingers) and then they swoop back as far as they can go (usually around the elbows).

“Sharks are Circling” – They run in a circle.

“Children in the playground”. – They go to the back corner and pretend to be in a playground.

“There is a Large Boat in the Deep Sea” – They do the Boat Pose from the book “What I See, I Can Be”.

“There are large butterflies on the beach.  Join the Butterflies” – They do the Butterfly Pose from the Yoga Match Game.

“There is a Row Boat in the Shallow Water” – They get up and go to the Shallow Water and they sit on their bottoms, raise their legs in the air and balance in a V pose and move their arms as if rowing the boat.

“Time to Fly a Kite” – They do the Triangular Kite Pose from the book “What I See, I Can Be”.

“Time for a healthy lunch.  Join Mom and Dad on the Picnic Table and have a Picnic.” – front wall in the middle – sitting down pretending to eat.

“Have to wait after eating before going swimming – Put on sunscreen and Sun tan on the Beach to catch some sun rays”.  – They do the Meadow Pose from the book “What I See, I Can Be” on the beach.

“I see Oysters on the Beach” – They do the Oyster Pose from “What I See, I Can Be”.

“Trees in the Forest” – they do Tree Pose along the front wall.  (Chairs in a Circle in the Forest – If there are enough children, they make a tight circle with their left shoulder facing into the middle of the circle and their right shoulder on the outside of the circle, and slowly and carefully, they can squat down, until everyone is sitting on someone else’s knees and then they raise their hands in the air.  This is known as the Yoga Chair Pose, but in this case, with some support from each other.  Again, everyone is a winner.)

“Making Sand Castles on the Beach” – they use their imaginations and build sand castles.

“You found a 5 pointed Star Fish on the Beach.  Be a Star Fish” – the children lay down and make 5 points with their 2 arms and 2 legs and 1 head.

“It’s finally time to go swimming.  Splash in the shallow water”. – the children pretend to splash around.

“Lily Pads in the shallow water” – the children do Full Lotus Pose or Half Lotus Pose, with legs crossed.

“Frog squatting on the Lily Pad” – the children do the Yoga Squat Pose, with knees bent, feet apart and pointing at 45 degrees outward, bum close to the ground, back straight and head pointing to the ceiling.

“Frog jumping off the Lily Pad and eating flies” – the children jump up out of the squat pose and stick their tongue out to catch flies.

“It was a great day and it is time for a photo.  Take a picture” – Children pretend to take a picture.

“Smile and Do Your Favourite Yoga Pose for a Group photo” – children smile and freeze in a Yoga Pose as I pretend to take a group photo.

“Catch the last rays of the sun before leaving” – children do the Meadow Pose from “What I See, I Can Be”.

During these 24 steps, I will call out Sea Shells randomly 6-7 times as we are going through the story and the children then choose a yoga pose to do.  We hope you have as much fun playing “Going to the Beach” as we have!

Click here for a pdf version of “Going to the Beach” along with the map.

Teacher and yoga instructor Janet Williams is the author of the children’s picture book “What I Can See, I Can Be: A Guided Yoga Flow for Children.” She promotes healthy, active living and the protection of the environment. She can be found at Children’s Yoga Books.

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Recently I was asked for any insight with this dilemma.

I am a children’s Yoga Teacher and have been approached by a mom on how to work with her 5 year old son on a certain behaviour. He will be in a quiet zone and suddenly has an outburst of energy which he manifests physically and verbally inappropriately by exaggerating movements and using a very loud voice. This happens in the class at times and at home.

Disruptive behaviors are a fact of life for most children, and are especially prevalent with children with ADHD and Autism. Learning to control those behaviors is an on-going and often frustrating process for them, their parents, teachers and care-givers. Here are some pointers to assist in correcting disruptive behaviors in yoga class and at home.

