Ways to Explain to Children What is Yoga
Just like adults, children today face stress, anxiety in the rat race of the modern lifestyle. With all the pressure that children face today, they need an outlet to relieve it and unwind themselves. Yoga for kids is a great way to achieve this. But how do teach and explain to your children about yoga? How do you tell them of the benefits of doing yoga?
You have to ensure that your kids take an interest and look forward to learning yoga. It may look hard to you as kids are young. You may think that they are unable to understand the concepts you teach them. But this is really easy to achieve. Your kids and for that way all the kids are curious. They are looking at the world with interest in their eyes. At this stage of life, they are trying to figure it all out. Your children are eager to learn. What they really need is an interesting way to teach them. If you engage with them fully, they will pick the yoga poses fast. In fact, they may get up earlier than usual in the mornings to try out new yoga poses and have fun with you.
What is Yoga? Let’s look at some of the ways you can teach your kids all about yoga below.
1. Use Words that Children Understand
Use simple words and terms to explain yoga to your children. Don’t pronounce yoga poses having complex Sanskrit words. All these poses already have simple alternate names. These names are far better to understand. For e.g., downward dog pose or cow pose or cat pose is far easier to explain and emulate. Your children grasp better if they learn in a simpler manner. Other than poses, use examples so they can understand. For e.g., for a specific pose ask them to hum like a bee with mouth closed instead of going for complex words. Your children will find it easy to do.
2. Yoga for Kids Means Fun
Yoga for your children has to be a fun task. Only then will they take any interest in it. If yoga seems like a chore or work for them, they will avoid doing it. Kids’ imagination runs wild. They will find various excuses to stay away from yoga. Include games, songs and fun tasks in their yoga training. It’s all about changing their viewpoint. For them, yoga should be a fun task and not a boring chore or lesson just like a school one. Make yoga fun and you get a yogi for life.
3. Include Story-telling and Drawing in Yoga Teaching
Children love stories and pictures. That’s why comic books and cartoons are their favorite as it includes both of these. Include stories and pics in their yoga routine. Before trying any pose, including a story that explains the benefits of that pose. It can be anything made up by you. You can draw the pics. Or ask your children to draw the stories you told. Give them crayons and paper for this purpose. What is Yoga? You can also include stories built around it. Explain how yoga came to practice, its history and its various benefits.
4. Be Patient and Playful
Be playful and gentle with your kids. Don’t shout at them or scold them for a bad yoga pose. Be patient and do the pose yourself before asking them to do it. If you scold or shout at them, they will avoid doing yoga. They will find excuses to not do yoga. Scolding often without a specific reason or a small reason sometimes grows into a life-long aversion. You do not want your children to hate yoga for a lifetime, do you? Be gentle with your kids. Have patience and let your children learn yoga at their own pace. They will thank you for this approach one day.
5. Teach About Different Yoga Concepts
Once you get your children interested in yoga for kids, then explain its concepts further. Teach them about the different yoga poses and how they are related to nature. Some yoga poses are based on birds and animals, some on mountains and trees and some even on the sun and moon. Teach them how these poses are related to these names and how they benefit the body and mind.
6. Teach Them How Yoga Can Make Them Calm and Relaxed
Teach your children how yoga lowers their anger and stress. Teach your children yoga poses that calm their minds and make them composed. Teach them how to regulate their emotions through yoga. Whenever your children feel angry, left out or stressed out, ask them to do calming yoga poses. They will cope with their emotions better and become more content and at peace with themselves.
7. What is Yoga? Explain its Health Benefits to Your Children
Kids today already know the benefits of being healthy and active. Your children may be into games like cricket, soccer, tennis and badminton. You can explain to your children that yoga is like any other game that is great for fitness. Yoga may even help make their game skills better. It is because yoga raises strength, flexibility and balance in the body. All these are essential to become good in a game or any physical activity for that matter. When your children understand this, they will happily embrace yoga as a daily part of their life.
8. Include Games to Teach Yoga Poses and Techniques
Yoga poses appear difficult at first even when they are not. Your children may not be keen to take it up as they perceive it to be difficult. Create and include games in your yoga teachings to make it engaging for them. Invent games in between two yoga poses. Include some interesting stories in between. Ask your children to jump up and down to the music being played through the class. These actions will interest and engage your children and students and help them learn yoga. .
9. Use Yoga Related Children’s Books
Children love hearing stories. Why not include storytelling in your yoga for kids mission? You can make your own stories or get some quality outside help. This outside help we are referring to is are yoga-related storybooks for children. These are easily found. These books engage your children and get them interested in yoga. Some notable examples are “I am Yoga” written by Susan Verde and “Yoga Pretzels”. You can find other quality yoga storybooks for children from Amazon and other eCommerce sites.
10. Use Posters and Printouts
Use posters and printouts in your teaching yoga to kids quest. Children may forget the poses but by viewing the posters, they will begin to remember them. Use posters in bright colors and clear and big pictures for your kids to view. It makes them interested in yoga so that half your work is already done.
Conclusion
What is yoga? We hope, you can explain yoga to your children with the help of the tips we have mentioned above. It will be a fun and rewarding experience. Both you and your children grow healthy in body, mind and spirit. They become better in all aspects of life and grow a deeper bond with you.
