Yoga for Under-Fives
The rise of kids’ yoga in early learning.
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
Early learning services move with the times, and although some activities never get old (like sandcastle-building and finger-painting), there’s lots of room in the program for new and exciting pursuits.
Kids’ yoga is a great example of this.
Plenty of services now incorporate yoga into the curriculum, and although you might think of yoga as a physical activity, it’s actually a holistic one.
Yoga recognises the connection between body, mind and spirit, and this focus on the ‘whole’ child is at one with The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) that services base their educational program on.
The EYLF says educators promote children’s learning by adopting holistic approaches, and there are lots of ways that kids’ yoga aligns with the learning outcomes of the EYLF.
For instance, yoga supports under-fives to:
- Strengthen their social and emotional wellbeing
- Take increasing responsibility for their health and physical wellbeing
- Develop resilience
- Learn to interact with others with empathy, care and respect, and
- Be confident and involved learners, developing qualities like enthusiasm and persistence.
Along the way, yoga helps young children to manage their emotions, control their body and relax.
Beth Borowsky can attest to this. She’s Founder and Chief Executive of The Karma Class, which teaches yoga to ages 18 months and up, and says, “There are so many benefits to kids beginning yoga from a very young age.”
She explains that under-fives:
- Are introduced to their ‘magical breath’ and learn how it can support them when they’re feeling sad, angry or worried
- They get to explore with their body and develop strength, flexibility, coordination and balance in a non-competitive way
- They learn basic anatomy and physiology, and understand why it’s important to sit tall with a good posture, and
- They also experience mindfulness and what it means to slow down, become quiet and focus on just one thing.
Beth says yoga classes encourage children to feel good about themselves, inside and out.
She explains that, “Under-fives really enjoy moving, breathing and feeling how amazing their little bodies are, and when we ask the kids why they love yoga, they answer, ‘Because it makes me feel calm, strong and kind!’”
Kids’ yoga can also have a positive effect on the ‘vibe’ of a service, and many Centre Directors and educators tell Beth that yoga sessions bring, “A certain quality of calm to the classroom, as well as to individual kids.”
For these reasons, many early learning services have embraced kids’ yoga.
Sometimes yoga is part of a service’s Well-being or Healthy Minds program, and at Guardian St Kilda South the idea to introduce yoga sessions back in 2016 stemmed from educators’ personal interest in doing yoga.
At some services, educators touch on kids’ yoga with simple warm-up stretches and ‘wind down’ breathing exercises.
While other places incorporate yoga into the curriculum with the help of a qualified kids’ yoga teacher.
This is where someone like Beth Borowsky comes in.
The Karma Class has been teaching kids’ yoga in Sydney-based early learning centres since 2005, and its Karma Kids Yoga program is specially designed for early learners.
Beth’s team of experienced kids’ yoga teachers deliver weekly yoga classes, and she says, “Each class combines traditional yoga techniques with breathing exercises, stories, music, imagination and mindfulness to create a unique kids’ yoga experience.”
Yoga sessions for under-fives do need to be fun and age-friendly.
Little kids are still learning things like focus and physical coordination, and Beth says there’s a skill in managing the different moods and behaviours of each toddler or preschooler.
Kids’ yoga teachers put special thought into the structure and length of each class, and Beth says, “Our classes for under twos and ages two to three are 15 minutes’ long, and for ages three to five, the session length goes up to 30 minutes.”
“We use props, like our classroom activity cards, a ‘magic breathing ball’ and feathers, to keep little kids interested, and children love the different names given to actions, such as Balloon Belly Breathing and Rising Sun Breath.”
Sometimes. there’s also an opportunity for parents to dip their toe into their service’s yoga practice.
For instance, at Goodstart Early Learning Cairns, a mum (and trained yoga teacher) started running classes at her child’s service after being approached by the Centre Director.
And Bowen Hills Early Learning offers a weekly yoga class for parents so they can, “Relax and centre [their] energy while waiting for [their] littles ones.”
Whether parents are actively involved or not, kids’ yoga has proven to be popular with families.
Beth gets lots of positive feedback after kids do her classes and says, “Parents love the way their children come home with tools to help them feel calmer, and the kids are always super keen to show Mummy and Daddy their awesome poses.”
If your early learning service doesn’t offer kids’ yoga (yet), or you’re keen to practise it as a family, then Beth says:
- Rolling out your yoga/fitness mat and moving through a Sun Dance is a great way to welcome in the day as parent and child
- A simple flow of Cat to Down Dog provides an energy boost and stretches the muscles, and
- A simple calming breath, like Balloon Belly Breathing, is great to use when tantrums flair or you want to calm your under-five before bedtime (or any time!)
You might like to try out the Karma Home Activity Cards, which help parents weave yoga into family life, and the Karma Collection has 42 online kids’ yoga classes and other mindful activities to help you put the “Ommm” in “Mummmm.”