Kids Yoga for Disabilities

March 8, 2010 by Aruna  
Filed under Attitude, Co-Operation, Kids Yoga, Resources, Yoga Games

First off, take a look at this fun video of two Canadians, Rick Mercer (comedian/host) and Rick Hanson (Man in Motion hero/educator) blowing away all ideas of what one can and cannot do when one has a disability:

Pretty Amazing, Eh!

This Friday marks the beginning of the Paralympic Games  in Vancouver.   It’s another event that shows how ABLE all people are.  The first Paralympics Games were held in 1976 in Sweden and this Paralympics has  five sports:

  • alpine skiing
  • biathlon
  • cross-country skiing
  • ice sledge hockey
  • wheelchair curling

Here’s a link to a whole page of activities from Official Website of the Paralympic Movement. I’m looking forward to reading this worksheet in my kids classes:  A Fairytale:  A Class Discussion of Inclusion it’s a great story with discussion questions included.

I also want to try the Sitting Volleyball Skills Sheet with a soft volley ball for younger kids.

When it comes to yoga, are there any limitations that could prevent a child from joining a class?  Considering that kids yoga is already so imaginative I think kids yoga can be done by all.

The best tip for teaching yoga to someone with a disability:  talk to the person to  find out what works and what won’t work for their particular situation.  They’ll be able to tell you what they need to make it possible, what they want to try and what they can’t.  Don’t make assumptions!

If you’re stuck for ideas – a simple Google search of “wheelchair yoga” produces over 400,000 results!

Finally, this book  Susan Laughs by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross is recommended for discussing disabilities with young kids.  It looks like a great book that I’ve just added to my wish list.  Let me know if you’ve seen this book or if you have any other ideas for including all kids in yoga classes.

The Heart and the Head Get Together for an Olympic Valentine’s Day

February 10, 2010 by Aruna  
Filed under Kids Yoga, Lesson Plans, Yoga Games

partner yogaGetting to the Podium:
Try a little Partner Yoga for Valentine’s Day

A  Gold Medal Week for Kids Yoga Themes

Those who work with kids know it can be a challenge coming up with themes for kids yoga classes.  Often we turn to current events for ideas and this week we’ve hit the jackpot!

Not only do the 2010 Olympics start on Friday, but Sunday is Valentine’s Day.

The Olympics are pretty easy to connect with yoga poses.  You can ask the kids about their favorite Olympic sports and how yoga could help them in that sport.  Don’t forget all the concentration poses like archer below or tree pose.  Work both the physical and the mental muscles.

I’ve posted in the past on the  Summer Olympic Games:

But now it’s time for the Winter Games and a whole new look at the Olympics:

  • Rowing is very similar to the Luge so we could use the two ideas above again,
  • Mogul Skiers would need to do a lot of squats,
  • Try some partner yoga like in the picture above – it takes a lift to get to the podium! (one child in the base could represent the head, and one the heart – see below for details)

The Romance Between the Heart and the Head - A Valentine’s Day Twist
Now with the Olympics and Valentine’s Day coming together it is a perfect time to talk about the Romance between the Heart and the Head.   How does the head – the logic, the mind, the calculations – come into play for an Olympic athlete training to shave a fraction of a second off their time?

How does the heart – the dream, the dedication, the quest – come into play?  Why don’t those Olympic Athletes quit when it starts getting hard?  How do they stay calm when the big day arrives?

Both the head and the heart are developed by a top athlete and we need to develop them too.  Not only for a healthy body, but for our dreams, our aspirations, and our goals, which make a healthy life.

The heart leads the way to what we care about, whether it’s the kids we  love, in our career, providing for our families, or in our hobbies.  Then the head follows through on the heart’s desire to help us get to our goal.

They make a perfect pair!  We marry both the head and the heart for a perfect Valentine’s Day – or a Perfect 10 in an Olympic Sport.

Aruna Humphrys
www.YoungYogaMasters.com

P.S.  Please share your ideas for Yoga Poses for the Winter Olympics or Valentine’s Day in the comments.  For a Valentine’s Day yoga game check out a game I use for a lot of fun in kids yoga.  It’s called the Heart’s Hide and Seek and you’ll find it on the Yoga In My School blog.

What Else Kid’s Want – A Get Acquainted Game

December 27, 2009 by Aruna  
Filed under Attitude, Yoga Games

When the Tree Goes Up so Does the Excitement

A Yoga Game:  What Do You Want Under the Tree?

I’m extending Christmas just a little longer to play a game with you.

