Let it Snow! Yoga & Mindfulness for Children
It is (almost) officially winter, and it sure comes in with a bang, doesn’t it?! This time of year can be cold, over-stimulating, and full of stress and pressure - and not just for grown-ups! If that is currently how you’re feeling, I invite you to stop reading for a moment, place your hands over your heart, close your eyes, and take several deep breaths.
Feel any better? If not, I recommend trying again. And again… and again… and if that puts you to sleep, then simply appreciate the much-deserved rest 😉
Yes, December can be challenging, but… it can also be filled with so many magical, joyful, play-filled moments! Whether you work with children or are a parent/guardian, keep on reading for some simple ways to slow down and enjoy this season with your little ones 💙
Movement
Playing is MONUMENTALLY important to children’s health and well-being!
Play helps children build both fine and gross motor skills, and keeps them engaged in physical activity, which is important for their physical, mental and emotional health!
Play gives kids the opportunity to practice important social skills, such as listening, communicating, compromising, resolving conflict, and building compassion
Play is great for our brains - promoting memory, creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking skills. It’s also closely linked to stress - higher levels of play are related to lower levels of cortisol!
Here are some simple ways to play this month, either at home, or in the classroom!
First, you can snag our set of yoga cards for December here!
Turn these cards into a daily practice by taking a nice big star pose, wiggling through the fingers and stretching out the whole body. Then, challenge your balance and grace with ice dancer pose. Balancing poses are a wonderful reminder that we all wobble and fall sometimes; it’s how we handle that fall that’s important! Engage the belly muscles and practice a lovely inversion with candle pose. You will also want to “blow the candle out” by playfully knocking your child’s feet down here as well! And then curl up together to rest in hibernating pose, before practicing some deep breaths and positive self-talk.
These cards can also be incorporated into games -
Turn on the perfect winter freeze dance song - “Skating” by Stephanie Leavell, and when it’s time, freeze in ice dancer or star pose. Fair warning, though - this song will get stuck in your head!
You could have an indoor snowball fight, and if you’re hit with a snowball, do a yoga pose! Or you could spread the cards around the room, and practice your aim and focus by trying to hit the cards with a snowball - or a bean bag / ball of socks / NERF gun / whatever is handy 😜
I also highly recommend simply leaving the cards out, and letting kids explore them in their own time and way.
Mindfulness
Things tend to feel much less chaotic when we slow down and live in the moment. Here are some cozy ways to practice mindfulness:
Create a cozy, warm space. Heap up the pillows, bolsters, and blankets and invite your littles to get super comfy. At home, (and particularly if it’s snowing) you might do this near a window and spend some time watching the snow fall.
Practice a sensory meditation. I love hot cocoa meditations this time of year, but you could do this with many different foods and drinks! Explore the senses as you slowly make hot cocoa together. Spend some time picking out your favorite mug, looking at it, and noticing its details. Open up the cocoa. Smell it. Feel it. Taste the powder! Add your hot water or milk. Carefully feel the cup heating up! Stir slowly, and notice how the liquid changes! Smell it again. And, of course, taste!
Play a memory game. Card and board games can be an excellent way to slow down and enjoy time together, and memory games are great for brain development! I have a free, printable, hot cocoa themed memory game that you can access by clicking the button below ⬇️
Music
This playlist includes both Christmas and winter themed songs to move and play to! Enjoy!
Books
And here are some books that I have loved this season -
Old Bear by Kevin Henkes *great for a yoga story time!
OH! by Kevin Henkes
Snow Falls by Kate Gardner *very simple, but gorgeous
Snow by Manya Stojic *great for a yoga story time!
Not Now, Cow by Tammi Sauer *great for a yoga story time!
When the Snow Falls by Linda Booth Sweeney
Snow Happy! by Patricia Hubbell
Croc & Turtle Snow Fun! by Mike Wohnoutka
Bear & Hare Snow! by Emily Gravett
Pablo in the Snow by Teri Sloat
Got to Get to Bear’s! by Brian Lies
When Winter Comes by Aimee Bissonette
I hope that you have a beautiful and peaceful December, my friends, full of sweet and playful moments!
