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The Reading IQ App has saved us during these Covid-19 times when libraries and schools have been closed. Finding new and interesting books for Max to read has been a breeze. He loves this reading app for kids so much that he chooses to read on his own…something that never happened before.
Even as this is not exactly kids yoga, it is still whole child well being-related. As an elementary teacher, I am sharing this in hopes it may help some of you. Kids need to be reading. Everyday.
Honestly, it always kind of dismayed me that Max had never been excited about reading before. As a teacher and book lover myself, I really wanted to instill the love of reading in him.
When this didn’t happen naturally, I began setting the microwave for 20-minute increments hoping he would just get “lost in the story”. Instead, this resulted in Max popping his head up every minute to see “how much time was left.” Hopin until he started using this Reading IQ App a little over a year ago. This app has made him fall in love with reading — something I never thought would be possible after years of trying to get him to want to read for fun!
In the first two months of using The Reading IQ App, he logged close to 1000 minutes of reading on … all on his own. And did I mention this was with almost zero coaxing or encouragement from me?
When you sign up for your FREE Reading IQ Trial you get:
Unlimited access to thousands of books. Anytime. Anywhere.
Accessible on desktops, tablets, and phones
Popular titles and characters that children know and love
All titles carefully curated for readers 12 and under
Book recommendations for every child based on his or her level
Ability to monitor your child’s progress
Award-winning titles, including Caldecott and Newbery Medal winners
Up to 3 children per account
Guided Reading and Lexile® levels available for thousands of books
Ability to preview the content your child is exploring
More than 700 professionally voiced titles
Max LOVES that the Reading IQ App tracks your time read, where you left off in a book, and all of the books you have read. He also loves that there are so many different genres and fun titles to choose from.
He has proudly announced multiple times about how many minutes he has read over the course of time.
We were both so impressed this that we decided to look into their Adventure Academy which is a virtual learning opportunity for kids elementary through junior high. If you have a child that loves video games, they will love playing and learning with Adventure Academy (and I love that they are Adventure Academy things as well).
Adventure Academy features thousands of educational learning activities, such as videos, reading experiences, games, quizzes, and many other interactive elements— all within the frameworks of U.S. (and international) curriculum standards.
It plays a lot like an adventure game (think Zelda!) but within an educational framework. It’s really cool and I would recommend this reading app for kids to all!
Welcome to our Spring Easter Family Yoga Class. Together we are going to learn and practice some fun Spring yoga for kids poses and games that can be done at any time and are fun for all ages!
This Kids Yoga Class is geared toward children ages 3-10. I have my helpers and I know that they are little older, but they still love to have fun with yoga.
1. What words or things do you know about Spring? What happens outside and with the animals? Discuss with the children. This helps activate their prior knowledge and sets the tone and theme of the class.
2. Move into Child’s Pose. Pretend to be a little seed in the ground. Feel the warm sun on your back and slowly begin to grow. What are you going to grow into? A flower? A tree? Something in your garden?
Pretend to be a seed in the ground. Feel the warm sun on your back. What will you grow into?
3. Now let’s practiceBunny Breathing. Breathing exercises can help calm anxiety and regulate emotions. Take one long inhale through your nose and then exhale with 3 short sniffs. Like a bunny!
4. Now let’s warm up the whole body with some Egg Rolls. It is important for your body and mind to participate in some Active Movement every day. This gets your heart pumping and happy!
5. Now it is time learn and practice our Spring Easter Yoga Poses! Draw out a plastic egg and inside will have a pose for us to practice! Find a full list of yoga poses here. We have practiced Flower Pose, Butterfly Pose and Tree Pose.
6. Now we have worked warmed up our body, practiced Bunny Breath and Yoga Poses, it is time to work on some balance! Balance is very important in yoga because as you get older, you lose your sense of balance. The good news is that it can be maintained by practicing some yoga poses. We are going to use our plastic eggs for balance! You can use whatever you have at home.
