9 Tips on How to Teach Yoga to Kids
Yoga is good for children and adults and has lots of benefits for the mind and body alike. But, teaching yoga to kids is different from adults. You have to be flexible when teaching yoga to kids. Mind you, children will throw tantrums too. After all, they are kids, but you are an adult. You have to think from their viewpoint. It requires tact and the right mindset to interact with children. If you teach them right, your kids will love doing yoga. So, here are some tips on how to teach yoga to kids in a fun and easy way.
Guide on How to Teach Yoga to Kids:
1. Sell the Benefits of Yoga
You have to sell yoga to your children and not force it. Do it so your kids do not resent doing yoga and label it a joyless task. Tell them the benefits of yoga in simple words. Not only long term, tell your kids the short-term benefits of yoga. Describe yoga as a fun task that also caters to their specific needs. Tell your kids yoga will make them strong and better at other sports. With yoga, they will be healthy and get to play more. Let your kids understand that yoga improves their life. With yoga, they get good sleep and a sharper memory. Find other benefits that are unique and specific to your children. Also, tell your kids that yoga is like a game they will enjoy. It will not be a boring task they may have thought of. Once your kids understand the benefits of yoga, they will be eager to do it with you.
2. Do the Demo
Parents are the first role models for their children and the latter copy and follow the former. To hook your kids to yoga, do some easy poses in front of them. Make these poses fun by dancing and jumping around. Play some music your children love. Ask your children to join in the fun. This way, you condition them to already like yoga even before starting. Now teaching yoga to kids becomes easy and a breeze for you.
3. Kids will be Kids
Remember that kids are little humans that are different from mature adults. The strict rules for adults do not apply to them. They are still growing in body and mind. If your kids like what you are teaching, they will follow it for life. Teaching yoga to kids has to be on their terms. So, don’t force them but adapt yoga as per their needs. For yoga, ask for your kids’ input too. They will give you some valid and good ideas. Put these ideas into their yoga sessions so your kids feel valued. Your kids will do the yoga and enjoy it too.
4. Kid-Friendly Yoga
How to teach yoga to kids? Make yoga kid-friendly. Get bright yoga mats and not the dour ones for your kids. Better get some with their favorite superheroes on them. Get yoga toys, stuffed animals, and colored yoga cards. There are also story books that teach yoga poses in comic form.
Then start with a short yoga session. Do not make the session tiring and long. Do a 10-15 minute session at first that has 3-4 yoga poses only. Too much time at first may bore your children. Include easy and basic poses that interest your children. Do not push your children hard and avoid tough yoga poses at first. Set a fixed time and place for their yoga and make it a daily event. It can be before or after school, at first. Then you can raise the time and include a bit more complex poses. This makes yoga easy for your kids to do and learn. Your kids develop an interest in yoga. They look forward to doing yoga as it becomes exciting and fun for them. We repeat, make yoga kid-friendly, and you make a yogi for life.
5. Rules are Rules
Even though yoga for kids is more relaxed, rules apply here too. With certain easy-to-follow rules in place, your kids get more out of yoga. They also behave well and learn social skills. Create these simple rules that your kids have to follow when doing yoga:
- Get your kids a yoga mat each.
- They have to take care of it.
- Ask your kids to clean and store the mat after the yoga session.
- Before the yoga session, ask your kids to place the yoga mat on the floor.
- They have to do yoga within the mat and not outside it.
- Your kids have to follow the yoga teacher at all times and be safe.
- They have to help each other and not fight.
So, these are the simple ground rules you can make. Ask your children to follow these rules at all times. This makes their yoga session a safe one that you can easily control.
6. Breathing is the Key
Breathing techniques are the key to doing yoga. Teach your kids deep breathing techniques that are the basis for yoga. Make your kids aware of their breathing patterns. Teach your kids how to inhale and exhale through their gut. Deep breathing relaxes the body and mind. It also circulates oxygen-rich blood in the body. With deep breathing poses, your kids improve their focus and become calmer. Their energy levels also increase. This is different from sugar or cola-induced energy that spikes and then crashes soon after. With deep breathing poses, your kids become calmer, healthier, and more focused.
