Lesson 5 – Children’s Yoga Overview, Learn more at our Children’s Specialization Course 8
We believe that by providing youth access to yoga and mindfulness, we impact change at the individual level through the students and professionals we reach, and the community level, by facilitating access to tools that help develop self-control”.
Yoga Defined
Where do you start to define the vastness of yoga, and how do you explain it all to kids? As Dr. Seus says, “Let’s start at the beginning.”
It’s important to have an idea of the bigger picture of yoga, and I am sure we all come from different backgrounds and levels of practice, study and exposure. From there, you can determine your favorite aspects and areas of expertise. It’s important to teach from what you know. So, we will work to each come to our understanding of yoga and what it means to us. Later, you will each have an opportunity to create your own way to explain yoga to children and teens. As yoga is such a personal experience, this unique definition and sharing will be all the more genuine and affective.
For now, we really will start at the beginning with the definition of the word yoga.
Yoga = “to yoke” or “to unite.”
Let’s tie that in with the first two yoga sutras from Patanjali, a formative text and, in my mind, a concise way to wrap up yoga in a neat package:
1.1 Atha Yoga Anushasanam – “So here begins the study of yoga now”1.2 Yogas Chitta Vritti Nirodaha – “Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind “
Essentially, it is saying that:
- Yoga is all about this present moment. It is the NOW. Yoga is the study and awareness of this very instant. It is the original mindfulness movement.
- Yoga is stillness of the mind, moments of peace and clarity. It is being here in the
moment.
And if the word yoga means to yoke or unite, then we can conclude that yoga is all about uniting with the present moment. We can do that through many ways: uniting the body, the mind, the emotions, the spirit, the community, the breath, etc.
This explains why there are so many elements of yoga. There are innumerable routes to the present moment, and yoga explores these. It then becomes personal in that we each will prefer different routes (and maybe even different routes on different days or with different moods, etc).
Children’s Yoga Specialization Definitions
- Yoga is stillness of the mind, moments of peace and clarity. It is being here in the
General Benefits of Yoga for Children
Improved focus/concentration
Improved resilience
Improved memory
Reduced anxiety Increased self-awareness
Increased self-expression
Improved stress management
Improved ability to recover from trauma
Enhanced breathing capacity Improved body posture
Encourages positive thinking
Encourages creative thinking
Increased self-confidence
Increased creativity
Gains in physical strength and flexibility
Increased coordination and motor skills
Better self-discipline
Improved ability to calm their emotions/cope
Encourages inquisitive nature
Encourages balance of work and relaxation Improves social skillsPromotes a healthy lifestyle
Promotes community engagement
Helps form healthy habits: physically, mentally and emotionally. “Research suggests that self-control is a better predictor of academic achievement than IQ and concludes, ‘A major reason for students falling short of their intellectual potential is their failure to exercise self-discipline.’ This presents a strong inductive connection. If self-control improves academic achievement and yoga increases self- control, it stands to reason that yoga must enhance academic achievement.” A Necessary Catalyst: Dismantling the School-to-Prison Pipeline with Yoga” Bidyuk K. Bose, PhD, ERYT.
“Emerging research studies also suggest that yoga can help children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by improving the core symptoms of ADHD, including inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It can also boost school performance in children with ADHD”.
- “Provides opportunities for reflection, patience and insight, thereby reducing impulsivity, hostility, and reactivity
- Reduces anger, depression, and fatigue
- Has a positive impact on students’ academic performance”
Key Points for Teaching Kids’ Yoga
A few things to keep in mind for greater success and sanity.
Have Fun!
Yoga with kids is dynamic, imaginative and conversational. Don’t feel like you need to have a silent class. Use silence for emphasis, mindfulness and class management. Allow noise, music, talking and storytelling to weave the class together and keep kids engaged.
This goes for older kids, too – it just changes shape slightly. Remember that even teens are still kids and need play and discussion.
