By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist In this blog I:
Describe how to do a Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity with your child or toddler
Give you reasons why the Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity is beneficial for your child or toddler
Give you some ideas on progressions for the activity and games you can play around the activity.
This Week’s Tatty Bumpkin Yoga Activity is Gloomy Cloud
Try to do the Gloomy Cloud pose with your child, or encourage brothers and sisters to join in, as:
Children, and definitely those under 3 years, learn new movements best by copying the actions.
Research is showing that toddlers and young children bond with their parents and ‘key people’ not only through touch but also by moving with them.
The Gloomy Cloud pose allows you to give time to how you are feeling – in a playful way.
A 'Gloomy Cloud' ...but not for long...
Sit in a comfortable position on the floor with your child. Think about gently straightening your back and letting your shoulders drop away from your ears so they feel relaxed. Encourage your child to copy you.
Do a ‘sad’, 'gloomy' face together and imagine you are feeling sad all over - slump your shoulders and make your bodies droopy!
Take a deep breath in and let the air out in a big sigh whilst puffing out your cheeks.
Now imagine you are happy, sit up tall again, push out your chest and smile your biggest smiles at each other!
Happy Cloud!!
Progressions
Look in a mirror with your child and encourage them to do different facial expressions. Can you make a ‘cross’ face or a ‘shy’ face together? Did you know that if you make a smiley face and giggle, it makes you feel happy!
Happy/Sad Cloud Peek-a-boo!
A good game for younger children. Find a clean handkerchief – this is your ‘cloud and play peek-a-boo with your baby doing different expressions. If your child is younger remember to use your common sense about what may be dangerous for them – and never leave them unattended if you feel they could harm themselves with the prop.
'Cloud peek-a-boo'
Why Gloomy Cloud Yoga Activity is ‘Good for Me’
Whilst doing Gloomy Cloud pose, your child can: 1. Develop their communication skills By taking the time to get close to your child, and encouraging them to look at your face, you will be supporting them to:
Look closely at people’s faces. This will help your child to understand the needs of other people as they get older.
Focus on different facial expressions so they start to understand what they mean. Older children can learn the words for more complex emotions e.g. 'excited' or 'shy' by having a go at the appropriate ‘face’.
Listen to people. Listening skills are vital for young children so they can start understand the world around them and it is never too early to start! The Early Years Foundation Stage 2014 suggests that from the age of about 2.5 yrs - a child ‘Listens to others one to one or in small groups, when conversation interests them’.
Take turns. Being able to ‘take turns’ in a conversation i.e. speaking, then waiting for the other person to speak is another crucial social skill.
2. Explore their emotions – especially their funny side! Recent findings highlight how humour is vital for our well-being and plays a critical role in building and maintaining relationships, emotional health, and cognitive function. http://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/5/1784.full. Through using emotional gestures & words in symbolic play, your child becomes more aware of their own feelings & those of others, and can practise expressing their own feelings to others.
Happy together!
The Tatty Bumpkin Adventure this Week
Remember, 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. Or, 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 to help the Gloomy Cloud understand he can make everyone laugh! On this adventure your child and will have a chance to:
Physically, develop their balance and co-ordination as they jump as horses and become cloud shaped frogs!
Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they come up with own ideas on how to help the Gloomy Cloud and suggest animal shapes for him to be.
Progress their communication skills as they listen, and follow the movements, to the Tatty Bumpkin ‘Sun Salutation’ song.
But most of all, your child will have fun with others as they hop together as rabbit shaped clouds and whizz across the sky in a giant cloud train.
A cloud train!
A New Start with Tatty Bumpkin in 2015?
Or, maybe, you are thinking of a new career for 2015, which gives you:
