Yoga kids

Its yoga time....

"Sky above, Earth below, Peace within" (Alo Yoga)

The children at Bream Bay Kindergarten have been enjoying yoga over the past couple of weeks.  Yoga is something that I also enjoy, so it is a pleasure to share what I know with the children, and they seem to be natural willing learners.

Yoga is non-competitive - Yoga teaches children that their bodies are different; different bodies do different things and all of them are okay. There is no one better or worse at yoga than anyone else; we are all just exploring our bodies and learning from them in our own way.

Yoga teaches self-acceptance - to accept and cherish themselves as they are. Learned young, this incredibly valuable lesson arms children with the tools to fight off the increasing feelings of self-doubt that come during the teen years and beyond.

 Namaste: The light in me sees the light in you - Yoga teaches acceptance and tolerance of others.  In practicing yoga, kids learn early in life that all living beings are to be cherished and respected as they are, thus helping to create more peaceful local communities and a more peaceful world in our future.

Yoga encourages healthy habits - Any exercise program begun in childhood helps children to remain physically active and healthy as a lifestyle.

Focus.Focus.Focus - Yoga teaches kids to be present, and to concentrate and focus on their breathing.

Yoga teaches calming techniques - when children have learnt how to breath, they can apply breathing techniques to any situation.

Children learn self-awareness through yoga - can help children to become more confident

Yoga supports positive mental health in children - as they learn to focus and calm their minds

Yoga teaches that "Relaxation is not only allowed; it is encouraged".

" Our children are enjoying yoga so much that they are taking to practising in their own small groups"

Belle is learning how to read the pictures, so she can practice the poses.

Yoga is teaching our children concentration and body awareness

Sometimes we use the walls and the soft mats for balancing

"The body benefits from movements and the mind benefits from stillness" (Sakyong Mipham)

Information about the benefits of yoga were sourced from DOYOUYOGA.COM

A Balancing Act

With the sun shining early in the week, I thought it would be a great opportunity for the blocks to make an appearance outside. By far, the most popular thing to build was towers. 

Stacking blocks into towers develops and strengthens fine motor skills as children practice using the small muscles of their arms and hands. Children are developing their hand/eye coordination. 

Children are learning about balance, being able to put something in a steady position so that it does not fall. Being able to balance blocks requires increased accuracy as well as a fair amount of dexterity.

"Balancing objects should be the focus of open-ended learning experiences for young children." (Terri Jo Swim, 2016)

And it wasn't as easy as it looked. There was lots of trial and error happening as children persevered with the task of balancing blocks into a tower.

I asked the children "I wonder why the towers don't balance sometimes?"

Jessica said "Maybe cause it was too high... that's what happened with the big blocks...but I tried it again and I tried it again"

Alanni said "Cause I make it too high"

Sophia said "Cause I tried to make it bigger"

Ever the optimist, Jericho said "It almost stayed up...it might stay up next time."

There were some very proud children when they surveyed work and were sure that their towers were balanced and going to stay up without holding them up!