Use your imagination to take kids on a journey. For younger kids this is as creative and fantastical as you’d like. Use popular characters from favorite books and TV shows or embark on journeys into the jungle, the ocean or outer space. For older kids and teens you can dream up situations and encounters. Encourage them to use their imagination to begin practicing thinking positive. Give them permission to envision and feel their best life.
Teaching children and teens yoga has required me to think on my feet more than any
other teaching I’ve done. Come equipped with ideas, themes and a plan, but be prepared to change your plan based on class energy, needs and interests.
For example: If they are sluggish, your red-light green-light yoga game could turn into a meltdown. How about “yawn breath” and stretching followed by bunny breath for energy and an interactive story to wake them up and peak their interest? Same goes for a lowkey class plan when you enter a hyperactive classroom. Your goal would be to slowly bring their energy down rather than forcing them to sit still from the get-go. Move with them. Model how to be compassionate with and work with your changeable self.
Use Positive Phrasing!
This seems obvious and should be the case for any interaction (not just kids), yet it takes conscious effort to do. It’s easy to automatically get frustrated and resort to “Be quiet,” “stop that,” “Don’t do it that way.” So instead, practice positive wording, praise, and redirection.
Use praise often. For instance, in getting into poses “Jenny’s got it, Sam’s doing it, Look Sarah is a tree, Jack is sprouting. Wow, we are creating a beautiful forest together!
Great job!” Compliment children’s unique expression of the poses to encourage their creativity (but be careful to not let get it too far off and turn into somersaults and darting through the room).
Guide rather than dictate – Kramas
Kramas are the Sanskrit word/concept for steps. For instance, easy pose is a krama for lotus and a more micro step would be that bringing the legs apart is a krama for warrior two. Going step by step makes asanas, sequences and games easier to follow and succeed at. Split up your directions and give one at a time rather than a bunch at once. It can also be helpful to have the students all sit in a pose and watch you demonstrate first. Then give them “safe steps” one a time to get into the pose.
Redirection could sound like this “That’s a smart way to stretch your sides, can you show us that near the end of class? Right now, we are working on strengthening our legs. Be a tall mountain with us?”
For older kids and teens correcting poses can be an especially sensitive thing. Positive
assistance may sound like “How is for you to step this leg back farther?”, “How about this way?”, “We can do this in steps, in yoga, steps are very important and are called kramas.”
This is yoga practice, not yoga perfect!
This is as important for you to know as it is for your students to know. Don’t worry about the kids doing the poses perfectly, especially younger kids. Help combat student discouragement by telling them ancedotes and stories about how long it takes to complete important journeys and pieces of art. Explain that yoga is an art and the fun is in the process of learning each pose, breath, technique. Trial and error, stumbling and laughing is all part of it.
This goes for older kids and teens too. I like to tell my students that it took me months to figure out tree pose even while my fellow classmates got it in a jiffy (this is true). And when I finally could hold the pose for longer than 1 second it was an “aha moment!” My body had found the balance point, the “seat” (translation of asana). Over time you will see progress. Be sure to compliment your students when you see you it – they might not see it themselves at first. Let’s train each other to notice our incredible adaptability, resilience and capacities.
Be Open!
This is different from being flexible in that I mean be open to the experiences of kids and teens yoga. Children may bring up conversations points you never anticipated. They might befriend you quickly or stay distant. Interacting with and mentoring youth is a world of its own, and be ready to dive in. This is a spectrum from uncomfortable conversations to wild laughter and silliness. It’s important to cultivate an environment where it is safe for everyone to be themselves, ask questions and explore.
Be open to the experience. Be open to what you may learn from the kids. Be open to
what you will learn about yourself
Child Development 2 – 17
Every child’s development is unique and complex. Although children develop through a generally predictable sequence of steps and milestones, they may not proceed through these steps in the same way or at the same time. A child’s development is also greatly influenced by factors in his or her environment and the experiences he or she has. The information in this guide explains what child development experts consider to be “widely-held expectations” for what an average child might achieve within a given year or years. Please consider what you read in the context of each child’s unique development.
