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 Cockerel
All this week – Tatty Bumpkin will be doing her cockerel Yoga pose in preparation for the time change on Sunday 29th March! When encouraging your child to have a go at cockerel pose, try to do the pose with them or encourage brothers and sisters to join in. This is because:
Children, and definitely those under 3 years, learn new movements best by copying others.
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.
Cockerel pose will give you the chance to gently stretch out the muscles in your upper back, chest and shoulders – it's also good for your co-ordination! Remember do check with a health professional before doing the pose if you have health concerns.
Crow as a cockerel!!
Find a clear space on the carpet or a mat where you can sit or kneel with your child.
Make sure you both have space around you so you are not likely to bump into anything!
Start by taking your shoes and socks off as it is safer and easier to do cockerel pose barefoot. Your child is less likely to slip and will receive accurate sensory information through their feet.
You can begin cockerel pose in either sitting or kneeling. Kneeling will be harder. Put your hands on your waist, so your elbows are pointing out to each side - encourage your child to copy you!
Then move your elbows back and forth and up and down – once again encourage your child to copy you. Now you’re both cockerels flapping your wings!
Together, stretch your arms up above your head, bringing your palms together, then take them back down, in and arc, to your sides, just like big cockerel wings.
Repeat cockerel Yoga activity several times - don’t forget to crow “cockle-doodle-doo!” as you do the actions.
Would you Like to Make it Harder? Make a Cockerel’s Beak!
Make a cockerel beak with your arms.
Start in sitting, kneeling or standing – stretch out one hand out in front of you and place it on your apposite shoulder. Try to keep it there!
Now stretch your other hand and place it on your other shoulder.
Your arms should be crossing over the front of your body and your elbows should be pointing straight ahead – see picture below. This is your cockerel’s beak!
Open up your little beaks to crow 'Cockle-doodle-doo!'
Keeping this position - take your elbows apart then bring them back together in front of you – just like a cockerel opening and closing his beak – don’t forget to crow ‘Cockle-doodle – doo!’
Why Cockerel Pose is Good for Your Child and You!
As your child does Cockerel Yoga activity with you they will have the chance to: 1. Gently stretch out their chest and shoulder muscles The actions of Cockerel pose make this pose the perfect antidote to screens or mobile phones - when your child may be sitting in a fairly slumped position with their arms held close to their chest. Cockerel Yoga activity encourages your child to move their arms the opposite way – so they stretch out their pectoralis muscles which run across the front of the chest. 2. Increase their awareness of both sides of their body As your child flaps their cockerel wings – they will have to coordinate movements on both sides of their body. Your child will be using these basic foundation skills as they learn to write or type. 3. Enhance their 'Crossing Mid-line' Skills The ‘mid-line’ is an imaginary line running down the middle of our body – separating the right side of our body form the left. Young children have to learn to cross this mid-line i.e. they have to learn that they can take their right arm and hand over to the left side of their body and their left arm and hand over to the right side of their body. When your child puts on their clothes or draws or writes they will have to cross the mid-line of their body may times – so it is useful for them to practice this movement in a fun, non-pressurised way, 4. Develop their Breath Control to Self-regulate and Calm As your child practises their cockerel crows – they will be encouraged to take slower, deeper breaths. Deeper, slower breaths cause an automatic decrease in heart rate and blood pressure leading to a more ‘relaxed state’. So a few “cockle-doodle-doo's” may help your child to calm down if they are feeling worried or anxious about something – it will also, hopefully, make them smile!
Other Games to Play around Cockerel Yoga Activity
Make up your own actions to Tatty Bumpkin Cockerel Song! This song is a favourite at Tatty Bumpkin! As well as being a great morning wake up song it really encourages listening skills – you can download the song from ITunes see https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/this-is-the-life/id376347823.
Cockle-doodle-doo!!
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 have to help Tatty Bumpkin as she is late for the woodland bug’s party. Cockerel forgot that the clocks went forward you see! In the session your child and will have a chance to:
Improve their physical skills as they flap their wings and settle on their nest in cockerel pose.
Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they imagine they are late and think about how they can help Tatty Bumpkin get to her party!
Progress their communication skills as they listen, and follow the actions, to the Tatty Bumpkin Cockerel song - then crow together as cockerels!
But most of all, your child will have fun with othersas they fly as cockerels to the bug's party and then settle down to investigate all the different creatures that are there.
Love Tatty Bumpkin x
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