7. Flexible Yoga Plan for Kids
How to teach yoga to kids? Make their yoga sessions simple and flexible. Do not make a hard and rigid yoga plan for your kids. Go for a flexible plan that has music, games, and songs. Start with a game that warms up the kids and gets them ready for yoga. Include a bit of dancing and songs too. Ask your kids to give their own unique names to these poses. Don’t force your kids if they do not want to do a certain pose. Go with the flow and do another one that is more exciting for your kids. Teach simple poses that require each other’s help. It helps the children connect and builds their social skills too. Do this and make your yoga sessions an inviting and fun place for your kids.
8. Create Yoga Stories
Kids like stories, so why not include stories between yoga sessions. Read yoga stories related to the yoga poses in your sessions. Before doing a pose, make it more interesting by reading a story about it. Invite your children to create their own stories about the poses too. There are so many animals posing in yoga. Ask your kids to imagine stories about these animals and include them in the yoga narrative. Along with animals, yoga also has Sun salutes, tree, mountain, boat, star, and other poses. Create stories about these and include your children in them. It raises your kids’ interests and attracts them to yoga.
9. Make Yoga a Positive Space
Make your yoga sessions a positive place where your children feel welcomed. Your kids should enjoy yoga and not hate it and it’s up to you only to make that happen. Make your kids’ yoga time a happy one that they look forward to. Do not shout or be harsh with your children. Have patience when teaching yoga to kids. Praise your kids when the praise is due. Your kids should feel that their efforts matter. Ask your kids to give their input so they feel included. When your kids feel valued and praised, they will learn and improve their yoga.
Final Thoughts
How to teach yoga to kids? Follow the above tips to make yoga a fun and easy task for your kids. Do yoga together and reap its benefits. Be healthier, calmer, and get more out of life by teaching and doing yoga with your kids.
9 Tips on How to Teach Yoga to Kids
Yoga is good for children and adults and has lots of benefits for the mind and body alike. But, teaching yoga to kids is different from adults. You have to be flexible when teaching yoga to kids. Mind you, children will throw tantrums too. After all, they are kids, but you are an adult. You have to think from their viewpoint. It requires tact and the right mindset to interact with children. If you teach them right, your kids will love doing yoga. So, here are some tips on how to teach yoga to kids in a fun and easy way.
Guide on How to Teach Yoga to Kids:
1. Sell the Benefits of Yoga
You have to sell yoga to your children and not force it. Do it so your kids do not resent doing yoga and label it a joyless task. Tell them the benefits of yoga in simple words. Not only long term, tell your kids the short-term benefits of yoga. Describe yoga as a fun task that also caters to their specific needs. Tell your kids yoga will make them strong and better at other sports. With yoga, they will be healthy and get to play more. Let your kids understand that yoga improves their life. With yoga, they get good sleep and a sharper memory. Find other benefits that are unique and specific to your children. Also, tell your kids that yoga is like a game they will enjoy. It will not be a boring task they may have thought of. Once your kids understand the benefits of yoga, they will be eager to do it with you.
2. Do the Demo
Parents are the first role models for their children and the latter copy and follow the former. To hook your kids to yoga, do some easy poses in front of them. Make these poses fun by dancing and jumping around. Play some music your children love. Ask your children to join in the fun. This way, you condition them to already like yoga even before starting. Now teaching yoga to kids becomes easy and a breeze for you.
3. Kids will be Kids
Remember that kids are little humans that are different from mature adults. The strict rules for adults do not apply to them. They are still growing in body and mind. If your kids like what you are teaching, they will follow it for life. Teaching yoga to kids has to be on their terms. So, don’t force them but adapt yoga as per their needs. For yoga, ask for your kids’ input too. They will give you some valid and good ideas. Put these ideas into their yoga sessions so your kids feel valued. Your kids will do the yoga and enjoy it too.