Ways to Explain to Children What is Yoga
Just like adults, children today face stress, anxiety in the rat race of the modern lifestyle. With all the pressure that children face today, they need an outlet to relieve it and unwind themselves. Yoga for kids is a great way to achieve this. But how do teach and explain to your children about yoga? How do you tell them of the benefits of doing yoga?
You have to ensure that your kids take an interest and look forward to learning yoga. It may look hard to you as kids are young. You may think that they are unable to understand the concepts you teach them. But this is really easy to achieve. Your kids and for that way all the kids are curious. They are looking at the world with interest in their eyes. At this stage of life, they are trying to figure it all out. Your children are eager to learn. What they really need is an interesting way to teach them. If you engage with them fully, they will pick the yoga poses fast. In fact, they may get up earlier than usual in the mornings to try out new yoga poses and have fun with you.
What is Yoga? Let’s look at some of the ways you can teach your kids all about yoga below.
1. Use Words that Children Understand
Use simple words and terms to explain yoga to your children. Don’t pronounce yoga poses having complex Sanskrit words. All these poses already have simple alternate names. These names are far better to understand. For e.g., downward dog pose or cow pose or cat pose is far easier to explain and emulate. Your children grasp better if they learn in a simpler manner. Other than poses, use examples so they can understand. For e.g., for a specific pose ask them to hum like a bee with mouth closed instead of going for complex words. Your children will find it easy to do.
2. Yoga for Kids Means Fun
Yoga for your children has to be a fun task. Only then will they take any interest in it. If yoga seems like a chore or work for them, they will avoid doing it. Kids’ imagination runs wild. They will find various excuses to stay away from yoga. Include games, songs and fun tasks in their yoga training. It’s all about changing their viewpoint. For them, yoga should be a fun task and not a boring chore or lesson just like a school one. Make yoga fun and you get a yogi for life.
3. Include Story-telling and Drawing in Yoga Teaching
Children love stories and pictures. That’s why comic books and cartoons are their favorite as it includes both of these. Include stories and pics in their yoga routine. Before trying any pose, including a story that explains the benefits of that pose. It can be anything made up by you. You can draw the pics. Or ask your children to draw the stories you told. Give them crayons and paper for this purpose. What is Yoga? You can also include stories built around it. Explain how yoga came to practice, its history and its various benefits.
4. Be Patient and Playful
Be playful and gentle with your kids. Don’t shout at them or scold them for a bad yoga pose. Be patient and do the pose yourself before asking them to do it. If you scold or shout at them, they will avoid doing yoga. They will find excuses to not do yoga. Scolding often without a specific reason or a small reason sometimes grows into a life-long aversion. You do not want your children to hate yoga for a lifetime, do you? Be gentle with your kids. Have patience and let your children learn yoga at their own pace. They will thank you for this approach one day.
5. Teach About Different Yoga Concepts
Once you get your children interested in yoga for kids, then explain its concepts further. Teach them about the different yoga poses and how they are related to nature. Some yoga poses are based on birds and animals, some on mountains and trees and some even on the sun and moon. Teach them how these poses are related to these names and how they benefit the body and mind.
6. Teach Them How Yoga Can Make Them Calm and Relaxed
Teach your children how yoga lowers their anger and stress. Teach your children yoga poses that calm their minds and make them composed. Teach them how to regulate their emotions through yoga. Whenever your children feel angry, left out or stressed out, ask them to do calming yoga poses. They will cope with their emotions better and become more content and at peace with themselves.
7. What is Yoga? Explain its Health Benefits to Your Children
Kids today already know the benefits of being healthy and active. Your children may be into games like cricket, soccer, tennis and badminton. You can explain to your children that yoga is like any other game that is great for fitness. Yoga may even help make their game skills better. It is because yoga raises strength, flexibility and balance in the body. All these are essential to become good in a game or any physical activity for that matter. When your children understand this, they will happily embrace yoga as a daily part of their life.
8. Include Games to Teach Yoga Poses and Techniques
Yoga poses appear difficult at first even when they are not. Your children may not be keen to take it up as they perceive it to be difficult. Create and include games in your yoga teachings to make it engaging for them. Invent games in between two yoga poses. Include some interesting stories in between. Ask your children to jump up and down to the music being played through the class. These actions will interest and engage your children and students and help them learn yoga. .
9. Use Yoga Related Children’s Books
Children love hearing stories. Why not include storytelling in your yoga for kids mission? You can make your own stories or get some quality outside help. This outside help we are referring to is are yoga-related storybooks for children. These are easily found. These books engage your children and get them interested in yoga. Some notable examples are “I am Yoga” written by Susan Verde and “Yoga Pretzels”. You can find other quality yoga storybooks for children from Amazon and other eCommerce sites.
10. Use Posters and Printouts
Use posters and printouts in your teaching yoga to kids quest. Children may forget the poses but by viewing the posters, they will begin to remember them. Use posters in bright colors and clear and big pictures for your kids to view. It makes them interested in yoga so that half your work is already done.
Conclusion
What is yoga? We hope, you can explain yoga to your children with the help of the tips we have mentioned above. It will be a fun and rewarding experience. Both you and your children grow healthy in body, mind and spirit. They become better in all aspects of life and grow a deeper bond with you.
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