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Thursday, July 5, 2012

Using Yoga With Students

I'm reading a book right now on brain research and one of the recommendations (and I think most teachers instinctively know this) is to take brain breaks. It's such a long day for them, especially because at our school, we don't do nap or snack daily-the only breaks they have are recess and lunch. I want to use yoga next year for the stretching exercises and then also incorporate it into a reading station. There will be a mat and directions they can easily read/pics to illustrate the movements.

Now, I'm personally more of a pilates girl myself. I've never found much solace in an actual yoga class. But I do think I know enough to be able to demonstrate. I think too, it may help with those kids who just don't know how to relax. I can't imagine being so stressed and angry at age 5, but I see that in  more and more students every year.  Maybe particularly the breathing techniques will help a child be able to calm down.

I found this resource that I might invest in, I particularly like the poster: http://www.abcyogaforkids.com/



This book looked good too.



Blogs about using yoga in the classroom: http://yogainmyschool.com/ and http://omazingkidsllc.com/

Some ideas to use it with literature: http://pinterest.com/yogainmyschool/books-for-kids-yoga/ (love the Brown Bear, Brown Bear idea).

And of course, lots of youtube tutorials:



Does anyone already use yoga with their kids? Does it help?

8 comments :

  1. I use the ABC yoga book in my classroom. I try to incorporate it into our letter of the week activities. My students responded well to the poses but I was not consistent enough. I plan to do better next year.

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  2. Couple of things... number one, I am having back to school dreams! Ahhhhhh! I had them 3 days in a row. Number two, I have an entire yoga work station in my classroom... my kinder kiddos are obsessed! :)

    Check out some of my blog posts about it...
    http://carriedawaykindergarten.blogspot.com/search/label/Yoga

    Kim
    Carried Away in Kindergarten

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  3. Oh good! I'm glad to hear it's a worthwhile buy. Thanks for the comment starfish! :)

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  4. Mrs. Davis-that's exactly what I was thinking! Wow, thanks for those resources! I'm excited to start implementing them!

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  5. I'm a kids yoga teacher and run public classes as well as in schools. Does it work ? YES the kids benefit in the same way we do. They love it and so do I !!

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  6. Thanks for including a link to my OMazing Kids blog in your post! I also share alot of ideas on my Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga. The Yoga 4 Classrooms activity card deck is very cool and poses were specifically modified for a classroom setting. Check out the review I did to see a sneek peek at some of the cards & what I love about it: http://omazingkidsllc.com/2011/12/17/review-giveaway-yoga-4-classrooms-activity-card-deck/. Their website: http://www.yoga4classrooms.com/activity-card-deck.

    Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2
    Speech-Language Pathologist
    Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities
    Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

    Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
    Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
    YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
    Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
    Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com

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  7. Thanks for the shout out to Yoga In My School - where we specialize in Yoga in classrooms and schools with over 350 articles, videos, interviews, product reviews & more. If you have a specific question & can't find the answer feel free to e-mail me directly.
    Also be sure to browse the 30+ kids yoga videos on YogaInMySchoolTV on YouTube.
    Off now to check out Mrs. Davis' yoga page.

    Donna Freeman
    founder Yoga In My School
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YogaInMySchool
    donna@yogainmyschool.com

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  8. And you may enjoy a fun #kidsyoga app - check out our current review a& giveway - super easy way to use yoga in the classroom.
    http://yogainmyschool.com/2012/07/04/kids-yoga-journey-apps-bring-healthy-living-to-tech-savvy-kids-review-giveaway/

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