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| Yoga for kids at Greenwood
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Greenwood Early Education has just introduced a yoga for kids program which is included in the daily routine of all two-six year old children. The yoga curriculum was developed in conjunction with children's yoga expert Nadia Kudiarskyj and introduces kids to the basics of yoga using a storytelling framework.
Each guided lesson supports the development of gross motor skills, body awareness and listening skills and is part of Greenwood's holistic approach to early education according to Chief Executive Carol Tannous-Sleiman.
Carol says there are many advantages to providing children with the opportunity to participate in a daily yoga practice including increased mental alertness, flexibility and concentration and more opportunities for physical movement.
But she says one of the main advantages is that it is fun!
"Children are born with the ability to breath naturally – deep breathing is the norm, muscles are flexible and the ability to activate the vestibular system can also help the inner ear develop. There is only upside to teaching yoga to young children. It's actually even easier to teach yoga to kids as they don't have any of the barriers around breathing and flexibility that many adults do," she says.
To ensure the children are engaged the yoga at Greenwood is based around story telling and harnessing the children's natural movements. They also build the practice around whatever is happening in the classroom or during group time so there is continuity across the day's program.
"For example, we might be talking about the sea, and so we would practice diving like a dolphin into the sea. We stretch like a cat and relax into dog pose like a dog. We don't meditate or do extended relaxation, but we encourage movement through storytelling," says Carol.
All of the educators at Greenwood have an introductory session with Nadia and are involved in the daily yoga lessons.
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Nadia and the team of Educators from Concord tell the story of a diving dolphin
For services thinking about introducing a yoga practice Carol recommends the first step should be talking to a kid's yoga expert.
"The yoga shouldn't be an extra cost to parents either, if a centre is going to offer yoga it should be something incorporated into the daily routine at a childcare facility. From an educators perspective we have introduced both a sports and a yoga program for Greenwood kids we firmly believe in the importance of physical activities and a well-rounded education, " she says.
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Storytelling examples:
- Acting out stories about nature, 'Rise up like the morning sun'
- Imitating the movement of different animals, 'Sway like an elephant from side to side' or 'Hop like a frog'
- Focusing on being still 'Breathe in gently through your nose and out through your mouth'
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