By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist In this blog I:
Describe how to do the activity with your child or toddler
Give reasons why this week’s Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity is beneficial for your child or toddler
Give ideas on progressions for the activity and games you can play around the activity.
Monkey Pose
Dance as a monkey and practise your balancing!
Ideally, try to do Monkey pose with your child as:
Children under 3 years, largely learn new movements by copying the actions.
Research is showing that toddlers and young children bond with their parents and ‘key people’ not only through touch and by communicating with them but also by moving with them.
If you have issues with either your back or hips do check with a health professional first to make sure that this pose is appropriate for you.
Find a space on a carpet or mat where you can both safely move and experiment with balancing without being in danger of falling on anything.
Take off your shoes and socks. Children under 3 years will use their vision to keep their balance. However from about 4 years children increasingly start to use their body senses to balance. Doing monkey pose with bare feet will insure their brain receives accurate sensory input though the soles of their feet.
Encourage your child to leap from squatting to standing, moving their arms up and down like a monkey – make Ooooh sounds!
Try reaching up with one hand and then the other to imagine you are hanging from the branches. This activity will give your child a great stretch and help their co-ordination skills as they become aware of their right and left hand sides.
Then reach across your bodies with one hand and then the other as if swinging on vines or passing a banana. To do this activity your child will have to cross the ‘mid line’ of their body. Crossing the mid-line is a skill necessary for writing - see below.
Other Games to Play in Monkey Pose
Dance in Monkey pose to the Tatty Bumpkin Monkey song. Either download this lively song from iTunes or ask your Tatty Bumpkin teacher for details.
Why Monkey Pose is Good for Both You and Your Child
As you do Monkey pose with your child you will give them a chance to:
1. Develop their Balance Skills When your child does Monkey - leaping from squatting to standing and moving their arms up & down these actions will strengthen their leg & arm muscles & develop their balance skills. To progress their balance skills further, guide your child to 'have a go' standing on one leg. 2. Develop their ‘Crossing Mid line’ skills As your child imagines they are passing a banana or swinging from vine to vine they will have to cross the mid line of their body. Crossing the mid-line is an important coordination skill for writing. For more information see http://teachmama.com/five-activities-crossing-midline-important/
The Tatty Bumpkin Adventure this Week
For you and your child to gain the full benefit of all the Tatty Bumpkin Yoga and multi-sensory activities, find out about your local Tatty Bumpkin class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html. Alternatively, ask your child’s nursery if they are doing Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity sessions as part of their day. Our qualified Tatty Bumpkin Teachers are fully trained in aspects of child development and Yoga and are kept fully up-to-date by our professional team of paediatric physiotherapists, Yoga teachers and musicians. All the Tatty Bumpkin stores are aligned to the Early Years Foundation Stage this means the sessions not only enhance your child’s physical skills they also develop their communication, social and thinking skills.
If your child is going to a Tatty Bumpkin class this week they will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin into the jungle to visit the monkeys. Your child and will have a chance to: 1. Physically, refine their sense of balance as they dance in monkey pose and stomp in bear pose.
2. Progress their communication skills as they listen and move to the beat of the Tatty Bumpkin monkey song. 3. Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they come up with ideas on how to build the monkeys a new nest. 4. Have fun with others as they wriggle as sleepy snakes in the jungle and explore different ways to build the monkey nest. Or, maybe, you are thinking of a new career, which gives you:
