Introducing PreSchoolers to Yoga

It’s important to introduce and encourage physical fitness in children early. This is why we at Kinder Buddies Oakville Child Care have a special yoga class for our preschool children aged 2 (and a half) to 5 (and a half). You may practice on your own and are wondering how to introduce yoga to your preschool child at home; today we tackle this idea with where to begin and all of the benefits of starting Yoga early!

Benefits of Yoga for Kids

Yoga is not only a way to remain physically active, yoga is a  great way to improve concentration, self confidence, motor skill development, and reduced aggressiveness. Some schools have introduced Mindfulness Rooms for Yoga and Meditation in lieu of detention, lowering suspensions and office referrals. There is even research pointing to Yoga and Mindfulness as a excellent cognitive based therapy for children with ADHD.

Starting at Home

If you are new to yoga yourself we have some great tips on setting up your home to practice with your family at home. Set aside a section of the room free from distractions; close computers, tv’s, and other electronics in the room. While extra equipment like yoga mats and blocks can be useful it can be expensive. A great place to grab gear for a little cheaper is Winners! When you begin you may find yoga isn’t for you or your little one so it’s not important on buying everything all at once.

Starting with Breathing Techniques

When introducing anything to kids it’s always easiest to turn things into games. Breathing exercises can be compared to being a dragon or a big balloon. You can adjust exercises to specifically interest your child! We love this list of breathing exercises for kids by Cosmic Kids.

Making Yoga a Game

Keeping a child’s attention can be hard sometimes, which is why it is imperative to make everything more fun! It’s easy to transform regular childhood games into games that are compatible with yoga positions.

• Simon Says: The leader will say “Simon Says…” before saying a yoga position and the followers match the position. If the leader does not say “Simon Says” before the position the followers shouldn’t follow; if they do they “lose”.
• Statues: A leader will choose a position and everyone will hold the position. If they move or fall out of the position they lose. Last one in the position wins!
• Mirror Mirror:  The leader chooses a position and everyone else “mirrors” the position.

Yoga Positions for Kids

Like we have mentioned a few times when introducing new things to kids you need to make it a game. Most yoga positions resemble items like boats or animals like kangaroos! If you’re not that creative with naming conventions we found this really nifty list from Kids Yoga Stories: 58 Fun and Easy Yoga Positions.

No matter how your family approaches yoga always remember to have fun!

---

Kinder Buddies is a Quality First Daycare and Child Care facility in Oakville, Ontario. We take care of children from the age of 6 weeks to 5 1/2 providing nutritious meals and fun activities all day long.