Easter Egg Balance: Remember this is not a race! Your goal is to go slowly and mindfully and to not let your Easter Egg fall!
First, let’s practice balancing the egg on your outstretched hand. Remember to switch hands when you get across the room.
Now let’s practice on your shoulder, under your chin, or top of your head! Where else can you think to balance your egg?
7. Finally, we are going to end our yoga class with a little mindfulness practice! Mindfulness is paying attention on mindfulness on purpose. Let’s shake these Easter Eggs one by one, listen carefully, and see if you can guess what is inside! This is a good practice of slowing down and being mindful.
“Yoga makes you feel good inside and out and it is also fun! It is form of active movement and exercise that really works with kids.” Sara J. Weis of Go Go Yoga for Kids
What are the best practices in teaching yoga to children? How has teaching yoga to children changed over the years? These are just a few questions and more that are answered. I was honored to be interviewed by Catharine Hannay of Mindful Teachers.
In this Mindful Teachers Q+A, Sara discusses what she’s learned from the coronavirus crisis, as well as from her 20+ years teaching kids.
Surprisingly, Stillness & Savasana often becomes a favorite part of their kids yoga class. Learn more about how to plan engaging, fun, and memorable kids yoga classes in our free Kids Yoga Lesson Planning 101 Training.
We are in time of such uncertainty and change. It is important for kids and parents to recognize their feelings and understand that it is ok to not always be ok. Take a moment and recognize those undesirable feelings of fear, anxiety, anger, and depression and then move on.
Here are some easy ways to do that with your family:
Establish and build a new routines and schedules as quickly as possible. Our schedules are so now different now and even though the days feel the same, they are not. This can cause additional anxiety.
Have children go to bed and wake up at the same time.
Create established learning/school time; and
Build in time for physical activity. Include simple mindfulness times, for example through a mindfulness game.
My family does this every night at dinner. We share what we are thankful for and why. This is simple, but effective, and takes the focus off our ourselves and our uncertainties.
Find out more here about my thoughts on some controversy of using the word Namaste and practicing yoga in schools as well as easy to make adaptations for children with mental and physical disabilities.
Welcome to a fun family yoga class! We will move into some yoga poses that will help you feel calm, comfortable and strong. Then we will move into some partner yoga poses, a Plank Challenge, and then a relaxing stillness and savasana which is so good for your body.
Join us for an active and fun family yoga class!
You can find all the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Card visuals that we use for this family yoga practice here. You do not need to have a yoga mat to this. The carpet or hardwood floor is fine or you can use a beach or bath towel.
1. First, begin in Child’s Pose. Bring your forehead to the ground. This is a very centering and grounding pose. Let’s take a few deep centering breathes in and out of your nose. We have had some crazy weeks, our schedules have changed, we miss our schools, our teachers, our friends, but it is going to be ok. We will have a strong body and mind and we will get through this.
2. Move into Tabletop position and let’s move through Cat Pose and Cow Pose. You may be on a screen a bit more than normal and it is important to keep our spines fluid and flexible.
Your spine loves moving through Cat Pose and Cow Pose
3. Go ahead and step forward into Ragdoll Pose. Sway side to side. Let your arms and head hang. This is a great release for your lower back and a very centering pose.
4. Now move into Gorilla Pose. This is a fun pose! Bend your knees as much as you want to. Place your hands under your feet. Maybe you can just reach a few fingers under there. That is ok! Let your head hang. Can you make some gorilla noises?
Kids Love Gorilla Yoga Pose! What sound does a gorilla make?
5. Now reach overhead to mountain pose. Feel strong and tall. Pull your shoulders back. Look up above your hands. You are strong. LET YOUR HEART SHINE. Go ahead and close your eyes. It feels good and strong.
6. Now take a big inhale and on the exhale dive forward over your feet. This is almost like you are diving into a large swimming pool. We can’t wait to do that this summer!