The significance of social and emotional development is seen in every area of a child’s life. A child will have a strong foundation for later development if he or she can manage personal feelings, understand others feelings and needs (empathy), and interact positively with others. Differences in social and emotional development result from a child’s inborn temperament, cultural influences, disabilities, behaviors modeled by adults, the level of security felt in the child’s relationships, and the opportunities provided for social interaction. Research shows that if children start school with a strong set of attitudes and skills that help them “learn how to learn,” they will be better able to take advantage of educational opportunities. While some learning skills come naturally to children, others can be developed through a supportive environment. (6)
Watch – YouTube: “The Growth of Knowledge: Crash Course Psychology #18”
4 Stages of Cognitive Development (Piaget) – how we learn in different stages of life
- Sensorimotor: birth-age 2 -senses
-exploration - Preoperational: age 2 – 6 or 7
-egocentrism and centration
-animism
-struggle with concepts of conservation and reversibility
-developing empathy and theory of mind - Concrete-operational: 6 or 7 – 11 or 12 – decentration
- Formal-operational: 11 or 12 – adulthood –
- abstract thinking
-hypothetical thinking
(6 http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/ )
Nature vs. Nurture debate
Many factors contributing to child development beyond interaction with physical environment. Social, cultural and familial factors can have profound impacts.
Tips for building learning skills for all ages:
Let them choose.
Give kids a chance to make simple choices, such as what to wear or what to snack on.
Help them finish what they start.
Children experience great satisfaction when they try and finish new things. Give them a
bit of support when they need it, but be careful not to take over completely.
Nurture creativity.
Encourage children to ask questions, try different ways of using materials, or offer them a wide range of new experiences.
Don’t rush activities.
Whether at home or in preschool, children need extended periods of time to really get involved in activities and to experience the “engagement” that is such an important foundation for learning.
Provide encouragement.
All children start life eager to learn, but if adults are critical, that eagerness may disappear by the elementary grades. Look for achievements to praise and acknowledge your child’s progress whenever possible.7
See pages 32 – 38 in textbook for the information covered on yoga by age group
Watch – YouTube: Monica Ondriezek “Early Child Development Comparison Ages 2 and 7” Takeaways:
Child development age and milestone information compiled from PBS Parenting and Washington Parent. See the following websites for deeper exploration:
https://www.washingtonparent.com/special-features/child-development-series.php
http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/
7 http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/
2-Year-Olds
At a Glance “Sweet and Sour”, “me do it!”
~ Stubbornly independent one minute and clingy & cuddly the next
~ Self-centered by default: view the world almost exclusively through their own needs
~ Budding ability to problem solve, co- play, wait, and cope
~ Sensory and exploration
~ Practice, practice, practice
~ Runs, climbs, explores
Approaches to learning
~ Practices an activity many time to gainmastery and has growing interest in andability to perform routine tasks independently (e.g. will happily put shoes away when asked)
~ Choices based on preferences
~ Attention span increasing but still short
~ Many “why”, “what”, “how” questions
~ Enthusiasm and joy in daily explorations. Simple problem solving skills and trial and error approach (will try over and over to put socks on – overjoyed when successful) o Increased determination but fixation on one solution (trying to force upside puzzle piece)
~ Simple pretend play with familiar object and situations
~ Increased imagination show in using objects in new ways (crumpling paper when gluing to cardboard, draping blanket over table)
Physical Development
~ Walks, rolls, crawls, creeps, tiptoes, jumps, runs and climbso Can crawl through tunnelso Navigate over and under low obstacles (may get stuck or scared when climbing) o Get into chair independentlyo Stairs with handrail and one step at a timeo Desiretoclimbontallobjectsbut*needsbalancesupporto Bends over without falling
~ Push and pull
~ Enjoys crawling on hands and knees imitating animals
~ Easily falls when running
~ Tricycle with pedals some time
~ Kicks ball forward (throwing and catching is less predictable)
~ Explorative movements – new ways to move body parts (Dancing, rolling, twirling)
~ Loves fingerplay activities Fine motor
~ Scribbles with marker/crayon
~ Threads big beads
~ Better at eating with utensils
~ Can turn/rotate handles and knobs
~ Turns pages
~ Rolls, pounds, squeezes and pulls clay
Emotional Development
~ Shows preference for certain adults and children whom he sees frequently (trusting relationships)
~ Strong sense of self (“No!”)
