Today it is cold and rainy outside. That means my kids didn't get to play outside like they typically do before and/or after supper. Now that it's November, there will be more and more days like this where we have to be entertained indoors.
Here are a few ideas that I use to keep my kids involved in gross motor activities while staying indoors, and maybe they will work for you too:
1. "Simon Says": I usually start out as Simon while playing with just my 7 year old daughter, then my 2 year old son usually joins us and tries his best to imitate everything his big sis does. I tend to call out these commands: standing on one foot, animal imitations (bird, cow, donkey, bear, crab, snake, etc), twirling, jumping jacks, clap while jumping, tip-toe walk, heel walk, jump from side-to-side, clap hands over their heads or behind their backs, touch one hand to the opposite foot, and walk backwards.
2. Obstacle course: We have a big space in our living room and entry way that makes a great location for an obstacle course. We use our fabric tunnel, mini-trampoline, fabric tent, blankets draped over the back of chairs, large pillows, couch cushions, and a hula-hoop to either jump in-an-out of or to climb through. I have the kids go through the obstacle course consecutively together or to do it individually while "racing the clock". Motions involved include climbing over, under, and through, jumping forward and backward, crawling forward or backward, and rolling (log or forward).
3. Kids yoga or other exercise videos: my children's favorite video is from Yoga Kids (R); the poses on the video are fun and in alphabetical order, A-Z. "A" is a pose that looks similar to an alligator and "R" is a pose that looks similar to a rocking horse. The suggested ages are 3-5 years, but I think many 2 year olds can at least try it. My son probably is motivated to try the poses because his sister and I are doing them as well.
4. Chores: I completely believe in child labor and teaching kids to be responsible for chores! They are good for building strength and coordination! My kids help carry bags from the car as well as clean their rooms or any other area where they have played and made a mess. Both of my kids like to help fold towels, not that they are excellent at it, but at least they are active and trying! My older child is also expected to make her bed and help "set the table" before dinner.
5. Cooking: stirring batter and rolling out dough is lots of upper body gross-motor fun! Pounding over the food chopper can be quite a blast also!
6. Dress-up: My kids like to play dress up and then act out the character. We have costumes for Peter Pan, Captain Hook, various princesses, cowboy, police man, baseball, soccer, as well as random hats, scarves, and shoes to play with.
7. Playing games in various positions: I like to play card games with my daughter while we are facing each other and propped on our forearms lying on our bellies. I like to draw and color with my son while we are standing at his easel. It is also fun to draw while on paper taped to the bottom of a table or chair while lying under it, but I am not sure I trust him with this yet, maybe as he gets closer to 3 years of age! Sometimes my daughter and I sing songs while we are hanging off of the couch with our heads on the floor...can only do this one for a short amount of time!
8. Sing songs with body actions: "Wheels on the Bus", "Ants Go Marching", "Row, Row, Row, Your Boat", "Getty Up Horsie", and "Ring-Around-the-Rosie". These are fun as long as you have energy to keep up with your kids!
Use your imagination to keep the kids active! Just remember not to over-use video games and television during the autumn and winter months. Keeping kids moving is important for motor and cognitive development as well as to reduce chances of obesity!
For ideas of indoor activities for children with sensory processing disorder (SPD) or autism (ASD) known as a sensory diet, check out the following website www.sensorysmarts.com Also, ask your child's occupational, physical, and/or speech therapist for a handout on activities to do at home to keep your child busy. This will also greatly impact behavior because they won't be bored!
Showing posts with label Kids yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kids yoga. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Yoga for Young Children
I feel great! I just returned from yoga class, and the majority of my lower back pain is gone! Yoga is great for stretching tight muscles as well as strengthening core/trunk muscles and learning to calm down. The breathing in-out and slow, controlled movements help one to slow down.
