games

New Kids Yoga: Yoga Man vs. The Stressor

In this age of computer games, we’ve got to be much more strategic to get kids attention for doing yoga! We’ve got to draw kids in with what they like or they won’t participate.

Today, I’m featuring a new video from Young Yoga Masters that uses what kids like. Yoga Man vs. The Stressor gets kids doing the Sun Salutation and playing games. It gets kids doing yoga!

Plus this week Young Yoga Masters is giving a special earlybird discount on our New Kids Yoga Training for at-home learning. Purchase the training and you’ll have the at-home training immediately! You could be using the games and coloring pages with your kids today.

First, the video. Kids get active with Yoga Man as he does the Sun Salutation. You’ll also see coloring pages from the new Kids Yoga Training:

The Stressor is an evil villain who appears in all different forms and zaps Yoga Man with stress.

These cool coloring pages plus 6 more Activities and 10 Games, are part of the new Yoga Man vs. The Stressor Kids Yoga Training. Its a tested kids yoga program that you download to learn from home. You will have the files on your computer so you can print off the pages whenever you need them for your kids and kids classes. You could be using the games and coloring pages with your kids today.

Get Activities and Games to Teach Kids about Stress
The Training includes 10 Yoga Games that help kids understand stress. Using play based learning, kids will discover what stress is, how to recognize it, and what to do about it. If you have kids dealing with anxiety and stress, or who need help focusing – these games will show them the yoga way to handle it!

The video gives you a sneak peak at all the coloring pages. These pages and the complete Yoga Man vs. The Stressor Training Package is ready for you to get and use with your kids.

all_covers575 — Yoga Man vs. The Stressor: Kids Yoga Training Package

It will be one of the most affordable Kids Yoga Trainings you have ever taken!

Help kids face The Stressor and win.

Get your Yoga Man vs The Stressor – Kids Yoga Training and you could be using it today!

Great Games for a New Kids Yoga Class

This question came in from a reader:

Any advice on teaching yoga to a large group of kids, 21 to be exact, with ages ranging from pre-school to 5th grade? Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

This is a great question because as a teacher there are a lot of challenges in a class like the one described. It’s a large group – 21 kids. But then on top of that you’ve got a huge age range. We’re talking pre-school ages who can be 2.5 to 5 years old and 5th graders who are nine or ten years old. Think of the difference in development and interest between a 2.5 year old and a ten year old.

These two situations create a challenge for most teachers.

Is it an Ongoing or Onetime Class?
What helps me decide what to do is based on do many factors, one being the type of class: Is it a regular group or a onetime affair?

If you are teaching this class on a regular basis you may want to consider setting a limit to the class size or bringing in an assistant to help you.

When I teach an ongoing class I want to get to know the kids, learn their names, and discover what they like. I will choose games at the beginning for team building with the group. This will help them get to know each other and build a team spirit.

Team Building Exercise – The Human Train
Get everyone to line up together and go around the room like a human train. Depending on the size of the group you can do it single file or a double line. Go around the room and pick up passengers and let off passengers. The kids will have fun moving and working together with this activity.

Kids Yoga Name Games

There are many games to help you learn names, for me the best way is to repeat the names as often as possible till they sink in.

One name game is sitting in a circle start with the person on your left and ask them to say their name and do a movement (like stretch arms, wiggle toes, can be anything). Then the person to the left of them says their name and does a new movement, then repeats the last person’s name and movement. Then the next person does their name and movement and all the ones before.

Who’s going Last? The Teacher

I like this game with a large group especially when I put myself going last. It really forces me to pay attention and also gives the kids a chance to help me – which they like to do. The kids also like to help each other so I ask them not to help unless they are asked. Usually the older kids help the younger ones.

However, if the class is a onetime special event type of situation, then it is not as important to learn everyone’s name. I want to have some fun with the group, introduce yoga exercises and maybe play a game.

In A One Time Kids Yoga Class – Save The Game For The End

If this is a special occasion class that is just happening once, I would skip the part of learning names and instead play another game at the end of the class. There are so many fun games.

If you have just a short amount of time – everyone loves a freeze dance. When the music stops ask the kids to freeze in a new yoga pose each time.

If you have a longer time, you can play one of longer games depending on your time and the space available. Yoga bowling is fun. Bring a beach ball (or we play it with a big yoga ball when it is available) and have the kids become the pins. One kid bowls the ball at the kids sitting like pins. The pins can move out of the way to avoid being hit as long as they don’t stand up.

Feel free to leave your own suggestions in the comments.

For More great kids Yoga Teacher Training tips consider our Online Training and In Person Certification. You’ll have a blast with the tools you’ll receive.

Kids Yoga Game Explains Marketing Tip for Teachers

This is

The Spaghetti Pot Game is for kids yoga and tweens and teens too. — The Spaghetti Pot Game is for kids, tweens and teens too.

Your Brain Stressed Out Trying to Plan Everything In Your Head

Try this Kids Yoga Game to experience the joy of planning how everything will works out in the end. The beginning of the game is your mind before you write down your plan and create your Vision. The end is your mind after – a beautiful complete circle.

The Spaghetti Pot Game for Kids Yoga

Can help build teamwork, cooperation and listening skills. Check out the variations for ways to build leadership skills with this game too.

Preparing to Play Spaghetti
Go over the game with the kids before you start it and agree on the rules of the game before you start playing. No yelling or name calling – even if you are frustrated. Make sure everyone is warmed up too.

Who likes Spaghetti?
Ask everyone to hold hands and make a circle standing shoulder to shoulder; that will be the “pot.” Then ask everyone to raise their arms up and stretch up really tall, take a deep breath in and then lower the spaghetti into the pot (Put their arms into the middle of the circle).

Boil Water – Add Noodles
Invite everyone to shake their bodies and arms (in the centre) like they are spaghetti in a pot of boiling water. It is a nice relaxing exercise that releases tension so keep going for as long as you can depending on the attention span of the kids – anywhere from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes.

As the spaghetti boils, ask them to get all tangled up. Then count down from “ten” and ask all the kids to hold hands with two different people by the time you count down to “one.”

Untangling the Group
Begin to untangle the spaghetti to make a circle again while you continue to hold hands. If you have a large group this takes a lot of time, patience, and listening skills. Kids will have to hold hands loosely and sometimes you will finish with kids facing in and some facing out.

Can you believe it can always get untangled into a circle? Try it with your group!

Then try it again with one of these variations.

Variations:
1. Choose a Director: Select one child to be the director and encourage the other kids to give the director the chance to untangle everyone first.

2. The One-Minute Director: Give each child One minute to help untangle the spaghetti, then switch to another kid. This gives more kids a chance to direct.

3. Plates of Spaghetti: Get the kids to hold both hands with the same person. As they untangle themselves, each pair will be their own little plate of spaghetti.

Just like the spaghetti, writing down your marketing plan will help you untangle the chaos.

What ‘s your favorite game to play with kids?

Do you have a marketing plan for getting new yoga classes? What helped you get new yoga classes?

Teaching yoga to children is great if you can fill the classes.
Thanks to everyone who has signed up for the Kids Yoga Teacher Training. The feedback has been very positive and it will be a very inspiring weekend for everyone who wants to teach kids yoga. Space is still available, you can find the details here.
Today I have an important tip for your marketing plan and a kids yoga game that really emphasizes why this tip is so important.
Yoga for Peace of Mind – and for some, A Business
In my next few posts I’ll look at Marketing yoga classes and some things that have worked for me to get new classes and new students.
Personally, I’ve stopped taking new children’s yoga classes to give me time to develop the Kids Yoga Teacher Training Course. It has taken over two years to get the course manuals ready. I can see there is still so much to do: writing, advertising, marketing and all the behind the scenes things that go along with it.
You may be in the same situation with your kids yoga classes. It take a lot of time and hard work to become a yoga teacher, now you’ve got to find classes to teach and the people to fill the classes. The work doesn’t stop at graduation – it just begins!
So far all the sign-ups for my course are from this blog, which is turning out to be a good way of getting the word out. There are also many other things to do to let people know about the course and reach those who are interested in coming – outside of blog readers. I haven’t actually gotten around to doing any of these yet other than telling people I happen to see. Right now it all feels like a chaotic mess to deal with – but don’t worry – this is how every vision starts out.
Consciously Vision What You Want
“Everything we do is at first a Vision and then it is an action.
All action needs a Vision.”
– Tulshi Sen author of
Ancient Secrets of Success for Today’s World
This week I will sit down and make a plan to proceed. I’ll write down: How will I use my time most effectively to get the word out? Who do I want to reach? etc. etc. – also known as a Marketing Plan.
The One Biggest, Most Important, Extremely Useful Tip for your Marketing
Write down your plan.
Yes! it is simple – but it is the most important step to change that big jumbled mess tangled up in your head into an organized plan that you can actually follow, revise, and remember.