1. Communicate Expectations: Children need to know what is expected of them. Talk to them. Tell them what appropriate behavior looks like, sounds like, feels like. Repeat often. This will make them more mindful of their actions. I did this every time we went to the grocery store or ate at a restaurant with my little ones. The same is true for yoga class. Be sure your students know what is expected of them and when. Remember to make time for fun, noise & play.
2. Teach Respect: The yoga concepts of ahimsa (non-violence), brahmacarya (conservation) and tapas (self-discipline) all relate to respecting self and others. Teach respect through conversations and stories. Congratulate children when they show respect. Remind them when they forget. Show respect in your own life, especially when dealing with a disruptive individual. As tempting as it is, this is not the time to lose your cool. Practise Take 5 together as needed.
3. Reward Appropriate Behavior: Build in rewards. Often disruptive children only receive attention for their inappropriate behaviors. Instead catch them being good. Praise often specifically mentioning what they are doing well. Choose a child who is behaving appropriately to be the teacher’s assistant for a pose/activity. Trade off yoga ’work’ with a yoga ‘reward’; if they can focus on the class poses/meditation then they get to play a yoga game/sing a song. I often reward my children for good behavior with a trip to the Pet Store after running errands.
4. Follow Through: Children thrive when they know what to expect. Establish consequences and always follow through, even when it is inconvenient or embarrassing. This may mean taking a child to the side and reminding them of expectations. Sometimes a calming hand, a whispered comment or providing responsibilities will engage the child and turn a negative into a positive. Some classes provide a quiet corner when children can go if they need some alone time or a breathing break. If negative behavior persists ask the child to remove themselves temporarily. Briefly talk things over away from prying eyes and ears and then return to normal activities, leaving the incident behind.
5. Practice Patience: Remember that each child is growing and learning. They will outgrow and learn to manage disruptive behaviors with time and consistency. Work on one behavior modification at a time. Stick with it and keep expectations realistic (5 minutes of good behavior for many is a triumph). Set children up for success, then celebrate those successes lavishly.

If you enjoyed this post share it with a friend and be sure to subscribe (RSS or e-mail) to receive future posts on this and other topics to make your kids yoga classes a roaring success.

You may also want to visit Young Yoga Masters post on Classroom Management ,ChildLight Yoga’s blog post How do I Manage Challenging Behavior in a Kid’s Yoga Class or Indra Singh’s post Is Your Yoga Class Out of Control.

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 Tricky Tree group yoga pose develops concentration and focus while improving balance and memory. This is an ideal pose to get students working together and is a lot of fun as our three yogis demonstrate. By employing this pose children are able to access kinaesthetic learning, engaging their minds and bodies to review a basic learning skill such as counting by twos, multiplication tables, spelling words or in this case repeating the days of the week in French. In addition, they develop their social skills by learning to work together communicating verbally and non-verbally with one another. 

Tricky Tree: Group Yoga Pose

In order to build focus and concentration a great pose is Tricky Tree. This is a partner or group pose.

Facing your partner or into the group, everyone needs to raise the same leg and give it to the person standing beside them. In this case we are going to raise the right leg, giving to the person at our right. This takes some teamwork and a lot of balance.

So once you are in the pose, you can then repeat something which requires rote memorization such as the days of the week in French.

dimanche, lundi, mardi, mercredi, jeudi, vendredi, samedi

When you are finished its nice to either step out of the pose, or if you are in a safe environment with no sharp edges, you can gently fall to the floor.

And that’s Tricky Tree.

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Routine With Variety Key in Kids Yoga Class

Recently I received this e-mail.

My name is Maureen, I am a pre-school teacher of children ages 2-5 and am bringing my love of yoga to my school this year. I have taught adult yoga for more than 11 years. I am certified through Kripalu and have done many other understudy programs. I am also qualified to teach kids…but with kids this young I am having trouble getting them started. I have tons of games, ideas, props, songs and stories…but I am having trouble, in these first introductory classes…starting the classes. Getting them not so much to be quiet or even pay attention, but how to help them understand what is going on and what we are doing. Today we learned  Namaste and the Namaste song. This was easy for a very first class. But from here on out I don’t really know how to get them ready for the class, how to start the class. Have any suggestions or thoughts that may help me out?

