By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist
In this blog I focus on our weekly Tatty Bumpkin ‘Yoga Activity’. Below is a description on how to do Fish activity/pose with your child along with some of its benefits. If you want to find out how to do Fish Pose with your baby – 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 Tatty Bumpkin Multisensory Yoga Adventure This Week ..
Maybe it’s because it’s nearly Glastonbury but mostly because it’s SO good for us - this week, in the Tatty Bumpkin classes, we are doing the rolling Fish pose. ‘Let the good times roll!’ Tatty Bumpkin and her friends are splashing in the river when they come across a tiny fish. Fish invites them to the big ‘Funny Fish Flap!’ where you have to roll like a fish, gobble like a fish and make funny fish faces!
So why not come along and have a go at Fish pose with Tatty Bumpkin – not only will rolling improve your child’s coordination skills, it can also help their posture and develop their writing and focusing skills. And it’s fun too! Find your local class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html.
But that's not all!Because each Tatty Bumpkin adventure is carefully linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) the sessions not only enhance your child’s physical skills, they also develop your child’s communication, social and thinking skills. In this week’s story your child will have the chance to:
1. Improve their co-ordination and focusing skills as they roll with the tiny fish
2. Use gestures or words to express their thoughts i.e.
Feeling ‘surprised’ with Tatty Bumpkin when she finds a tiny fish
Feeling ‘excited’ with Tatty Bumpkin as she rolls down the river
Feeling ‘happy’ and ‘jokey’ with Tatty Bumpkin as she takes part in the ‘Funny Fish Face’ competition with all of her friends.
3. Come up with their own ideas and feel confident to talk about them i.e. talk about:
How they are going to wave their leaf to start the fish race?
How they should roll down the river – by themselves, with a friend, stretched out or curled up?
What kind of ‘Funny Fish Face’ they are going to make?!
4. Develop their sense of rhythm as they move with the river frog to the Tatty Bumpkin Frog song.
5. And, most important of all - have fun with their friends as they: run down the hills, wave their flags and of course roll with the fishes!
Tatty Bumpkin Fish Pose
Below are two variations of Fish pose to do at home with your toddler or child.
Rolling as fishes down the river!
Option 1
Always do the pose yourself so your child can learn how to do it by watching you!
Lay out a fairly short strip of, ideally, blue fabric on a non-slip surface and pretend this is your river.
Encourage your child to roll over and over down the river with you - like a fish swimming. Rolling is very alerting so do not do Fish pose for too long otherwise it might ‘end in tears!’
To give your child extra support, lay down along-side them with your shoulders next to theirs - then roll over together! This not only gives them a handy cue but also helps them to slow down if this is a problem. It is also great fun and is a good way to strengthen the bond between you and your young child.
Option 2
Fish rolls!
This adaptation of Fish pose is alternatively called the “Tatty Bumpkin Sausage roll pose” – and is a great way to encourage your child to roll!
Settle on the floor with your child on either a Tatty Bumpkin yoga mat or a folded blanket or sheet.
You may have to roll yourself up in the mat/blanket first so your child gains confidence – they will, no doubt, love to roll you up themselves!
Giving your child plenty of reassurance, lay them on the mat/blanket so their heads are clear.
Ideally your child should have their arms tucked inside, as this gives them a greater sensory experience. However, they will probably prefer to have their arms free as well – so they feel more in control!
Then gently and slowly, so they can experience the rolling movement, start to roll your child up in the mat/blanket, checking all the time to make sure they are happy.
Once they are completely rolled up, ask them what they would like on their sausage roll?
Ketchup? Firmly but gently stroke down your toddlers sides so they feel a gentle squeeeeeze!
Pickle? Firmly but gently pat down your toddler’s body so they feel the pressure of your hands moving down their body through the mat!
Then gently and slowly unroll your child, so they have a chance to experience the rolling movement the other way.
Why Fish Pose/Rolling is So Good for Your Child
Fish pose or rolling will give your child the opportunity to: 1. Stimulate their 'vestibular sense' for improved balance
Our vestibular sense helps us to keep our balance, as it tells us which way up we are at any one time. We stimulate this sense by moving our heads –as the receptors for this sense are located deep inside our ears.
The vestibular sense also helps us to regulate our 'levels of alertness'. In fact some therapists call the vestibular sense the ‘volume control’ button for the body. If you move your head quickly, by jumping up and down or rolling quickly, you will be stimulating your vestibular sense and waking your whole body up!
So Fish pose will help your child to become more alert - it will also give them a chance to ‘let off steam’ if they are fidgeting. After you have done Fish pose with your child, they may be more inclined to sit still and listen! Be careful though - do not encourage your child to do Fish pose for too long as this might lead to overexcitement.
2. Increase their awareness of their ‘midline’ and their left and right hand sides for early writing skills As your child rolls they move from their left to their right hand sides, crossing the ‘midline’ of their body again and again. The ability to 'cross the midline' of our body and to smoothly co-ordinate our left and right sides are both important ‘pre-writing’ skills.
3. Strengthen their tummy and spinal muscles for good posture
As your child rolls from their back onto their front they will be largely using their tummy muscles.
As they roll from their tummy onto their back they will be largely using their spinal (back) muscles.
Thus when your child rolls over and over they are working both their tummy and back muscles in quick succession.
As a good sitting and standing posture depends to a large extent on the co-ordination of our tummy and back muscles – rolling can really help your child’s posture.