Upcoming Kids Yoga Teacher Training Courses and Dates in Toronto at this link — Our next Kids Yoga Teacher Training starts soon!

Imagine An Easy Class with Books You Have

Do You Already Own this Book?

Lately I’ve been posting a lot about the tween yoga classes I have. I don’t want the little kids to get left out so this one is for them.

Toddlers and Pre-Schoolers are a fun age to teach and a popular age group to teach in daycares. Once you have their attention they participate whole heartedly and are a lot of fun to teach.

How to Get Their Attention?

If you are not sure how to get their attention – try something that sparks their imagination. They love pictures, animals, and mystery. Sparking their imagination builds imagination in kids.

“Imagination is the substance of the Creative World.”

p. 146, Ancient Secrets of Success for Today’s World

by Tulshi Sen

I have a whole shelf full of games, toys, music and books that spark imagination. When I’m planning my classes I often go to this shelf for inspiration.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

The book shown in the picture is one I use regularly (once or twice a year) with kids. Basically this book costs about $10 and you can use it over and over again. It is a great addition to your teaching tool kit. The link above takes you to the board book version at Amazon. I recommend getting board books whenever possible so they won’t get ripped or torn in class – they last much longer and are sturdier for use with kids.

Each page of this book is brightly coloured, a little surprising (a blue horse!), and a yoga pose waiting to happen.

For instance for a horse we can get on our knees and neigh! We raise our arms overhead stretching up and back. If you have a large room you can gallop around it.

The perfect length for a half hour class
Each page ignites imagination and we enter into a world of animals. There are nine different

animals so we do nine yoga poses. It fits in perfectly to a half hour class. Kids this age don’t do poses for too long.

If you have a longer class you can use the repetition to ask the kids what other animals they see.

Teaching Kids can be easy with the right tools

A book is an easy way to get kids attention. You can say, “Hmm, I wonder what animal is next. Let’s find out.” Or ask kids who are ready to to guess what animal is next while everyone is returning to their spot.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

is a pretty popular book that alot of daycares and homes already have. Every once in a while you will get a group of kids who know every animal before you turn the page. In that case you can ask them to read the book for you!

Let me know what your favorite kids books are.

Stroke of Genius: A Meditation

Don’t always have time to meditate?
Life and family can require mediation! Why not try this simple meditation that lets you:

– maximize your routine with your kids in the mornings and evenings

– give your children the gift of meditation

– build your child’s confidence and self esteem

– enhance your relationship with your children

A Good Hair Day!
This simple meditation is done while brushing your child’s hair. For each stroke of the brush you make, say one positive comment to your child out loud. You may start with simple compliments like:

I love you
You are beautiful
You are so much fun to be with
Your smile is remarkable
list your child’s endearing characteristics to make it as personal as possible – but keep them positive and in the moment

Then as you proceed you can say your favorite mantra, quote, or piece of wisdom aloud. You can say them to your child, say them together or say them “call and answer” style (one says it and the other repeats). Decide which ones to say or who goes first. Some of my favorites are from my Teacher:

Your attitude of gratitude determines your altitude (could be 2 strokes for the longer sayings)
Follow your bliss
Listen to your heart.

Have fun with your child, count even little strokes of the brush. Ask your child to try this special meditation with you one time to see if they like it. My niece, who hated to brush her hair, actually sat totally still while I stroked her hair giving her one compliment after another. The next day she came to me with the hair bush to do it again.

Not only will this meditation help you get ready, it adds significance to the time we take to care for ourselves and let ourselves shine. Every child needs to learn the importance of personal grooming to reflect their inner confidence and feeling of divinity, known as Raja (royal) yoga. This sweet meditation is adding a stroke of genius to your child’s routine.

For more information on upcoming Kid’s Yoga training click here.