Posts Tagged ‘yoga for children’


Yoga in Schools: Kids as Teachers

Sometimes I think that I’m the teacher. However, I am continuously reminded that I am first and foremost a forever-student. And oftentimes, children are my wisest teachers. Yoga in schools holds such powerful opportunities…

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I recently had the honor of visiting this classroom in Michigan that has been using our kids’ yoga program every school day over the last few years.

When I began the class, I quickly learned that these fabulous young yogis knew our songs and teaching cues better than I do.  Mistakenly thinking I was the only yoga teacher in the room, I originally intended to shake things up a bit and add poses/songs that are not on the Sing Song Yoga DVD they use. However, their lead in the session kept us crisply on track of the classic session. My heart gratefully sang progressively louder as I gradually quieted my voice to allow for their voices and intentions to lead.

The joys, the love and the excitement was refreshingly uncensored. My cheeks actually hurt a bit from smiling and laughing with my new young yoga teachers.

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The lovely, progressive classroom teacher appeared to be pleasantly surprised at the level of mastery some of the students demonstrated in recalling the important details of each pose as we moved through the class.  Yoga through music has a magic about it and these students are clearly the magicians!

Thank you, thank you to these young yogis for being my teachers and to their classroom teacher for inviting me to experience this unbridled joy… with yoga in schools!!


Related Posts:

8 Kids Yoga Myths  Some common misunderstandings about kids’ yoga.

Crossing the Midline and Kids’ Yoga Kids’ yoga is one of the many activites that can provide cross-lateral experiences for children. If done regularly might assist in building the brain for…

Top 6 Yoga Poses for Toddlers  “A few months ago a parent asked how she could best do yoga with her one-year-old daughter…”

Kids’ Yoga App – Create Your Own Balancing Sequence Effortlessly create a balancing sequence with a few taps of this kids’ yoga iOS app.

Yoga in Schools: Kids and Teachers Talk Kids’ Yoga A quick peek into what kids and teachers are saying about using the Sing Song Yoga app in the classroom.

Top 5 Tips to Help Balance in Kids’ Yoga: Kid Twitter Question Answered A kid question answered: “Do you have any tips to help us balance better?”

Getting Kids Ready to Write: Yoga in Schools A teacher question answered: “I was wondering the best combinations [of poses] to use [with my students] for getting ready to write.”

Twitter Leads to Most Rewarding Visit Imaginable  Sing Song Yoga founder does yoga with students she connected with on Twitter.


For more info:Yoga in a School Setting

Sing Song Yoga® Kids’ Yoga App

Sing Song Yoga® kids’ yoga DVD

Sing Song Yoga® school program

Sing Song Yoga® website

 

 

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 11th, 2015.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga, Education, Sing Song Yoga, Yoga in Schools.
Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Yoga in Schools: Kids and Teachers Talk Kids Yoga.

A quick peek into what kids and teachers are saying about using the Sing Song Yoga app in the classroom. Kids yoga in schools explored… Highlights from the video clip:

Tell us about Sing Song Yoga®

What I would tell other kids about Sing Song Yoga is that you have to try it because it calms you before, if you do Daily Five in your classroom or writing. ~ first grader, MI

It all started with a simple challenge from our movement specialist in the district to say we’ve got to get our kids moving and that will increase the engagement. And I would say that Sing Song Yoga is our perfect answer to doing that.  ~ Kristi Zoerhof, First Grade Teacher, MI

  • “It keeps you strong and healthy and it really keeps you calm when you’re doing stuff.”
  • “I would tell other kids that Sing Song Yoga is really fun.”
  • “It is the funnest thing in the world.”
  • “It gets your body moving and it makes you exercise.”
  • “The app is my favorite because it is completely customizable. Whatever you have time to work with, whether its 5 minutes or 20, you can create yoga sequence videos for your kids to do. And it is actually a spot in our lesson plans that we have a spot for yoga.”
  • “It’s really really fun and it’s relaxing.”
  • “They love it. They look forward to it. They request it. And it is probably our most popular activity of the day.”
  • “They should do it ’cause it’s really really fun.”

How does Sing Song Yoga® make you feel?

  • “Sing Song Yoga makes me feel happy and calm.”
  • “We find that we are more focused and our work time is more productive.”
  • “I feel happy from yoga.”
  • “Sing Song makes me feel happy.”
  • “Sing Song Yoga makes me feel calm.”
  • “It’s calming.”
  • “I like crane pose because it makes me feel steady.”
  • “Sing Song Yoga makes me feel happy.”
  • “Sing Song Yoga makes me get happy and excited.”

What would you tell other teachers about Sing Song Yoga®?

  • “I’m really sure that if your children do it, it’s going to be fantastic.”
  • “Truly, every minute spent in Sing Song Yoga we have seen the rewards and the benefits in our classroom work. I would recommend it to every classroom teacher who wants to give their students a moment to have intentional movement breaks.”
  • “The songs are really cool.”
  • “You can see it on the iPad and you can see it on the screen.”
  • “Try Sing Song Yoga. You will not be disappointed.”
  • “I love Sing Song Yoga.”

Related Posts:

Getting Kids Ready to Write: Yoga in Schools A teacher question answered: “I was wondering the best combinations [of poses] to use [with my students] for getting ready to write.”

Twitter Leads to Most Rewarding Visit Imaginable  Sing Song Yoga founder does yoga with students she connected with on Twitter.

Top 5 Tips to Help Kids Yoga Balance: Kid Twitter Question Answered A kid question answered: “Do you have any tips to help us balance better?”