7. Next step back into Down Dog Pose. Would you like to be taller? This pose lengthens and strengthens your leg muscles. Walk out your dog. Think about taking your dog for a walk after he has been cooped up all winter!
Can you take your dog for a walk in Down Dog Yoga Pose?
Now let’s put it all together! Look forward and hop or step to the top of your yoga mat.
Breathe in and stand tall into Mountain Pose. Exhale dive forward and step back into Downdog. Continue this simple Sun A matching your breath to your movement.
Now that your body is warmed up let’s move into our Plank Challenge! Grab your mom, dad, brother, sister…anyone can do this Plank Challenge with you!
Can you try and take the Plank Pose Challenge?
In the Plank Challenge, your arms and legs working. Pull your belly button to your spine. Feel yourself getting very very strong. Squeeze everything together. That will make you feel lighter.
First, hold Plank Pose for 15 seconds. Then try 30 seconds (Be sure to stretch out into Child’s Pose in between) Lastly hold Plank Pose for 45 seconds or 1 minute!
Bonus Family Yoga Game: Freeze Dance Yoga!
Now it is time to get your heart pumping and strong with Freeze Dance Yoga. I love playing games in my kids yoga classes and with my family. This is a perfect game to get the wiggles out and practice the yoga poses that you just learned. It is also completely fine to make up some of your own yoga poses in this game.
Freeze Dance Yoga is fun for all ages!
How to Play Freeze Dance Yoga:
Crank up the music really loud and Dance. When the music stops. Freeze in a yoga pose! Hold that pose until the music starts again. There are lots of fun variations to this game. Find out this and over 150 other favorite Yoga Games for Children in our book Go Go Yoga for Kids: Yoga Games & Activities for Children.
New Book Release! Go Go Yoga for Kids: Yoga Games & Activities for Children
Feel free to dim the lights or turn them off. Bring your legs straight out in front. Shake them like spaghetti. Then fold like a sandwich over your legs. As you are ready be like a melting icicle as you slowly melt into the ground. Bring your knees to your chest and give them a hug! Your body deserves this hug. It has worked hard for you today!
Find a comfortable position to lay in. This could be on your back, side, stomach, curled up into a ball. It doesn’t matter. Just know that you are safe and loved. Now relax. You earned this. You deserve this! It is so important to take time for you each day.
When you are ready to move on with your day go ahead and roll over to your right side and use your arm as a pillow. Then slowly move up into a seated position and we are going to end our time together with some full cleansing breaths. Go ahead and breathe in and raise your arms above your head. Bring your hands to heart center as you exhale. Continue with this a few more times. Matching your breath and movement with inhales and exhales. Now place your hands at heart center, bow your head, and give thanks for our time together. Namaste
We have exciting news! You are now able to find your favorite Go Go Yoga for Kids books available in e-book form right from our website and brand new Go Go Yoga for Kids E-Store!
Introducing the Go Go Yoga for Kids E-Store!
Why the Go Go Yoga for Kids E-Store Matters to You:
Now you are able to easily download your Go Go Yoga for Kids books on any device. This means your iphone, computer, tablet, kindle, ipad. Any of these places!
You can also easily transfer your Go Go Yoga for Kids books from device to device.
This is also extra exciting because you are able to easily print out sections that are important to you. You know how much I love writing and putting together kids yoga lesson plans. Now you can easily find which lesson plan you want to use and print it out for your personal use. This is also true for our lesson plan templates, guides and games that are found in our books!
Another great reason to purchase your e-books directly from the author is that it does help me out. You know how kids yoga is my passion and I love being able to get resources and ideas straight to you. When you purchase directly from the author this allows a great connection and helps small businesses such as Go Go Yoga for Kids.
Thank you for checking out our Go Go Yoga for Kids E-Store and directly supporting me, the author. I have changed my shopping habits with so many small businesses feeling the impact from the coronavirus. I so appreciate your support.
