How to Tell if You are Ready to Teach Kids
If you are wondering if you are ready to teach kids yoga here’s a quick test. Does the thought of going in front of a class of 20 kids to do yoga make your mouth dry, your hands shake, and your head spin? Are you wondering what you should do? Or are you looking out at the kids, reading their reactions and deciding what they need?
My teacher always says we are all transparent, and I have come to see what this means. When we are in front of a class we may think we are pulling something off, but the truth is people can read what we’re feeling just by looking.
A good teacher exudes a serene confidence which allows the kids to relax and enjoy themselves.
Kids Yoga Teacher Training Builds Confidence
Our training and our personal practice can help us feel that confidence in front of a class. For me, discovering the following became the basis for my training course (starting Feb. 23):
· Safety in kids’ yoga – so you know you won’t hurt anyone.
· Fun Yoga: how to do yoga poses so kids love it.
· Child Development: what ages are ready for what activities.
· Course Development: the structure of a great class.
· Kids activities: yoga games, songs, and stories that get kids engaged.
· Meditations that help kids focus and also challenge and inspire them.
· Leadership: activities that build self-esteem in children.
· Teacher’s tools: How to quiet a room, deal with disruptions, and other methods of great teachers.
The truth of working with kids is it will be clear if can teach or not. They will not hold back and if your classes er… suck, there will be no hiding it. Neither you nor the kids will be enjoying it. So you can either quit or improve your skills.
In yoga there is a term called Saibung – self illumination. This is my impression of true certification, when you are lit up and excited from inside and the way to proceed is clear. Yes, you will still face challenges and roadblocks, but you will have the confidence to get through them.
Until you feel that light and confidence from within, it doesn’t really matter what certification you have, you will feel intimidated to teach kids. I suggest you keep taking yoga classes, meditating on the kind of teacher you want to be, and adding to your skill set for teaching kids.
The best certification you can have is the exhilaration after you’ve completed a series and both you and the kids wish it wasn’t ending.