Imagine if for Christmas we could ask for presents, but we could also ask for other things, things that are less tangible.  What if we could ask for a virtue or a quality from Santa?  What if we could wake up and find happiness, faith, or love under the tree?  What would kids ask for then?  What would you ask for?

In my kids yoga classes sometimes I play a little game when the kids line up at the end of class.  I ask everyone the same question and each child answers before they line up.  Usually it’s a question they can give a short answer to that lets me get to know each child a little better.

Knowing how excited everyone was about Santa coming, the week before Christmas I asked,

What present do you want that isn’t a thing?

The hands shot up in a flash.  Going around the room in a circle,  I’d say the top three answers were easily:

  • love,
  • happiness,
  • time with my family.

But some answers surprised me from this group of six, seven, and eight year old kids.   For instance, one girl said she would like herself for a present.  She really likes her life!

One girl just wanted to be out of school – freedom.

Then there was one boy who came up and told me softly,  “I want INVISIBLE toys!”   He found a loophole for the question.  I guess what he really wants is what we all could use a little more of  – IMAGINATION.  My teacher, Tulshi Sen (listen to his talks here) describes invisible as IN-visible, visible on the INSIDE, not on the outside.  Our personal Vision, our Imagination,  is invisible.  Imagination is visible within before it is visible on the outside.  Everything is first created within before it exist outside.

This year my choice of gift that isn’t a thing is going to be the same as the last boy.  I want the Invisible gift, Imagination, to help me see what I want inside clearly before it becomes visible outside.

Questions like these are a fun way to get to know the kids you care about a little better.  What do you think?  What do you want this year?  What present do you want that isn’t a thing?

Kids Need a Place to be Creative

April 16, 2009 by Aruna Kathy Humphrys  
Filed under Lesson Plans, Yoga Games

Creative Movement in Yoga Class

This week’s story is from a 30 minute daycare class I teach to a junior school-age group (ages 5 – 7 years old). There is a pretty even mix of boys and girls in this class, a few who do other sports and are pretty active and a few who don’t do much exercise.

What’s the Personality of the Class?
Each class has their own personality and I’ve found that this class likes to be pushed. The kids who have become leaders in this class like a challenge. I noticed this while I observed one of the boys, who a lot of the kids look up to, during a break between yoga exercises one day. Rather than resting he decided to throw in few extra sit ups and the others joined in.

Seeing this, I decided to ramp up the class a bit, increasing the times and giving them a few more challenging exercises. They liked it. So in the next few classes I started doing some Kundalini Yoga Kriyas with them – the same classes that I was going to teach the adults. They liked it more.

Can Kids Do Adult Yoga – Yes Some Can!
For instance, we did one kriya with 18 exercises in it. It turned out there were 15 kids and 3 teachers in the class that day so everyone demonstrated one pose. They were absolutely spent at the end of it – finishing calm and rested.

In another kriya of 9 exercises (I found the

kriya posted on line here) , has us sitting in easy pose, raising your arms behind your head and holding opposite elbows, then bowing your head to the ground and straightening back up. It says to do it for 5 1/2 minutes, but that is a bit long for a 30 minute class – so I challenged them to do 108 of them and they went for it! Some said no way at first, but as they got up to the 80’s in their count they were motivated to finish. It’s a great way to learn about our self-imposed limitations through experience.

The next time I was planing the class, I felt like I had really been pushing this class and I didn’t want to forget the fun. But I also didn’t want to mess with something that was working, so I thought twice, and picked another challenging yoga set to do.

The Longing for Creativity
When I arrived at the class. One girl came up and asked for a game. Another girl asked for dancing, and another wanted to do something with an Easter/Spring theme. Aha! The cry for creativity. The cry of the heart. The cry of your Consciousness!

“There are always two creations; one in your heart and the other in time and space.
The creation in time and space is impossible if it is not first created in your heart,
which is your Consciousness.”
Ancient Secrets of Success for Today’s World
by Tulshi Sen

Namaste! Songs, Yoga & Meditations for Young Yogis!
What’s the point of all the challenges if we’re not listening to what the heart wants? The lesson plan was forgotten. We started with a freeze dance (I use a version by Christopher Carbone) – they danced like there was no tomorrow.

A Game for Creativity

Then we played a Creativity game. Everyone was encouraged to be as creative as they could and come up with their own ideas. We started in easy pose with eyes closed, then I said a word, and keeping their eyes closed they would make up a pose for that word. Then on the count of three everyone would open their eyes and see what all the poses looked like.

I think I called out about 8 or 10 words. The ones I remember were: egg, meatball, star, earth, rich, poor, happy. The results ranged from expected to ridiculous – but everyone enjoyed it so much they didn’t want it to end.

