Helpful Hints for Every Kids’ Yoga Instructor
Yoga can be a very fun activity for children. A session can be a space for them to move their bodies while also interacting with other kids. Yoga is more than just movement, after all.
But how do you create an environment where kids can safely learn yoga and enjoy it? This is where a certified kids' yoga instructor can truly shine. Through effective sessions and playful activities, you can help these little ones get the most out of yoga.
In this blog, we’ll share helpful hints that any children’s yoga teacher can use:
Creating Classroom Agreements
Set up a classroom agreement with all of the participants. These can include being present, respectful, and responsible. If you are handling elementary school and above groups, it will be best to come up with the agreement together. Use the yamas and niyamas - the ethical rules of yoga in the Yoga Sutras - as your guide.
Be sure to also clearly identify the specific situations that warrant the removal of the participant from the session.
Being Relatable
To make the yoga sessions fun and interesting, it's important to get to know the participants. Talk to them about their likes and dislikes and incorporate them into your sessions.
Eliminating Distractions
Distractions are fairly easy to get the attention of young ones away from you and what you're teaching. Be sure to eliminate distractions, including unnecessary background noises.
Incorporating Expressive Arts and STEAM
Depending on the age group of participants you are teaching in a yoga session, you have to make sure that you're using age-appropriate materials into your movements. These include science, music, and art. Doing so will help you reach children with varying types of intelligence.
Incorporating Sensory Experiences
As much as possible, make sure to incorporate sensory experiences during your sessions. These include visual, auditory, tactile, vestibular, interoception, and proprioception. While incorporating everything in the entire session may not be logically possible, incorporate them where the participants are amenable.
Modeling
When breathwork exercises and movement, be sure to use modeling. The modeling method is where you perform the movement or activity and then explain the rationale of each step. Doing so helps the kids understand what the activity is for and why they are doing it.
Using Repetition
While children may be eager to learn, it's also important to help them retain the movements and postures that you are teaching them. Repetition will be the best course of action so there's time for integration.
Have a Backup Plan
Since you will be dealing with youngsters with different personalities, there can be instances when your planned session doesn't work out. That's okay. Just be sure to have a tried-and-tested backup plan that you can use.
Using Repetition
While children may be eager to learn, it's also important to help them retain the movements and postures that you are teaching them. Repetition will be the best course of action so there's time for integration.
Using Repetition
While children may be eager to learn, it's also important to help them retain the movements and postures that you are teaching them. Repetition will be the best course of action so there's time for integration.
Conclusion
Teaching a kids’ yoga session can be successful with the help of these tips as well as going through certified kids’ yoga instructor training.
Interested in training to become a Yoga Alliance Certified Kids Yoga Teacher? Our Yoga Alliance-approved Kids’ Inclusive Yoga Teacher Training course is online, and focuses on sharing yoga with all kids! Please check out all the information HERE.
