On Thursdays the last two weeks, I have been doing yoga with
the children. Yoga is a great way to get the kids moving! They put so many of
their muscles to use as they get into and hold each pose. It also allows them
some time to slow down and calm their minds for a little while.
When we do yoga, we pretend to go on a transportation journey.
(The morning class has gone to Hawaii and Las Vegas, and the afternoon class has gone to Des Moines and California.)
In order to get where we need to go, we have to choose different types of
transportation (e.g. riding a horse, flying on an airplane, riding a cat, by
boat, riding a butterfly, etc.). These different types of transportation are
different yoga poses. Each child gets to pick one pose on our journey to our
destinations. We hold each pose while we count to ten and then pick another
one.
The airplane pose!
Some of the poses are trickier than others, but the kiddos
have been eager to get them right. The hardest one is the boat pose. To do this
one, the children find a partner and sit facing each other. They put their feet
together and raise them into the air and then try to grab each other’s hands.
They are then balancing on their tail bones and using their abdomen and leg
muscles to keep each other up. The first time we practiced this only a couple
of groups were successful. Yesterday, though, every group was able to get into
this pose and some were able to hold it for quite some time!
The kiddos love these experiences! They even practice the
poses on their own during interest areas and after snack time. They are
becoming more aware of their bodies and discovering new ways to use them!
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