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Yoga with kids can be a joyful and enriching experience, but keeping their attention and making it fun sometimes requires creativity. Incorporating tools into the practice helps maintain their interest, and engage them in the practice. Here are six kid-friendly tools that can elevate your yoga time:
Talking Stick: Encouraging Expression and Connection
The talking stick is a simple yet powerful tool for creating a safe space for kids to express themselves. I use this at the start of every kids yoga class; and it can be easily integrated into circle-time in your class/childcare, or around the dinner table at home with your family. Pass the talking stick around and let each child share a thought, something about themself, or a story from their day.
Why it works: It teaches kids to listen mindfully and helps them feel seen and heard, helping to create a sense of community. You can even decorate the stick with the kids for a fun craft activity! Here's a video I created about how to make your own talking stick:
Singing Bowl: Cultivating Focus and Calm
A singing bowl is an auditory mindfulness tool that kids love! At the start of class I always ask kids to "turn on their listening ears" and then I check to make sure they turned them on with this mindfulness exercise: Everyone closes their eyes and I tap the singing bowl once. When they no longer hear the singing bowl's ringing, they quietly raise their hand.
Interactive tip: Let the children take turns "playing" the singing bowl, teaching them to focus on the sound and feel the vibrations. This introduces them to mindfulness in a tangible way. Find your own singing bowl in the link below:
Yoga Cards: Inspiring Creativity in Poses
Yoga cards are a fun and interactive way to guide children through a yoga practice. Each card shows a pose and its name, making it easy to engage children in new poses.
How to use: Spread the cards out and let kids pick the poses they want to try. I love using them in games like freeze dance, red light green light, Simone Says (or Yogi Says), and Hide and Find Yoga. Check out my video below for how I play games with my yoga cards:
Breathing Ball: Visualizing Breathwork
A breathing ball (also called a Hoberman sphere) is a fantastic visual aid for teaching kids about deep breathing. The ball expands as they inhale and contracts as they exhale, making the abstract concept of breath more concrete.
Why it’s great: It’s especially helpful for kids who may struggle with calming down, offering them a visual reminder to slow their breath. Kids love playing with it, so I like to pass it around and give everyone a turn guiding 1 deep breath with the breathing ball. Find your own breathing ball for easy breathwork with your kids or students in the link below:
Yoga Books: Storytelling and Movement
Yoga books designed for kids combine storytelling with poses, making yoga engaging and fun! As you read the story, kids will follow along with the yoga poses illustrated.
Reading together: Here's a free reading of my own children's yoga book, Yogi Wilbert and the Wishing Tree, for inspiration of how to use yoga books to engage children in a yoga practice.
Aromatherapy Spray: Setting the Mood
Or, Magic Spray, is what I like to call it in my kids yoga classes! This sensory element can help create a sense of peace and serenity.
How to use: Spritz the room lightly before starting or let kids "catch a mist" by walking through the spray. My favourite is to end the yoga practice with everyone quietly seated, awaiting a burst of mist above their head with kid-safe aromatherapy spray, and then taking a deep breath of it's lovely scent. Check the kid-friendly aromatherapy sprays I've crated in the link below:
Wrapping Up
Yoga with kids is all about blending movement, mindfulness, and play. By incorporating tools like the talking stick, singing bowl, yoga cards, breathing ball, yoga books, and aromatherapy spray, you create a dynamic and engaging experience. These tools make yoga accessible, help kids connect with their bodies and emotions, and—most importantly—ensure that everyone has fun!
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