Yoga classes for children are different from yoga classes for adults. Before you decide to become a kids yoga instructor, or start doing yoga with your class at school, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with these 8 dirty truths about teaching kids yoga.
1. There will be tears – The trigger could be being too tired, not leading the game, feeling overwhelmed, or being bumped into during Yoga Tag, or being frustrated that they couldn’t do their favorite pose precisely when they wanted to. Tears are an integral part of children learning about their emotions and how to handle life. Yoga classes after school are especially prone to this response, since children have already spent a full day learning, they may not have had a proper snack after school (low blood sugar levels often causing emotional meltdowns) or they may just need a little TLC while the rest of the class wants to burn off excess energy.
two. classes are noisy – Laughing, chatting, roaring, barking, singing, energetic chanting and more are all part of a kids yoga class. A fifth grade teacher once asked me how to get her students to be quiet during yoga. My answer: “No.” Children need to express themselves using all of their senses and will do so at every opportunity. I believe that happy noise is productive for learning. One rule though, when the instructor speaks, everyone else listens. That way explanations and instructions can be given, and then the activities can be fully interactive. So have fun, make some noise!
3. You will be interrupted – Imagine half the adults in your yoga class expressing out loud the first thought that comes to mind every time the teacher begins to explain a pose or activity. Imagine being in the middle of a story only to be asked, “Can I go to the bathroom?” Imagine hearing all about someone’s fish that died over the weekend, your favorite TV show, the type of cake that was served at a friend’s birthday party, or the nasty comment Mom made to Dad when he was late for dinner. home from work…again. You are now in a children’s yoga class.
4. Classroom management is an essential skill – You’ll need to possess some classroom management skills to keep Bobby from constantly playing the gong, Sue from snuggling with her best friend, Joey on homework, and Beth from using her yoga mat as a sled. Children generally know how to behave, but they will seize any opportunity for chaos. Every kids yoga instructor needs to find their own classroom management style so that the environment remains conducive to learning and growth. Remember that you are in charge.
5. When you’re wrong, they’ll tell you. – Adults are usually quite polite when instructors make minor mistakes, stumble over their words, or fall on their face. Kids, not so much! They love to point out your flaws, missteps, and inconsistencies. Instructors have two options: 1) achieve perfection 2) develop a sense of humor. Since perfection is a long way off for me, I find laughing at my mistakes much more fun. Also, the way adults respond to error helps children see how to handle their own mistakes in positive and positive ways.
6. Classes are similar to herding cats – Each group has a variety of ages, physical, mental and emotional abilities, and maturity levels. Add to that the fact that children’s attention spans can be measured in minutes and you have an interesting challenge on your hands. Establishing a class routine and making sure the topics are suitable for the children will prolong the amount of time children spend on a given activity. However, kids yoga instructors better always keep some alternative activities and yoga games in mind to keep everyone engaged and having fun.
7. It’s not about you – Kids love classes that focus on THEIR interests. WebKinz, Hannah Montana, Star Wars, Creepy Crawlies, Princesses, Spiderman and more come to the yoga class. When the instructor incorporates a yoga-inspired activity that plays on students’ favorite things, then you know you’ve got something great going. Plus, every holiday, from Valentine’s Day to Halloween, provides fodder for fun. So don’t be surprised if you spend time wondering how to incorporate elves or superheroes into your next yoga class.
8. Accessories, accessories and more accessories – For an adult yoga class, most instructors use a mat, an mp3 player, and if you’re lucky, an eye pillow. Iyengar classes will add a strap, block, blanket, and possibly a chair. For any kids yoga class, take that basic list and add books, puppets, feathers, scarves, pom poms, parachutes, stuffed animals, musical instruments, hula hoops, decks of cards, hoberman spheres, rocks, balls, bean bags, items for crafts, coloring sheets, and more. Make sure you have some storage space available.
So there you have it: the drawbacks, the traumas, and the reality of teaching yoga to children.
However, there is a flip side. If you are happy to provide tools for children to be happy and healthy for the rest of their lives, you enjoy sharing in a genuine way, you approach life with curiosity and creativity, you want to leave each class with a sense of satisfaction and you love receiving spontaneous hugs, then teaching yoga to children is for you.