Yoga With The Kids

As we've been banging on about the various benefits of Yoga, for us hectic active types we realise that we neglected the little nippers in the process! The October school break has just finished in Scotland, and as many parents search for indoor activities that their kids will love, especially over the winter months, we got to thinking, Yoga is a brilliant way to keep kids entertained, active, and might even offer them valuable life skills.

So, maybe the next time the weather lives up to expectations, try some Yoga on for size.

Benefits of Yoga for Kids

Practicing yoga offers numerous advantages for children:

• Improves flexibility, strength, and coordination
• Enhances focus and concentration
• Teaches self-regulation and stress management
• Boosts self-esteem and confidence
• Encourages creativity and imagination

As a parent, you’ll be glad of these outcomes. If you’re lucky, it might set your child on a path where they find a new hobby or passion. Failing that, if it keeps them quiet and amused for 15 minutes, it’ll be worthwhile.

Fun Yoga Activities for Kids

If you are looking for ways to incorporate yoga into your time with your kids, consider these options:

Posing like animals – If your child has a favourite animal, why not ask them to pose in that manner. There are famous yoga poses based on cats, dogs and butterflies.

Play games using yoga poses – A game like “Yoga freeze” where you dance and when the music stops everyone has to pause in a yoga pose is energetic, lively and hopefully fun.

Drawing yoga poses – If physical activity is too much like hard work for your children, why not get them to draw yoga poses and set you challenges to recreate them!

Yoga is a simple and hopefully fun way to ensure your kids are active and hopefully having fun.

Tips for a Successful Yoga Session

If you want to take up yoga seriously, it is best to study or take classes with an expert. However, if you want a school holiday activity, you have everything you need on YouTube!

Consider the following tips to ensure you and your children make the most of this time:

• Keep things short and sweet – Hoping for more than a 10-15 minute session is optimistic, so start with modest sessions to keep interest levels high.
• Involve the whole family – There are yoga sessions suitable for people of all ages, so if you can, involve the whole family.
• Use what is around you – You don’t need expensive equipment or the latest gear to do yoga. Use items like blocks, blankets, or stuffed animals to make poses more accessible and engaging.
• Be creative and have fun: If you allow (and encourage) your youngsters to make up their own poses and moves, they’ll enjoy it more, and will hopefully do it for longer.
• End with relaxation: Finish with a short-guided meditation or breathing exercise to promote calmness.

By adding yoga into your October week activities, you can provide your kids with a fun, screen-free indoor option that promotes physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

At Ready Sweat Go, a lot of what we do is about pushing people on, helping them achieve their best times and to achieve great outcomes when they exercise. However, you should never overlook the importance of fun. Whether you want to connect with your kids, set them off on a more active path, or just try something different that is enjoyable and beneficial, yoga with the kids is rarely a bad idea.