Meditation for Creativity
Then we played one of the kids favorite songs from Snatam Kaur’s
Feeling Good Today CD called I am the Light of My Soul. Again everyone was encouraged to make up their own moves and also move as a group and we will see how it feels and what happens.
At the end of the song one girl exclaimed, “That was wonderful!”

It is fun to have a challenge but every once in a while we must be creative. We must listen to the call of the heart, which is our Consciousness. Try it and see how it works with your kids.


Aruna Humphrys
www.YoungYogaMasters.com

P.S. Not sure how to get your creative juices flowing? Come to my Kids Yoga Teacher Training Course. I’m happy to announce the next dates are May 23 – 24 in Toronto. Details here. Space is limited so register early to reserve your spot. Let me know if you have any questions at: Aruna@YoungYogaMasters.com . See you there.

March Break Kids Yoga

March 5, 2009 by Aruna Kathy Humphrys  
Filed under Kids Yoga, Lesson Plans, Yoga Games

The Dead Body Test in Corpse Pose

Take Yoga From March Break To Summer
In Toronto, Canada, where I live, we’re getting close to March break where kids and teachers get the week off school. It’s a one week break and then everyone comes back for another ten or twelve weeks until summer holidays when school closes for most of June, and all of July and August.

During March Break school closes down and the daycares get busy. I often have a few extra bookings to come in for a special Kids Yoga program at daycares during this school holiday. If you’re a kids yoga teacher looking for new classes, it’s a good time to go out to daycares close to you and offer them a one class special.

Give Kids a Yoga Class they Won’t Forget
When you teach a one-time yoga class it is a chance to introduce the yoga experience to the daycare. Give them a yoga class they won’t forget. Some kids will remember the class for months. I’ve returned to daycares for the summer program and the kids will ask to play the game or do the activity that we did during March break. If they have fun they will remember it.

When I do a one-off class, I teach my favorite (at the time) kids yoga activities. Something that I know all ages will like and games that they will remember. It’s not a time I try out something new or something untested.

Kids Favorite Yoga and Games
Here’s one of my older posts with
Five of my Favorite Kids Yoga Activities that always work for me.

Give the Kids Time to Relax
One of the kids favorite parts of yoga is the relaxation time. I’ve heard again and again from other teachers that kids are so busy they really appreciate a time to relax in the class, not just yoga class but in the classroom as well.

Corpse Pose – the Dead Body Test
I make sure we have at least five minutes for relaxation. In a March Break class I like to play soft music and come and see who is relaxed. If you ask the kids what a corpse is you will get some interesting answers. Then ask the kids to let go of their body for the relaxation so that it is like a corpse, so it doesn’t move, they don’t move it, they let their body lie there, still and lifeless.

Then come around to each child and test the body to see if it is lifeless/corpse-like. Pick up the child’s arm and move it around. See if it is floppy or stiff. Ask them not to lift their arm to you but wait till you lift their arm. If you have time, you can test arms and legs. With a large group ask other teachers to help you.

This relaxation game is very popular. It’s also a nice moment to connect with each child as you test them.

Finish With a Freeze Dance
If you still have time left, you can reinforce the yoga you taught already with Yoga Freeze Dance . Most kids like it because it is creative (dancing) and you can play it so that no one gets out.

If you really want everyone to have fun, choose a game where no one gets out. I’ve found most kids prefer these types of games.

So if you live somewhere where March Break is coming up, it’s a great opportunity to introduce yoga to a daycare. Even daycares with a limited budget, usually have something put aside for their March Break program.

With some favorite yoga poses, an intriguing game, and a fun attitude you just may develop a relationship with a daycare that can continue on into the summer and beyond.

Great Games for a New Kids Yoga Class

February 18, 2009 by Aruna Kathy Humphrys  
Filed under FAQ's, Lesson Plans, Yoga Games

This question came in from a reader:
Any advice on teaching a group of kids, 21 to be exact,
with ages ranging from pre-school to 5th grade?
Any feedback is greatly appreciated!

Unfortunately I’ve lost track of who sent in this question so please leave a comment if it was you – especially with an update.

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 (more on that in another post).

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.

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 in the HOT SEAT of 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 Onetime 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.

Aruna Humphrys
www.YoungYogaMasters.com

P.S. Today is the last day for early registration for the Kids Yoga Teacher Training course in Toronto. It is filled with games, yoga activities, themes, and ideas for teaching kids yoga. Click here to register early to save $40.

