Every Karma Kids VLC class follows the same structure, which makes the children feel comfortable and it is easy for them to follow. Consistency and routine is important for most children, but it becomes even more important when children are learning in a foreign language. Each class has a theme which allows us to explore a wide variety of vocabulary as well as expanding our social, emotional and cultural knowledge. Themes we have covered so far this course include “Individuality”, “Kindness”, “British Bonfire Night” and, of course, “Halloween”.
We always start our class in a calm way with mellow music and mindful colouring, which allows us to wait until all the young yogis have arrived. This also gives us an opportunity to chat in English and to connect on a personal level with each other.
We then move on to a yoga game which is important to revisit some of the yoga poses we have already covered on the course and to work on other developmental skills such as fine motor or memory. Firm favourites of our group include “Yogi Says”, “Toe-Ga”, and “Musical Yogis.
Next we spend some time learning our new poses for the week, with a focus on being able to use the appropriate vocabulary in English and to be able to get into and out of the pose safely. At this point, whilst all the children may not complete the poses in a silent and uniform manner, they all give it a good go from their own starting point. Creativity is also encouraged and we think about how the pose makes us feel or consider what other names we could give the pose. With our new poses we will move on to putting them into a story which exposes us to more vocabulary and gives us the opportunity to practise: repetition really is key with children!
After this we take some time to learn or practise a breathing technique and discuss when it might be helpful to use it, before finally becoming absorbed in a related craft. This helps us to work on our focus and gives us the chance to reflect on what we have discussed in the session.
Pace and variety are important with kids yoga and whilst you might associate regular adults yoga classes with quiet and calmness, at times it may seem like a kids yoga class is far from this! Often there are exciting exclamations, loud laughter or curious questions and it is so important to remember that this is ok… Better than ok, this is what we want! Children are still just that, children. Therefore, whilst it is important to introduce them to the foundations of yoga and mindfulness, and help them to understand that they have certain tools available when life gets stressful, it is equally important for them to have fun and be enthused.
If you’d like to see us in action then reserve a place for a free trial session, we’d love to welcome you to our wonderful group!
Namaste.
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