Sara J. Weis's Blog: Go Go Yoga Kids: Empower Kids for Life Through Yoga, page 15

Happy 4th of July from Go Go Yoga for Kids

Celebrate the 4th of July with these fun family friendly yoga poses.

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Celebrate the 4th of July with these fun family friendly...

Celebrate the 4th of July with these fun family friendly yoga poses.

The post appeared first on Go Go Yoga for Kids.

Yoga Game for Children: Yoga Shapes

How to Play Yoga Shapes:

Are you looking for a fun easy to play game with kids?! Yoga Shapes is easy to play and the kids LOVE it! All you need is a dry erase marker and a markerboard.

Begin by telling the children that they will need to make the shape with their own body on markerboard as quickly and quietly as possible. There is no right or wrong answer.

Draw one shape on the markerboard.  When I turn the markerboard around the children will see a shape (examples:  0 , 1, L, S) Keep it simple at first. After the children make the shape with their body, then I erase it and draw another.

After a few rounds, then have the students pair up and make shapes such as T, and V. Remind them to do this quickly and without talking. It is amazing to see the pairs make the shapes differently. Finally, if you are up for a big challenge, have all of the students work together to make the final shape. I have done a smiley face, star or Y for yoga. This is a great team effort and because they aren’t able to talk it is neat to see the nonverbal communication.

You may also like What’s In My Yoga Bag.

Need more kids yoga games? Check out our bestselling Go Go Yoga for Kids: Yoga Lessons for Children.

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Don’t Miss This! Biggest Savings of the Season

Don’t Miss This Summer Savings!

For the next 48 hours, you can grab your copies of our bestselling Go Go Yoga for Kids books for only .99  on Amazon US and UK. That is right!

For less than a dollar, you can have kids yoga lesson plans, games, poses, mindfulness and more.

Get your copies below:

Go Go Yoga for Kids: A Complete Guide to Yoga with Kids

Go Go Yoga for Kids: Yoga Lessons for Children

If you already have copies, thank you so much for your support. I would be so grateful for an honest review on Amazon. That helps others find out about what they will expect and learn.

Enrollment Opening Soon! Click the image to find out more.

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Make Time for What Makes You Happy

When I would hear about making time for myself and what makes me happy, a little voice in my head would say; well that sounds a little selfish.

Who was I a busy mom of 3, a school teacher, and kids yoga instructor to be taking time out for myself? I had kids to raise, educate, and inspire. I have things to do. All the time.

Over time, that voice has quieted. I have found that by taking moments for simple things such as sunrise yoga, taking a walk after dinner, and reading aloud to my son at night while our puppy lies between us; brings me joy.

Through this time, I have reaffirmed how much I truly desire to help others discover the joy and techniques of how to teach yoga to children. That makes me happy. We never stop learning and we can definitely learn from one another. That is why I started an online community of others who desire the same. Together we can make a difference.

Want to be a part of our Kids Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher Training community? Join our free private Facebook Group here.

 

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Go Go Yoga for Kids at the Heartland Yoga Festival

We are so excited to be heading to the Heartland Yoga Festival; June 22-24, 2018. If you will be in area, please stop by to say hello to Go Go Yoga for Kids and grab your free pair of yoga socks.  It will be such a fun time!

Heartland Yoga Festival

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Best Yoga for Kids Youtube Winner: Go Go Yoga for Kids

I am honored to be included in this list of amazing yoga teachers. I truly love introducing the lifelong benefits and yoga to children.  Find more here for the latest kids yoga ideas, events, and resources from Go Go Yoga for Kids.

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Ask the Author: Go Go Yoga for Kids

It was “Ask An Author Anything”visit..and these 4th grade students sure did! It was so much fun visiting Jordan Creek Elementary School and answering their author questions. We covered it all including; getting ideas for stories, adding pictures and a cover, the publishing process, and if kids can get published. (Yes they can!) I am certain some of them will!

   For the full Ask the Author presentation, please check it out here.

For the full Ask the Author presentation, please check it out here.

 

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How to Plan and Lead a Kids Yoga Event or Class Like a Pro

Part of the fun of introducing children to yoga is teaching classes and leading events. I do both of these on a regular basis and understand that while they are both important, they are both completely different in terms of planning and preparing for.

I am the type of person that likes to try to be prepared in all that I do. When I plan for my kids yoga classes that I teach regularly, I already know the ages and number of children ahead of time. This allows me to select age appropriate themes, yoga poses, props, and prepare an engaging lesson plan.

When leading those one time (medium or large sized) kids yoga events such as at bookstores,  stores, parks, schools, libraries, and expos, there are different ways to go about planning and preparing. To see where Go Go Yoga for Kids has been recently, check out the links above.

There is definitely an element of the unknown to consider. How many kids will actually show up at the event? How large of an age range for children will there be? What other distractions and varying surroundings are there to think about such as the weather, other people, and surrounding noises?

All of these unknowns can make planning difficult, but I have come up with a few guidelines that help make these large group kids yoga events go smoothly.

Over Pack and Plan. I know my children and husband would agree that this is one of my biggest talents (or burdens as they  usually help lug all of my props and materials). I always bring extra mats for kids that don’t have one. I also bring seasonal or theme related props such beachballs, snowballs, Easter Eggs, etc).  See some of my favorite props here. These props are also great for attention getting in a busy setting. I also have a lesson plan in mind that I want to use with 1-2 additional activities such as related partner poses, marker board, or read aloud books for just in case.
Arrive Early. This is a biggie. No matter how early I arrive at an event, the time always flies before the class starts. Allow yourself time to check in with the organizer and thank them for inviting you, check the sound system/speaker for your music, and set up/organize any materials and resources. I also like to welcome the kids and help get the mats or beach towels appropriately. I like to have my classes begin in a circle and is helpful for you to help lay down the first couple of mats so others will get the idea.
Keep It Moving. My recommenced class time frame for an event is for 30-40 minutes. Since you are unsure of the actual numbers and ages of children that will show up, it is better to have your class time be filled with movement, poses, and games and Stillness and Savasana at the end. Your job is to introduce children to yoga. Of course safety is a priority, but during an event is not the time to be sure that every child’s leg is in a perfect 90 degree angle in Warrior 2. 

At the end, be sure to thank the kids (and adults who brought them) for coming and give them any additional ideas and resources for continuing to practice yoga at home. Many times, this may be a child’s first interaction with yoga so be proud that you helped introduce them to this practice and the life long skills and benefits that accompany yoga.

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Check out our fun Kids Yoga in the Park event here.

Need more on How to Plan a Kids Yoga Class? See our Bestselling books Go Go Yoga for Kids: A Complete Guide to Using Yoga with Kids and Yoga Lessons for Children.

 

 

 

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Kids Yoga in the Park

Spring has finally arrived! It was a perfect day to celebrate with Kids Yoga in the Park with Go Go Yoga for Kids and Des Moines Parent. Over 50 kids, parents, and caregivers joined in the outdoor yoga fun.

First we warmed up our bodies with Sunrise and Sunset Salutations followed by some Sunflower exercises. Next we drew a surprise pose from the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards. We practiced and perfected our yoga poses by showing how strong we were with our Warrior 2 jumps, rowing in our Boat Pose, Down Dog kick ups, and Tree Pose balance challenge.

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    We practiced our poses with a fun Musical Mats game and completed the class with a very peaceful and relaxing Stillness and Savasana while listening to the sounds of nature all around.

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Check out our Kids Yoga in the Park preview. It was a windy (but sunny!) day. The audio isn’t perfect and we were able to get just a little glimpse of this fun class with video, but will give an idea of the fun we had!

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