4. Kid-Friendly Yoga
How to teach yoga to kids? Make yoga kid-friendly. Get bright yoga mats and not the dour ones for your kids. Better get some with their favorite superheroes on them. Get yoga toys, stuffed animals, and colored yoga cards. There are also story books that teach yoga poses in comic form.
Then start with a short yoga session. Do not make the session tiring and long. Do a 10-15 minute session at first that has 3-4 yoga poses only. Too much time at first may bore your children. Include easy and basic poses that interest your children. Do not push your children hard and avoid tough yoga poses at first. Set a fixed time and place for their yoga and make it a daily event. It can be before or after school, at first. Then you can raise the time and include a bit more complex poses. This makes yoga easy for your kids to do and learn. Your kids develop an interest in yoga. They look forward to doing yoga as it becomes exciting and fun for them. We repeat, make yoga kid-friendly, and you make a yogi for life.
5. Rules are Rules
Even though yoga for kids is more relaxed, rules apply here too. With certain easy-to-follow rules in place, your kids get more out of yoga. They also behave well and learn social skills. Create these simple rules that your kids have to follow when doing yoga:
- Get your kids a yoga mat each.
- They have to take care of it.
- Ask your kids to clean and store the mat after the yoga session.
- Before the yoga session, ask your kids to place the yoga mat on the floor.
- They have to do yoga within the mat and not outside it.
- Your kids have to follow the yoga teacher at all times and be safe.
- They have to help each other and not fight.
So, these are the simple ground rules you can make. Ask your children to follow these rules at all times. This makes their yoga session a safe one that you can easily control.
6. Breathing is the Key
Breathing techniques are the key to doing yoga. Teach your kids deep breathing techniques that are the basis for yoga. Make your kids aware of their breathing patterns. Teach your kids how to inhale and exhale through their gut. Deep breathing relaxes the body and mind. It also circulates oxygen-rich blood in the body. With deep breathing poses, your kids improve their focus and become calmer. Their energy levels also increase. This is different from sugar or cola-induced energy that spikes and then crashes soon after. With deep breathing poses, your kids become calmer, healthier, and more focused.
7. Flexible Yoga Plan for Kids
How to teach yoga to kids? Make their yoga sessions simple and flexible. Do not make a hard and rigid yoga plan for your kids. Go for a flexible plan that has music, games, and songs. Start with a game that warms up the kids and gets them ready for yoga. Include a bit of dancing and songs too. Ask your kids to give their own unique names to these poses. Don’t force your kids if they do not want to do a certain pose. Go with the flow and do another one that is more exciting for your kids. Teach simple poses that require each other’s help. It helps the children connect and builds their social skills too. Do this and make your yoga sessions an inviting and fun place for your kids.
8. Create Yoga Stories
Kids like stories, so why not include stories between yoga sessions. Read yoga stories related to the yoga poses in your sessions. Before doing a pose, make it more interesting by reading a story about it. Invite your children to create their own stories about the poses too. There are so many animals posing in yoga. Ask your kids to imagine stories about these animals and include them in the yoga narrative. Along with animals, yoga also has Sun salutes, tree, mountain, boat, star, and other poses. Create stories about these and include your children in them. It raises your kids’ interests and attracts them to yoga.
9. Make Yoga a Positive Space
Make your yoga sessions a positive place where your children feel welcomed. Your kids should enjoy yoga and not hate it and it’s up to you only to make that happen. Make your kids’ yoga time a happy one that they look forward to. Do not shout or be harsh with your children. Have patience when teaching yoga to kids. Praise your kids when the praise is due. Your kids should feel that their efforts matter. Ask your kids to give their input so they feel included. When your kids feel valued and praised, they will learn and improve their yoga.
Final Thoughts
How to teach yoga to kids? Follow the above tips to make yoga a fun and easy task for your kids. Do yoga together and reap its benefits. Be healthier, calmer, and get more out of life by teaching and doing yoga with your kids.
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