By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist
In this weekly blog I focus on our Tatty Bumpkin ‘Posture of the Week’ - which this week is Crab. There is a description below on how to do the pose with your child and I have outlined some of its benefits for your child. If you want to find out how to do Crab pose with your baby and toddler – wait for the ‘Mid-week Baby Bumpkin Blog'.
Please remember though, for your child to gain the full benefit of all the Tatty Bumpkin Yoga and multisensory activities this week, find out about your local Tatty Bumpkin class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html or ask your child’s nursery if they are using the Tatty Bumpkin Kid’s Activity Programme. Our qualified Tatty Bumpkin Teachers are fully trained in child development and children’s Yoga and are kept fully up-to-date by our professional team of paediatric physiotherapists, Yoga teachers and musicians.
Or, maybe, you are thinking of a new career, which gives you:
- The opportunity to work with kids
- A great sense of job satisfaction and
- Flexible working to fit around your own family?
In which case - find out how you could be trained to deliver Baby and Tatty Bumpkin classes in your area at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html.
The Tatty Bumpkin Multisensory Yoga Adventure This Week ..
World Cup fever is starting to break out on Wobble Farm this week, but this is football like you have never seen before, it is Crab Football – a game EVERYONE can play!
Tatty Bumpkin and her friend Crab will be playing Crab Football on their adventure to the 'Seaside Fun Day'. They may go on the aeroplane roundabout or try to knock over coconuts as well. There might even be time for a ‘Dog Show’!
So why not come and have a go at Crab Football –its fun! Find your local class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html.
Each Tatty Bumpkin adventure is carefully linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This means the sessions not only support your child’s physical development but also their communication and social skills. For example, in this story your child will have the chance to:
1. Improve their balance skills as they do the Tatty Bumpkin Crab and Dog Yoga poses.
2. Use gestures or words to express their thoughts i.e.
- Feeling ‘happy’ with Tatty Bumpkin when she finds herself on a lovely beach.
- Feeling ‘surprised’ with Tatty Bumpkin when she nearly treads on Crab!
- Feeling ‘excited’ with Tatty Bumpkin and Crab as they head off to the ‘Fun Day’ and ‘have a go’ at ‘Crab Football’
3. Come up with their own ideas and feel confident to talk about them i.e.
- What they should pack in their bag for the day out?
- Which colour and size dog they are going to be at the Dog show?
- What kind of sandwiches they are going to have for their picnic?
4. Develop their sense of rhythm as they move in Crab pose to the Tatty Bumpkin Crab song.
5. Refine their fine motor (hand) skills and their eye – hand coordination as they ‘have a go’ at knocking over coconuts!
6. Most important of all - have fun with their friends as they: jump in rock pools, go round on the roundabout and play Crab Football!
Description of Crab Pose
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| Creeping as a Crab! |
If your child is about 4 years old or younger they will be learning new movements by looking at and copying others. For this reason, try to do Crab pose with your child so they can see what to do.
- Find a clear place on the floor – make sure there is nothing behind you so you will be able to lean backwards safely. Perhaps put a mat down so you don’t slip.
- Encourage your child to sit opposite you with their legs out in front of them - bent at the knees so their feet are flat on the floor.
- Now guide your child to put their palms flat on the floor just behind their body.
- Then encourage them to lean back slightly, so they start to lean on their hands, and then to ‘push up’ through their hands and feet to lift their bottom off the floor.
- Add to the fun by seeing if you can pass toys to each other whilst doing Crab pose, or try balancing them on your tummies – for a Crab Picnic!
If your child is younger, or finds this adaptation of Crab pose hard to do, try a slightly easier Crab pose first i.e.
- Guide you child to lie down on the floor and bend their knees up so they keep their feet flat on the floor. Then encourage them to push up through their feet and upper back so they are just taking their hips off the floor - be careful not to go up too high see below. Once your child has the idea you can make the pose more fun by passing different toys under their hips!
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| Try Crab pose this way! |
Progressions
If your child is older see if they can ‘walk’ forwards, backwards and sideways as a crab.
Then, perhaps, have a go at ‘Crab Football’ using a light football sized foam ball or a balloon!
Why Crab Pose is Good for Your Child
As you do Crab pose with your child, you will both have a chance to:
- Activate and strengthen their hip muscles.
Crab pose is excellent for strengthening your child’s ‘gluteal’ muscles around their hip – and yours of course! If children become aware of these hip muscles early on, and keep them active, this will improve their balance skills for sport and it t may also help to combat a ‘knock kneed’ standing and walking position in later life.
- Activate and strengthen their ‘shoulder’ muscles.
Interestingly if your child has active shoulder muscles this can help them hold a pen or type more easily and with more control.
- Progress their spatial awareness (Proprioception).
Activities, like Crab pose, make your child more aware of their body position by stimulating their proprioceptive sense. This ‘spatial awareness’ is important for co-ordinated movements such as running, jumping over obstacles or throwing and kicking a ball.
In crab pose your child will be working their muscles hard against gravity as they lift their own body weight up off their floor using just their hands and feet. Interestingly, these ‘work hard’ activities can help reduce hyperactivity in some children whilst helping other children, who may appear tired & floppy at first, become more alert and engaged.
Love Tatty Bumpkin!
