I just love the fresh start feeling of a new school year. As a teacher and a parent myself, I understand that we want our children to be in a collaborative, creative, calm and supported classroom environment.
The good news is that by easily incorporating some breathing exercises, mindfulness practice, and simple stress-reducing happy poses, kids will become more focused and attentive and will develop greater empathy toward one another. Yoga may help create that classroom environment that we all want for children.
Yoga for kids is becoming more common in schools and a few moments each day can help kids achieve the benefits that yoga provides. Children need active brain breaks throughout the day to learn best.
Take Mini Yoga Breaks During the School Day
- Practice breathing techniques to reduce stress and help focus before a test or activity that you know will require concentration and focus. Go Go Yoga for Kids: Yoga Games & Activities for Children and Go Go Yoga for Kids: Yoga Lessons for Children has hundreds of ideas on how to teach and use this.
- Work with a partner or small group to practice partner poses and achieve a goal together You can find many partner ideas and illustrations here.
- Introduce a new yoga pose each week. Make it fun! For example, pick a certain word such as your school’s name. When you say that word everyone will stop what they are doing and hold that pose. Find yoga poses and ideas here with The Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards
- Count by fives and 10s while holding a balance pose.
- Take a One Minute Vacation and allow students to shut their eyes, breathe, and visualize themselves in their favorite place.
Want more ideas on how to use yoga at school day? Yoga Lessons for Children includes games, ways to reduce stress, yoga poses, and great read-aloud books with complete lesson plans.
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