As Maureen has discovered teaching yoga to kids is a vastly different endeavor than teaching yoga to adults. Their attention span is short, they don’t want to sit for any length of time, and there is a wide variety of physical, emotional and mental abilities. It is essential that each class cater to these needs by including an assortment of activities to maintain interest and engage as many senses and learning modalities as possible.

Elements of a Kids Yoga Class Routine

• Class theme: For each class choose a theme. A thematic approach is essential at this age as it provides a mental framework and social/emotional/environmental reference for the yoga session. Link all your activities back to the theme. The book Once Upon a Pose includes 10 fully developed thematic yoga classes with music and literature in both English and French making this an easy task. For more ideas visit the Pre-school/Elementary Topics page.
• Introduction: Use something you feel will set the stage and let the little ones know it is time to start yoga class. For pre-schoolers this could be a song. In this instance Maureen taught them the Namaste song during their first class together. There are lots of great kids yoga CDs that you can choose from. Sing the song at the beginning of each class. Use this to help them know it’s time to go to their mats, join in with the singing and get ready for yoga.
• Breathing: Teach some form of child friendly pranayama. Remember Thich Nnat Hanh’s advice, “Smile, breathe and go slowly.” It is good for children to learn to calm and center themselves. With pre-schoolers this will take repeated and consistent effort. Go slowly and enjoy the journey.
• Asanas: The bulk of the lesson may be spent doing a variety of yoga poses. The Alphabetical List of Poses is a great place to start. The down-loadable FREE  e-book The Pet Store (see right side bar) is a wonderful tool as well. This will show you how to develop a thematic class which includes a variety of asanas. I enjoy allowing the children to generate the ideas spontaneously according to the theme whenever possible. In this way they take ownership of the pose and become more fully engaged in the class.
• Meditation & Chanting: If a simple meditation, such as the Meditation Owl, or a chant, such as Loka Samashta Sukhino Bhavantu, works into your theme by all means teach your class these valuable skills. Don’t be afraid to use Sanskrit even if your young charges don’t audibly repeat the words. The exposure to the exercises, rhythm of the language and feeling these activities generates will touch their hearts and minds.
• Crafts, Games, Books & More: Any number of supplemental activities, such as crafts, coloring pages, games, songs and books, can be used during a kids yoga class. These activities stimulate the senses and involve additional learning modalities. As well, they help to keep the pace moving and provide endless variety. I often hand out simple crafts or coloring pages to my students for them to complete at home if we don’t have time during yoga class.
• Final Relaxation: Savasana with a guided visualization which reinforces the concepts covered in class or a progressive muscle relaxation is the perfect way to end a pre-school class. Keep encouraging them to lie still, close their eyes, and keep their thoughts to themselves. You may have to move children away from a friend or encourage them to relax with a touch, a stuffed animal, an eye pillow, etc. Again this is a learned skill and all children will get better at it with practice.
• Namaste: Always end with the same respect and gratitude that you would in any yoga class.

By following this basic outline yoga instructors are able to supply the routine necessary for young children to understand what will happen each week in yoga class while providing enough variety to keep it interesting and engaging their minds, bodies and spirits. Good luck and enjoy playing yoga!

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Some of the highlights from this interview include benefits of second language acquisition on the:

• mind: second language learning develops denser grey area in both hemispheres, increased ability to concentrate, improved communication skills
• body: bilingualism improves cognitive development and abilities, attention control, metalinguistic and memory skills, problem solving, creativity, divergent thinking, verbal and spatial abilities, standardized tests and higher scores on SATs, increased performance at college level
• heart: second language acquisition increases positive attitudes toward other cultures leading to increased peace, harmony, and greater cultural understanding

There are more great interviews coming up so be sure to subscribe via RSS or e-mail and become a Fan on Facebook.

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Kids yoga classes are different from adult yoga classes. Before you decide to become a kids yoga instructor, or start doing yoga with your class at school, you’ll want to become familiar with these 8 dirty truths about teaching yoga to kids.