~ Expanding understanding of feelings o Recognizes feelings when labeled by adult (“I know you’re scared” – calms), May label emotion in other (“Brother mad now”)
~ Difficulty in regulating emotions or Frustration lead to tantrums. Needs much adult support
Social Development
~ Side-by-side play with other children but not much interaction
~ May begin to have favorite playmates (asks about friend when absent for a couple days)
~ May give basic help (pats sad child while watching for adult to help)
3-year-olds
At a Glance “Between babyhood and beyond”
~ Imaginative (creative and fearful)
~ Inquisitive
~ Language and comprehension blooming
~ Develop real friendships
~ Improved focus and persistence
~ Excited about physical activity – good time to start movement classes 😉
~ Growing pains – period of rapid physical and mental development
~ Wants adult for secure base
Approaches to learning
Increasingly deliberate and confident in choosing activities and playmates
Able to focus for longer periods of time, even with distractions or interruptions (as long as age-appropriate and of interest)
Persists with wider variety of activities and experiences even if moderately difficult (e.g. complex wooden puzzle, holding yoga pose for a few breaths) o Seeks out challenges
Increased self-help skills o Dressingself,feeding,grooming
Very inquisitive and questions become more complex (“How do we get to nana’s house?”)
Extended imaginative play and now includes other people o Pretend kitchen with friend serving “cookies”, Takes on familiar roles
Problem solving skills now include alternatives (e.g. talks self through putting on shoes, if it doesn’t fit on one foot, may try the other)
Thinks more systematically o Benefits from conversations with adults and peers and physical investigation
Jumping Beans!
There’s an important reason your 3-year-old jumps so much. At age 2, her body was mostly tummy with little appendages sticking out. But by the end of this year, she will have stretched into a long-legged 4-year-old. To help the bones in her legs grow, she needs calcium from her bloodstream. Weight-bearing exercises— running, jumping and kicking the back of your seat when you’re driving—assist in drawing the calcium into her growing bone cells. – washingtonparent.com
Physical Development
Increased large motor skills: proficiency, coordination control and balance. Hops, marches, gallops, Climbs stairs with alternate feet with handrail, Walks backward, Runs at even pace, Better at moving legs and arms in different planes (pump a swing, ride bike)
Unsteady balance on one leg and when landing from a jump o Will use wide base of support and explore using different body parts (example may balance on two elbows and one knee) psst…hey, that’s yoga! 😉
Plays and tires easily – needs brief rest periods Fine motor
Growing strength and dexterity and control – improving hand-eye coordination
o Tool use and crayons
o Building blocks, puzzles, stringing beads, drawing shapes, spreading butter
Fatigues easily if much hand coordination is needed
Begins to show a preference for right or left hand
Emotional Development
Uses familiar adults for secure bases for exploration and play (may want mom to stay at gymnastics class even though child seldom will look to her during class)
Developing sense of individuality (“See my pose”)
Recognizes and labels emotions based on facial expressions
Begins to connect emotions to causes (“Sammy is sad because he can’t find his blanket”)
Progress in expressing feelings and needs, but may fall apart under stress
Social Development
Budding real friendships even with lack of understanding of how friendships lasts (“My bestfriends are [names all the kids in class].”
Cooperative play and copying with others do
Showing increasing compassion
Better at accepting compromise when resolving conflicts o when suggested by adult “Jackson, you can use the swing with Sarah’s done”, suggests it on own “You have this dolly, okay.”
