I was approaching retiring from a career as a teacher of Early Childhood Education with some trepidation. Teaching was my calling, even according to my numerology, but I knew that after 25 years a change was needed. What was I going to do?
After a great deal of quiet contemplation, I decided to combine my love for yoga with my love (and knowledge) of children. I had come to the practise of yoga late in life and knew that there was a lot to learn regarding yoga but I was pretty confident that I knew all there was to know about children. How naive I was despite my 60 years!
I completed my Hatha yoga teacher training with the awesome Sylvia Gouin in Ottawa, completed level I, II, and III Radiant Child Yoga Training with Shakta Kaur Khalsa and Sue Ducros, and Level I Yoga for the Special Child with Sonia Sumar. I felt more confident about the yoga part (although it is definitely a life long learning process.)
I began to volunteer at a few child care centres around the city, driving with my hockey bag full of mats and my "bag of tricks and props" to do yoga with children from 2 1/2 to 10 years.
What I learned about space
When you are going to child care centres or people's homes you are not always prepared for the space that is available.
When you are going to child care centres or people's homes you are not always prepared for the space that is available.
Now, when there is a choice, I use an empty classroom, or even better, the library where carpet and lighting mute sounds, at least for the first few weeks, until we establish rapport and routine. I then might use the gym to take advantage of using walls (balance practise) and space for yoga dances and games.
When I do have to use the gym I "set the stage". I turn off as many lights as possible, set out the mats prior to the children coming in, greet the children at the door with a quiet voice and directions to quietly remove shoes and select a mat etc.
There have also been occasions when I have done yoga birthdays and had to set up outdoors at private homes. On one occasion, the yoga was happening prior to swimming. Needless to say, it was challenging to maintain the children's focus as it was hot and the pool was so inviting. In retrospect, it would have been worthwhile to try to arrange to do the yoga indoors.
Yoga studios provide the ideal space for yoga with children, that is, until they all decide that they need to use the washroom! I have learned to ask the parents to take them prior to the class starting and I then provide a halfway break so that everyone can go at once.
What I learned about language
In one of my first classes I asked them if they liked yoga and one little boy said yes he did, especially strawberry (he thought I meant yogurt). I went with the yogurt theme and we used our bodies as blenders to make a yoga shake. (It is always important to follow the child's interests and be ready to throw out your lesson plan.)
In one of my first classes I asked them if they liked yoga and one little boy said yes he did, especially strawberry (he thought I meant yogurt). I went with the yogurt theme and we used our bodies as blenders to make a yoga shake. (It is always important to follow the child's interests and be ready to throw out your lesson plan.)
They also all seemed to think that my name was Yoga. I was once heading into a grocery store and a little boy kept saying, “Yoga, Yoga", and his Dad was extremely puzzled until I said that his son was in my class. It is always good to start a class with introductions although I am always okay with answering to Yoga, or Yoda, or Ohm.
The language of yoga is new and different. Children learn from visual cues and require modeling in order to participate, especially initially. This means that you cannot always watch them to ensure that they are actually completing the poses but it doesn't matter. They will try and, perhaps the first few times, they will not "get them" but after a while, they will associate words with poses. Children also learn kinaesthetically and the movements of their bodies in space supports them in learning about where their bodies begin and end.
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What I learned about time
Children's concept of time is based very much upon routine. So, although they may not know that bedtime is at 7:30, they do know that bed comes after snack, bath and story.
Children's concept of time is based very much upon routine. So, although they may not know that bedtime is at 7:30, they do know that bed comes after snack, bath and story.
On a few occasions, because we were really having fun exploring yoga, I didn't have time for our relaxation. The children were quite upset by this.
That is why I learned to use a pattern or plan consistently within my children's classes. It doesn't mean that we do the same thing each time, although I do try to repeat patterns, but it means we follow the same format. We meet and greet with a yoga game, we chant, sing, we move and do a version of sun salutations, we have a yoga story, a relaxation etc. The children are then able to anticipate and understand the timing of the class. Whether the class is a shorter class, 30 minutes with toddlers, or 1-hour with kindergarten or school age children, I establish a predictable format for the class.
What I learned about props
Props can be "tricky" with children, especially if you give them a prop for a part of the class and they don't want to give it back!
Props can be "tricky" with children, especially if you give them a prop for a part of the class and they don't want to give it back!
I have used pom-poms, in class, for breath work with young school age children and realized, after one time, that it was very important to collect them after the activity, ask them to put them under their yoga mats, or save their use for the end of the class. Otherwise, as you are moving through the class, children will distract themselves with them throughout the class.
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With very young children (toddlers), their bodies are really all they need in order to have a playful class. Props distract them, as they are so creative at doing things with objects that they may just not use them in the way you expect.
Older children just need careful cueing for the use of props. It has been my experience to have several yoga sessions without props, to set a routine and build a knowledge base, prior to using props. Music is an exclusion in terms of props. I always use music.
These are just a few of the areas in which I have learned to adjust according to the needs of the children. My new career is providing endless opportunities for my personal growth as well as the growth of the children with whom I work. More to think upon another time: use of storytelling, group work and mindfulness practise, etc.– a lifetime of learning.
Penny Pelton
www.magicmats.ca
www.magicmats.ca