1. There will be tears – The trigger could be being overtired, or not getting to lead the game, or feeling overwhelmed, or that somebody ran into them during Yoga Tag, or they are frustrated at not being able to do their favourite pose precisely when they wanted. Tears are part and parcel of kids learning about their emotions and how to handle life. After school yoga classes are especially prone to this response as kids have already put in a full day of learning, may not have had an adequate after-school snack (low-blood sugar often causes emotional melt-downs), or may simply need a little TLC whereas the rest of the class wants to burn off excess energy.

2. Classes are noisy – Laughter, chatting, roaring, barking, singing, energetic chanting and more are part of a yoga class for kids. Once a Grade 5 teacher asked me how to get her students to be quiet during yoga. My response: “Don’t.” Kids need to express themselves using all their senses and they will at every opportunity. I believe that happy noise is productive to learning. One rule, however, when the instructor talks everyone else listens. That way explanations and instruction can be given, and then activities can be fully interactive. So have fun, make some noise!

3. You will be interrupted – Imagine half the adults in your yoga class expressing out loud the first thought that comes to mind every time the teacher begins to explain a pose or activity. Imagine being half way through a story only to be asked, “Can I go to the bathroom?” Imagine hearing all about someone’s fish that died on the weekend, a favourite TV show, the type of cake that was served at a friend’s birthday party, or the nasty comment that Mommy said to Daddy when he came home late from work…again. Now you are at a kids yoga class.

4. Classroom management is an essential skill – You will need to possess some classroom management skills to keep Bobby from constantly playing with the gong, Sue from cuddling with her best friend, Joey on task, and Beth from using her yoga mat like a sled. Kids generally know how to behave but will take advantage of any opportunity for chaos. Every kids yoga instructor needs to find their own style of classroom management so that the environment stays conducive to learning and growth. Remember you are in charge.

5. When you mess up, you’ll be told– Adults are generally rather polite when instructors make minor mistakes, stumble over their words, or fall flat on their faces. Kids – not so much! They love pointing out your shortcomings, faux pas, and inconsistencies. Instructors have two options: 1) achieve perfection 2) develop a sense of humour. Since perfection is a far way off for me, I find laughing about my blunders a lot more fun. In addition, the way in which adults respond to error helps kids to see how to handle their own mistakes in positive, life affirming ways.

6. Classes are similar to herding cats – Each group has a variety of ages, physical, mental and emotional abilities, and maturity levels. Add to that the fact that kids’ attention spans can be measured in minutes and you have an interesting challenge on your hands. Establishing a class routine and making sure the themes are kid friendly will lengthen the amount of time kids will spend on any one given activity. Kids yoga instructors, however, had better always have a few fall back activities & yoga games in mind to keep everyone engaged and having fun.

7. It’s not about you – Kids love classes which focus on THEIRinterests. WebKinz, Hannah Montana, Star Wars, Creepy Crawlies, Princesses, Spiderman, and more all come to yoga class. When the instructor incorporates a yoga inspired activity which plays off the students’ favourite things then you know you’ve got a great thing going. As well each holiday from Valentine’s to Halloween provides fodder for fun. So don’t be surprised if you spend time wondering how to incorporate leprechauns or superheros into your next yoga class.

8. Props, props, & more props– For an adult yoga class most instructors use a mat, an mp3 player, and if you are lucky an eye pillow. Iyengar classes will add a strap, a block, a blanket, and possibly a chair. For any given kids yoga class, take that basic list and add books, puppets, feathers, scarves, pompoms, parachutes, stuffed animals, musical instruments, hula hoops, card decks, hoberman spheres, rocks, balls, bean bags, craft supplies, colouring sheets, and more. Be sure to have some storage space available.

So there you have it: the inconveniences, traumas & reality of teaching yoga to kids.

There is a flip side however. If you take pleasure in providing tools for kids to be happy and healthy the rest of their lives, enjoy genuine sharing, approach life with curiosity and creativity, want to end each class with a sense of satisfaction, and love to receive spontaneous hugs, then teaching yoga to kids is for you.

Be sure to subscribe (RSS or e-mail) to Yoga In My School to receive fantastic content to keep your yoga classes for kids and teens fresh and interesting. If you are on Facebook, become a Fan of Yogainmyschool.com and receive additional links and updates.

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