Despite being so little, children experience such big emotions that they aren't always able to appropriately express or articulate. Stress in young children can manifest in a variety of challenging behaviors. Our house is no stranger to tantrums that seem to come out of nowhere, feet stomping, and fighting between siblings. Sometimes they just need everything to stop so they can take a minute to breathe.
We have started doing yoga with the kids to give them the minute that they need. It encourages deep and focused breathing and reduces stress and negative emotions. With Covid, my older two just get sick of being in the house. Waking up everyday to just staying home wears down on them, especially because pre-covid we were always out and about. So now we do our yoga outside and early in the morning before the summer heat. While doing their morning yoga, we recite positive affirmations. It gets them out of the house and starts their day on a positive note.
With Lucas having Autism, he struggles with his sensory regulation. He often becomes overstimulated, which leads to some tough meltdowns and challenging behaviors. Even at (nearly) 3 years old, it has proven to be so beneficial for him. When we see he is becoming overstimulated, we can stop and do a few yoga poses with some deep breathing. The quiet focused movements and breaths help to calm him down, helping to prevent a meltdown.
Yoga for kids has many benefits, including but not limited to:
Increased Energy
Stress Reduction
Increased Balance and Strengthened Gross Motor Skills
Increased Concentration
Increased Flexibility
Non-Competitive Physical Activity
Promotes Exercise
If you're like me and a beginner to yoga, you may not know the poses by name or memory yet. In that case, I recommend printing some kid friendly yoga flashcards or checking out Cosmic Kids' yoga channel free on youtube.
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