Teaching Yoga to Kids
Hocus Pocus, I Can Focus : Yoga for Kids Increased Concentration, Mental Focus, and Mindfulness!
Teaching yoga and medtation to kids is not at all easy. Therefore, for effective a kids’ yoga practice try this…
Yoga can be an excellent tool for children to learn self-regulation skills; however, some children may face challenging times when quieting the mind and stablizing the body.
Many parents dismiss the notion of yoga for kids, as they constantly fear their kids are too impulsive, too loud, or too distracted. Well, you name it, I’ve probably heard every kind of excuse.
So, I created a yoga theme exclusively for young kids to help them concentrate and focus better.
THE MAGICAL YOGA THEME
The following yoga practice for kids is designed to grab tiny human’s attention and help them get engaged in focus-based activities that direct their minds to present moment awareness via active play, accompanied by a selection of grounding and slightly to moderately challenging yoga poses.
I’ve tried to theme this yoga pose as ‘Magical Yoga Practice’ with a magic theme going all over, but you can switch it up to appeal to your kids — sorcerers, wizards, witches, or warlocks are all interchangeable, according to your child’s preference and curiosity.
Must Read — Health Benefits of Yoga for Kids
1. START WITH A MAGICAL SUN WARM-UP DANCE
Perform sun salutations as your warm-up. Let kids practice two or three rounds of a basic sun salutation to re-energize and open up.
One round of sun salutation consists of 12 diffrent dynamic yoga asanas.
So, be patient and help them find support as they perform the transition from one yoga pose to another.
2. FIND THE CENTER
Work your magic with some breathing exercises like Deep Inhale & Exhale or various other Yoga Pranayama’s.
Guide them while breathing, and tell them a magical background story like — “Now we are entering in the world of magic, look at the stars shining, and the sun smiling.
Lastly, make sure you don’t stretch this session for more than 2 to 3 minutes.
3. GET ON THE YOGA ADVENTURE
Here is the list of 5 magical yoga poses and magical statements to help your kids find more fun in the yoga practice.
These will help your kids become more mindful, physically active, and mentally calmer.
A. THE MARVELOUS MOUNTAIN: Mountain Pose — “Look at this marvelous mountain, tall, still, and strong.
B. THE ENCHANTED TREE: Tree Pose right and left sides — “Over enchanted woods, filled with magic trees, here we transition into a deeply rooted strong pine tree.”
C. THE WIZARD WARRIOR: Warrior I right side first — “Touch your palms overhead to make a pointy wizard’s hat. Hold still and breathe; imagine what spells you might cast.”
D. THE BALANCING ACT: Boat Pose — “Master a balancing magic trick as you float in the river of stars.”
E. THE MAGIC CAPE: Warrior III right and left sides — “Put on your magic wizard’s cape and get ready to fly like a superman/fairy!”
4. FIND THE CLOSURE
Repeat the 2nd step as you move towards winding up. You can ask kids to close their eyes and practice Deep Inhale & Exhale for two-three minutes.
The Key Takeaway for Parents
Be sure to reward your child by pointing out successes — kids who struggle with impulsive behavior and the inability to focus are often picked on all day long for what is perceived as negative behavior.
It is empowering for children to learn that, with a bit of practice, they can be successful at focusing their minds and regulating their bodies, even if it is just for a moment.
If you reward that success, your child will want to work more on their skills as a budding yogi.
Because magic mantras are very personalized to this magic-themed yoga practice, I encourage you as teachers or parents to find a mantra that resonates with your kids’ curiosity and interests.
This whole magic yoga theme for kids was just a way to help you understand — How one can Teach Yoga to Kids, especially from age 3 to 8 years.
Also, yoga can help your kids become more mentally mindful only when done with a peaceful, calm, and curious mind. So please do not force them into a yoga practice when they don’t like it.
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