4-year-olds
At a Glance “testing, talking, trying it all”
Ingenuity, experimental, independent
Language leaps: complex sentences, follow multi-step directions, conversations
Logical reasoning developing
Long periods of active play and exercise
Recognize changes in pitch and tempo
Boundary and ability testing
Approaches to Learning
Very curious and are beginning to make more connections (discern pretend and real, learn causation) o Asks to participate in new experiences (“Jack goes to yoga. Can I?”) o Asks questions about future events and present
Increased focus and determination (child wants to play trains “I’ll play trains with you after I finish my drawing)
Increasing enthusiasm to learn letters, shapes and numbers o Desire to read, write and count like big kids (points to word with ‘s,’ “Hey, there’s an ‘s’ in my name. What’s that word?”)
Increasing flexibility in solving problems and completing tasks
o ability to draw on varied resources (e.g. building tower w/ yoga blocks, but keeps
falling down. Tries wall for support and looks to see how others are doing it) o offers creative, unusual ideas on how to do a task
Seeks help and has greater grasp on the specifics of the help needed (“Hold this end for me so I can tie this, please?”)
Blossoming abstract understanding (e.g. pours sand systematically into measuring cups and comments on amounts)
Sustained and more complex imaginative play (e.g. longer scenarios: pretend trip with multiple stops) Physical Development
Large motor achievements and proficiencieso Climbing, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, walks heel-to-toe
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Children’s Yoga Specialization Child Dev – Age 4
Patterns while traveling: zig-zags, curved pathways, galloping in straight lines
Balance
o Hold on one foot for 5 seconds or so o Masters low balance beamo May fall when jumpingo Forward roll
o May hold a headstand or handstand for an instant
Lacks wrist strength to propel well on monkey-bars
**Should not be made to sit in a classroom for periods of more than 60 minutes Fine motor
Improving hand-eye coordination
o o o
can strike a balloon in the air, puzzles, string small beads, legos Hold pen skillfullyCut on a line (with sufficient practice)
Emotional Development
Adults as trusted role models (e.g. imitates how teacher reads story) o Can better tolerate absence of familiar adults Copes with language, art, etc (“I’m going to draw mommy a picture.”)
Compares self to others (“Maria can ride a bike, but I’m still learning.”
Learning causation of emotions better o Recognize others may feel differently about the same thing
Learning coping strategies (e.g. after trip to emergency room, may repeatedly play out that experience with dolls and stuffed animals) Social Development
More confidence and competence in group play (e.g. may run into class “Can I be the grandma that comes to visit.”)
Begins to try to please other kids (e.g. “you can come to my party, okay?”)
More appropriate and sympathetic response to peers in need
5 year olds
At a Glance “High Five”
Creative & enthusiastic problem solvers
Prefer activities that involve other children
Little conversationalists
Learning abstract thinking (tell time)
Energetic!
Symbolic thinking (art can tell a story)
Intense desire to learn about the world
Civility in progress
Desire for responsibility and participation
Approaches to Learning
Deliberates and weighs choices
Can maintain focus on project for sustained periods of time and return to it after an interruption (even from the day before)o Persists longero Self-talk to help with difficult tasks
Great desire to learn about the worldo May deliberately take risks with trying new experiences/learning new skills o asks higher level questions (e.g. “what would happen if we had no food?”) o Increasingly analytical
Varied and flexible approaches to solving more complex, abstract or long term challenges (e.g. when having friends over on rainy day, thinks about how to deal with limited space)
Benefits from hands-on experiences to support abstract thinkingo Example: makes a book about last summer’s vacation complete with sections for each place visited, drawings, and labels with adult hel
Collaborative and inventive (“Help me use these boxes to make a spaceship! Where’s the paint?”) Physical Development
Mature form in walking and running o Can walk backward quickly o Even gait
Increasing agility and speed
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Children’s Yoga Specialization Child Dev – Age 5
o Most girls skip well, while boys tend to lag behind in skipping until as late as age 8
Understands and has interest in games like tag (contrast between fast and slow)
Coordination improvements o Awareness of others and space available o Hop, climbo Swim, bike ride
Can move to beat of music
Balance improving o can hold a position for 8-10 secondso maintainbalancewhilemovingquicklyandisbetteratbalancebeams o comfortable in inversions on more narrow baseso transfer weight from feet to handso jumps over objects and lands/rolls
Improvements in ball related skills
Energetic and rarely shows fatigue
Thinks abilities are greater than they are, but accepts limit setting (e.g, may think he can jump over a stream but lands in the middle of it) Fine motor
Hits nail with hammer on the head
Likes to disassemble and reassemble objects and dress and undress dolls
Can lace, do a lite-brite, sew with large needs and hoops
Coloring within the lines
Copies shapes, letters, numbers and prints first name Emotional Development
Expands circle of trusted adults but maintains specials bonds
Gaining self-esteem and feeling capable with new skills
Increasingly self aware
More complex expression (e.g. “I sorta want to try that, but I’m scared too.”)
