Back To School Already?

It is so hard to wrap my mind around the fact that school started up this week! Wow. It feels just like it did when I was a kid and the last week of summer was clouded a bit by disbelief. These days, however, I look forward to the consistency that the school year brings. I like the free-flow of summer, but I am ready to have a little more structure come back in.

I was thinking of ways that I can help Lily to regain some focus and think that using our yoga-play time might help. So here are the Top 5 ways to improve your child’s focus and social behavior through ‘story yoga’:

1. Pair Actions with Story- ‘Story Yoga’ works best when you introduce body action moves that pair with the story. For example, by engaging a child’s imagination in a story to help endangered species, they learn the yoga poses by imitating animals and gain interest in the planet — an award winning approach offered in the Storyland Yoga DVD.

2. Stay with Your Calm Energy- When your child is acting out or they get chatty when you are trying to show them yoga or tell them a story, just let most of the chatter go by, and keep teaching, staying with your energy. Children will often model calm behavior if they see it is consistent and safe. This is a great way for them to learn how to keep themselves calm in social situations.

3. Routine Brings Security- security also can mean more focus for a child when they know what to expect with their day to day routine. If they know that it will be time for ‘Story Yoga’ at a certain time every day or even a few consistent days each week, they will not only come to expect it but the thought of it can bring them to a calm space when they think about it.

4. Involve them in the Story- get the child to come up with the next pose or piece to the story you are sharing. This will help them develop better communication skills as well as teach them to become comfortable and confident with their body. They can create their own character, name them and be them, and of course you can pose along with the fun. This is an excellent confidence builder.

5. Create the Image- After you do the ‘Story Yoga’ with your child, have them color or draw the story to bring it to life. They can then share this with family and friends as they show them the poses that go with the story. It is important to not correct them in this creation process, just let them flow with the crayons and pose them on the paper however they would like so that they can tell the story from their view and experience.

Tips provided by Playful Planet, creators of the Award Winning- Storyland Yoga DVD