Winner of the DVD – Yoga Trance Dance

October 15, 2008 by Aruna Kathy Humphrys  
Filed under FAQ's, Yoga Games

Thanks to everyone who posted a comment in the DVD contest from Acacia Lifestyles.

The winner of the DVD is Yoga with Gayleee (aka – Gail Pickens) who wrote:

Not teaching kids at the moment, except my toddler. And for some reason, she likes to crawl right underneath me when I do Down Dog, and she thinks anytime I’m in plank, that is her opportunity to play horse!

I use craigslist and a local event calendar to market my yoga that I teach at my church.


yogawithgaileee@gmail.com Gail Pickens-Barger, e-ryt

(thanks Gail – I have had good results with craigslist as well, and the church bulletin – great marketing ideas. I’ll e-mail you about your prize. – Aruna)

Tapping Into The Wealth in the Comments
But rather than moving on I want to highlight a couple of the kids yoga games that came in on the comments that we all may benefit from. Clearly there is a wealth of experience out there:

Some games from the comments:

Tania wrote…
One of my favorites is ‘Pass the Hoop’
Stand in a circle and hold hands. Let go of your hand and put your arm through a hula hoop then join hands with the person next to you in the circle. Now each person needs to find a way to step through the hula hoop and pass the hula hoop around the circle without letting go of each other’s hands.

Children of all ages seem to like this game.

Sat nam,Tania

Jennifer h says…. (sorry – no link there for Jennifer)
I love playing the
Name Asana game.
With the class in a circle, I say my name and demonstrate an asana. Then the next person then does the same and then the whole class does the new name and asana and repeats the name/asana combinations that follow. By the time you go around the circle, everyone knows each others names and you’ve created a fun and creative flow sequence.

I have recently started to teach kids yoga. I am having a lot of fun and really love teaching. I have yet to create a marketing plan, but think it is an important step.

It seems like we’re all teaching and learning too!
There has been such a wonderful response to the Teaching Kids Yoga Training coming up. Very powerful and experienced teachers are registering to add to their skills.

I will make sure we have time in the course to gain from the wealth of the participants. Plus we build our community as well. I invite you to us for the training/upgrading if you are able. (details here)

Thanks for all the comments from everyone, I really appreciate your feedback and suggestions.

Aruna Humphrys
www.YoungYogaMasters.com

P.S. I haven’t heard from my last contest winner for the Kundalini Yoga Video. Unfortunately some of the comments don’t have a link back with them. Ahh – the learning curve.

The last winner: Yoga Positions, has till the end of this week to contact me to claim her/his prize. If not I’ll choose another comment from that week to win. I’ll keep you posted.

The Top Marketing Plan Tip and A Kids Yoga Game that Shows Why This Tip Is So Important

October 8, 2008 by Aruna Kathy Humphrys  
Filed under Business Development, Yoga Games

Thanks to everyone who has signed up for the Teaching Kids Yoga – Upgrading and Training Course. The feedback has been very positive and it will be a very inspiring weekend for everyone who want to teach kids yoga. Space is still available, you can find the details here.

Today I have the most 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 want to look at Marketing yoga classes and some things that have worked for me to get new classes and new students.

Personally, I’ve generally stopped accepting new classes so I can develop the Kids Yoga Teacher Taining Course. This includes writing, advertising and marketing my Teaching Kids Yoga training class.

So far all the sign-ups are from this blog. But there are many other things to do to let people know about the course and reach those who are interested in coming – outside of my blog readers.

Consciously Vision What You Want
“Everything we do is at first a Vision and then it is an action.
All action needs a Vision.”
I haven’t actually got around to doing any of these yet other than telling people I happen to see about the Training Course. Right now it all feels like a chaotic mess to deal with – but don’t worry – this is how every vision starts out.

This week I will sit down and make a plan to proceed. 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, Extremey Useful Tip for your Marketing:
Write down you plan.

Yes! it is simple – but it is the most important thing to change that big jumbled mess tangled up in your head into an organized plan that you can actually do, revise, and especially remember.

This is 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
Builds 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 age 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 take someone elses hand in each of their hands by the time you reach “one.”

Untangling the Group
Begin to untangle the spaghetti to make a circle again. If you have a large group this takes a lot of time, patience, and listening skills. Kids will have to keep contact with their hands loosely so some can face in and some can face out.

Can you believe it can always get untangled again? Try it for yourself and help the kids keep it together, then try it again if you have time 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, planning out your marketing can always untangle the chaos.

Next Post: We’ll look at marketing plan ideas specifically for yoga classes or whatever yoga related things you want to promote. I’ll tell you all the strategies I will use outside of my blog for my Teaching Kids Yoga course coming up in November (join us for a great weekend).


Aruna Humphrys
www.YoungYogaMasters.com
© K. Humphrys

P.S. Win A Yoga DVD: This weekend I’ll be reviewing another DVD from Acacia Lifestyles called Yoga Trance Dance with teacher Shiva Rea. The comments are now open for anyone who wants to win this DVD. Leave a comment between now and Sunday Oct. 12 at midnight and onw winner will be selected randomly to win the DVD. Possible comments:

What ’s your favorite game to play with kids? or
Do you have a marketing plan? How did you make it or do you want to make one?

I appreciate your comments!

One Question We All Ask

September 29, 2008 by Aruna Kathy Humphrys  
Filed under Yoga Games

Who am I?

A Game for Kids to Strengthen their Networking Skills

September 5, 2008 by Aruna Kathy Humphrys  
Filed under Business Development, Yoga Games

Networking: Don’t Drop the Ball!

I’ve been talking about the importance of networking for finding new kids classes. I know there are some of you who are already teaching classes or doing yoga with your kids at home. You may want to try this simple yoga game to help kids learn about networking and collaboration.

One of my kids classes at the Bob Abate Community Centre starts up October 1. It takes place in the same room as the Pilates class. It has about 8 big yoga balls lined up on top of the cupboards. Believe me – they are often the first thing the kids see when they walk into the room.

Why wouln’t they be excited about massive bouncy balls?
While balls can be fun they need to be handled with caution as it is really easy for kids to fall off them. When I use the balls I introduce them slowly, usually in my game time at the end of our class.

A Networking Game for Learning to Work Together
Kids these days may know Networking more as hooking up your computers together. This game will teach them how to work together as people.

I also like this networking game because the kids can’t fall off the ball, the ball falls off the kids. Much safer when you’re first getting to know the kids and how careful they can be.

What is Networking Anyway?
Networking may seem simple, after you are just talking to people. Right?

A computer network is a group of computers synched to comunicate smoothly with each other. But networking is more than this, when it comes to people, networking is really an Art!

It is talking to people to connect in a positive way and build alliances. Find out what you have in common, what beliefs you share, and also what you do differently. You also discern what the people will really offer as you build alliances.

For instance if I talk to another yoga teacher who teaches pregnant women I can have a nice conversation. That’s great.

Networking is when I start to discover who this person is. Does she teach alot of asanas, does she teach meditation? Which of my students would like her style of class? Would I refer others to her? Do I like her personality? Do I feel good about her skills?

I may refer one of my pregnant students to her. It helps my student becasue I don’t specialize in pre-natal yoga so I can’t serve my student as well. My student is happy to get the info she wants. The pre-natal teacher is happy to have a new student.

Networking is also finding out what my student thought of the pre-natal classes.

Your Network Refects Who You Are
Networking is building alliances that will also reflect on your businesses. We become like the people we associate with so make sure your network reflects you and who you want to be!

But another cool thing happens as you build alliances. When that pre-natal yoga teacher tells her moms-to-be about my kids yoga classes – it helps my business grow too!

Networking is the Art of Building Alliances
It may seem simple but it is actually a skill that is learned. If kids can learn how to co-operate and work with other kids it will help them in many ways.

Many of the games I play in kids classes are group games that help kids build their social skills. Yoga is often a solitary pursuit so the group games contribute to the skills of building alliances.

Don’t Drop the Ball – A Networking Game
This is a simple game that can be played with 2 player or more. As you can see in the picture above, you hold the ball between your feet and pass it around. It is a simple concept but still challenging and fun.

The kids work together to make the transfers and try not to drop the ball. If they drop it, they pick it up and try it again.

See what happens to your network of kids when they have to pass a yoga ball.

Throw in a Surprise!
You can try passing a big yoga ball, a beach ball, even a tennis ball. Watch their mouths drop if you pull out a golf ball! They will be so excited. And each challenge requires alliances with your neighbour and cooperation to pass the ball on.

This game can be played for around 15 minutes (longer with a large group) if you pass different balls. I wait to see how much time there is before I tell them which balls I have. If you don’t have too much time, you can play with a different ball each week and surprise the kids as they get smaller and smaller.

Even 2 people can pass the ball then touch the ball over your head, then pass it back again.

Have fun with building networks in your yoga classes. And don’t drop the ball in your business networking either!

Aruna Humphrys
www.YoungYogaMasters.com

© K. Humphrys

P.S. Thanks to everyone who answered my poll on the right. If you haven’t voted in the poll – let me know what you think!

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