Varied ways of comforting self and coping but continues to need adult guidance (e.g. goes to room voluntarily when upset) Social Development
Broader repertoire of social entry skills (e.g. joins in the middle of activity, shares snack)
More complex and sustained cooperative play (e.g. simple board games with rules)
Friendships are becoming more full and complex (e.g. join a group and exclude others)
Increasing range of strategies including negotiation and compromise before seeking adult help
6 Year Olds
At a Glance “Black and white”
Preference for structure over open ended activities
Sophistication in language and communication
True readers and writers
Physical and artistic skill levels will now vary widely based on amounts of physical activity and exposure
Desire for routines
brain is now about 90 to 95 percent of its adult size
Approaches to Learning
Enjoys opportunities to make decisions independently
Need for clear instructions (e.g. “but you didn’t say what part of the book we should draw!”
looking for structure and directionMay become frustrated if things don’t go as planned/expected Seeksclarification,helpandpermission
Great development in autonomous view of self
Asks more open-ended questions to fulfil curiosity
Eagerness to attend school/learn new skills/try new things
Pretend play and ideas to complete tasks even more complex Physical Development
More sophistication and proficiencyo Walks and runs in straight directiono Run backwards relatively wello Effectively chooses path (curved, zig zap, etc) around obstacles o Stop quickly and change direction rapidlyo Jumping and twistingo Assymetrical positions
Mimics proficient movers (e.g. dance class, videos)
Enjoys moving on floor o Crawling, log rolling, army crawl)
Changes speed and response to various rhythms
Needs adult to help guide distance and force for skills like throwing, kicking and striking
Can briefly support own weight
Emotional Development
Relies on “secure base” relationship with adults. Skills demonstrated in non-social areas (like academics) often dependent on feeling safe and secure with the adults that are there
Describes self based on external characteristics such as physical attributes, name, possessions, age
Evaluates own abilities highly (e.g. mystified when asked if good at art “Yes, I’m a good painter!” o Copes poorly with failure and criticism
Identifying reasons for other people’s feelings with high reliance on direct experience (e.g. “…he fell down.”)
May be impulsive in expressing needs and wants, though increasingly appropriate o Uneven ability to describe and practice self regulationo Easily overwhelmedo Either positive or negative emotions rather than mixed feelings
May cope with reliance on direct support (physical comfort) or with distraction (tv, books) Social Development
Can do partner work (but remember need for detailed instructions) – lead and follow
May be bossy, demanding and/or critical (it’s that black and white logic)
Can have good sportsmanship
Increasing respect and compassion
Need for support
o May explode under stress
o May change rules to achieve desired outcome
Identifies friends based on proximity and frequency of interactions (e.g.neighbors)
Friendships are easily initiated and terminated at this age o But, desire to make-up with others after a fight
Aware that people have different perspectives, thoughts and feelings (e.g. “her brother will be mad because you took this toy.”)
Ability to resolve conflict in socially acceptable ways