At Sing Song Yoga we love tweeting with students about their yoga ideas, experiences and questions. We also love chatting with teachers! kids yoga in schools


For more info:

Sing Song Yoga® Kids’ Yoga App

Sing Song Yoga® kids’ yoga DVD

Sing Song Yoga® school program

Sing Song Yoga® website

This entry was posted on Monday, February 9th, 2015.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga, Education, Sing Song Yoga, Yoga in Schools.
Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Sing Song Yoga Charity of the Year 2015/2016 – Kids Hope

Kids Hope USA

One Child, One Hour, One Church, One School.

Sing Song Yoga® is thrilled to partner with Kids Hope for our 2015/2016 Charity of the year.  Kids Hope USA is an adult-student mentoring program headquartered in Zeeland, Michigan. Kids Hope USA partners one school with one local church in order to provide screened and trained mentors to students within the elementary school. Students are recommended by school faculty and the principal, and typically need a “cheerleader” in their court. Whether they are struggling academically, socially or cognitively, a Kids Hope USA mentor meets faithfully with this student for one hour, every single week of the school year. Mentors are recruited from the partner church and strictly trained on the “separation of church and state.” These mentors are there for these students to listen, encourage and reinforce their value as an individual. Today, Kids Hope USA celebrates it’s 20th anniversary, along with the accomplishment that every elementary school in Ottawa county is equipped with a Kids Hope USA program.

The need is great. The opportunity is vast.  The idea is simple: One Child, One Hour, One Church, One School.

Screen Shot 2015-02-05 at 10.31.39 AMKids Hope USA is a real chance to make a real difference; not just in the lives of at-risk children, not just in the lives of the mentors who witness real transformation in the children they help, not just for the schools whose burdens are lighter because of the work Kids Hope USA does, but for entire communities, whose connections become stronger, whose futures are brighter, whose children are better equipped to succeed in their own lives and lift up those around them, because someone believed in them and helped them believe in themselves. Yes. It’s that simple to create change.

Read their stories, watch the videos, find out about what they do, and learn how you can do something real  to make a difference.

For more information about this powerful program check out Kids Hope USA. It might just turn out to be the most purposeful hour of your week! Kids Hope USA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible.

Each year Sing Song Yoga® chooses a different charity to whom we donate 10% of our proceeds from our online sales of our DVD. Therefore, instead of having periodic sales to save you a few bucks we will put your extra few dollars to supporting a great cause! Thanks a million for giving us the joy of giving to great organizations!

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 5th, 2015.
Posted in Charity of the Year.
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Yoga in Schools – Twitter Leads to Most Rewarding Visit Imaginable

Twitter is one of those things that I tried simply because I was told it was necessary for today’s startups — but did so reluctantly with little engagement. Then one day I received a twitter notification from a first grade teacher who was using Sing Song Yoga with her students. This gradually evolving connection not only inspired me to reach out to more yogis and educators on Twitter, but it eventually led to… meeting in person!! L Pose full circle

When you develop a program you hope that someone will find benefit in it, utilize the tools and share its value with others.  But just because YOU love it and think it’s great doesn’t mean anyone else will find it valuable!

It was delightfully surprising to me how connected I began to feel with Mrs. Z.  and her #firstgradeyogis on Twitter. They tweeted about their experiences with yoga in school and asked great questions (#ssykidquestion). We learned from, and encouraged each other and made continued Twitter connections – even with first graders in China! musical mats 10 kids

And last Tuesday my heart grew!! Have you ever gotten to know someone only online and then get the chance to meet?  Well it’s just like in the movies!  When you see their familiar faces and begin to chat it feels as though you’ve known them forever. The mutual excitement is tangible!  Hugs and chats and hugs and chats!  And then… the magic continues as our yoga songs fill the air.  My songs have become their songs.  My heart skips a beat the moment their voices join with mine and fill the room — with about as much love as a room can contain before bursting at the seams!  As I write this I can still feel the expansion of my universe that occurred in those moments. tree ten kids

Thank you Mrs. Z. from Michigan for not only providing the loving platform tying my heart to yours and your students’, but for providing your kids with the practical tools and benefits that kids’ yoga has repeatedly demonstrated.  Your kids get a jump start on their learning each day because you have taken the time to learn what’s best for kids — and of course yoga is only one part of that!

Until we meet again… Thank you from the bottom of my heart! flower 10 kids

 

 

 

If you’d like to connect with @singsongyoga on Twitter or Facebook we’d love to hear from you… #ssykidquestion green room

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 18th, 2014.
Posted in Benefits of Yoga, Education, Sing Song Yoga.
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Five Calming Holiday Poses Made Easy with Kids Yoga App

Last year, before our Sing Song Yoga App was available, I wrote a blog post about some great calming kids’ yoga poses for the Holidays, using poses from our DVD.  Now our SSY App makes it easy to line up the poses, save, and push play to enjoy the sequence as its own little video.  There are inevitably times during the holidays when life can be a bit stressful for our kids. So having this little tool in your pocket can be quite helpful in guiding your children back to feeling peaceful.

This quick video demonstrates using the Sing Song Yoga App to create this calming sequence.

Links for more info:

Our website, DVD, App, holiday blog post, App blog post

And a fun animation about why yoga can be a great thing for your kids 🙂

 

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Holiday Sequene App Demo Pic

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 7th, 2013.
Posted in Kid's Yoga Sequences, Sing Song Yoga.
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