I bought Yoga Kids (R) DVDs for my daughter back when she was almost 3 years old, and she loves the DVDs so much we still exercise to them here and there. My 2 favorite DVDs are Silly to Calm (R) and ABCs (R). She likes the ABCs DVD because each letter of the alphabet represents a fun animal or pose. For example, "I" is for iguana and you are supposed to hold a plank position (extended arms such as when doing push ups). I would have thought that my limberness back from gymnastics and dance classes would have been passed on down to my daughter, but it wasn't. So, I especially like that these poses help with stretching her legs and feet, especially her hamstrings. Many children like my daughter who do not have a developmental disability tend to have muscle weakness and/or tightness throughout their bodies. This over time can get worse especially when coupled with stress. So, that's where the benefits to the breathing in-out during the stretches is beneficial. Also, for kids who are more hyper-active, the breathing lessons of yoga help the child to self-regulate and calm down to focus better. I recommend these DVDs for higher level functioning children (e.g. mild CP, developmental delay, sensory integration disorder) soon before they graduate the ECI (birth to three years) program that I work for. They can be found online at www.yogakids.com or at Target(R).
For babies and toddlers, there's Itsy Bitsy Yoga. They have DVDs available at Target (R) and books at Barnes & Noble (R) as well as other locations. I love the book because it shows exactly how to position the little ones. It is a mix of yoga and infant massage. This I especially love, since I am also an infant massage instructor (CITMI). I lend my book and DVDs out to my clients quite often. So many of the children I work with have muscle tightness and/or poor body-in-space awareness, so massage and stretches are perfect to help! Some of the exercises are "mommy and me", so that is also good for the moms to exercise too! Their website is www.itsybitsyyoga.com
The benefits to yoga are numerous! And well documented through research as well. Benefits extend to post surgery, postnatally, and the list goes on.
For children who are tippy toe walkers, the infamous downward dog position can help lengthen the heel cords. For children who have upper body weakness, that same position is beneficial to stabilize the scapulae and rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder. For me, I enjoy going late in the evening (8-9 pm) like I did today, because it helps me relax before bed time, which translates into me falling asleep quicker. Well, I am off to bed. Good night!
I bought Yoga Kids (R) DVDs for my daughter back when she was almost 3 years old, and she loves the DVDs so much we still exercise to them here and there. My 2 favorite DVDs are Silly to Calm (R) and ABCs (R). She likes the ABCs DVD because each letter of the alphabet represents a fun animal or pose. For example, "I" is for iguana and you are supposed to hold a plank position (extended arms such as when doing push ups). I would have thought that my limberness back from gymnastics and dance classes would have been passed on down to my daughter, but it wasn't. So, I especially like that these poses help with stretching her legs and feet, especially her hamstrings. Many children like my daughter who do not have a developmental disability tend to have muscle weakness and/or tightness throughout their bodies. This over time can get worse especially when coupled with stress. So, that's where the benefits to the breathing in-out during the stretches is beneficial. Also, for kids who are more hyper-active, the breathing lessons of yoga help the child to self-regulate and calm down to focus better. I recommend these DVDs for higher level functioning children (e.g. mild CP, developmental delay, sensory integration disorder) soon before they graduate the ECI (birth to three years) program that I work for. They can be found online at www.yogakids.com or at Target(R).
For babies and toddlers, there's Itsy Bitsy Yoga. They have DVDs available at Target (R) and books at Barnes & Noble (R) as well as other locations. I love the book because it shows exactly how to position the little ones. It is a mix of yoga and infant massage. This I especially love, since I am also an infant massage instructor (CITMI). I lend my book and DVDs out to my clients quite often. So many of the children I work with have muscle tightness and/or poor body-in-space awareness, so massage and stretches are perfect to help! Some of the exercises are "mommy and me", so that is also good for the moms to exercise too! Their website is www.itsybitsyyoga.com
The benefits to yoga are numerous! And well documented through research as well. Benefits extend to post surgery, postnatally, and the list goes on.
For children who are tippy toe walkers, the infamous downward dog position can help lengthen the heel cords. For children who have upper body weakness, that same position is beneficial to stabilize the scapulae and rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder. For me, I enjoy going late in the evening (8-9 pm) like I did today, because it helps me relax before bed time, which translates into me falling asleep quicker. Well, I am off to bed. Good night!
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