Getting the most from your mindfulness & yoga props - at home and in school

This week I want to talk about yoga and mindfulness props and how you can use them in your home or classroom to really help the children in your care. Often we buy mindful props with the very best intentions - we genuinely want them to help the children we care about. Unfortunately, however, all too often these props then sit around unused after an initial flurry of interest. I know both from my days in the classroom, and also as a parent, how purchases can easily slip out of use unless they are introduced properly and regularly used. Today I’m talking about three of my favourite yoga and mindfulness props and giving you some ideas for how to use them. 

Breath Ball:

I use my breath ball in every children’s yoga class I teach. It makes the breath really visual for children to follow. If you want to introduce breath work to children this prop is a great way to do it! Expand the ball with the inhale and let it shrink with the exhale. It’s great for making long exhales or sharp inhales really visual. Children also love to take turns leading the breath using the ball themselves. When the ball is new offer children a chance to play with it - this means they can then focus on the breath going forwards rather than wanting to see how it works. To really get the most of the ball use it regularly with your child when they’re already calm and happy. Once they are confident using the ball you can then get it out during moments of anxiety, stress or overwhelm and children will be able to copy the breath to help them regulate their emotions.

Calm Corner:

Having a Calm Corner, Zen Zone or other area for children to take a break if they’re feeling a bit overwhelmed is a fantastic addition to any classroom or home. Unfortunately, though, these areas are often created and after some initial use then abandoned. To get the maximum use from these spaces we need to model using them to our children and also change up the activities in there to keep it interesting. I would always recommend having a breath ball, perhaps some sensory jars (you can easily make these yourself), some cushions, a few books and colouring pencils and paper but otherwise its good to rotate some calming activities. Ask your child what they enjoy - I have lots of choices freely available in the member area on my website.

Yoga Card Decks:

I love using yoga card decks to design new flows and encouraging children to do the same. They can offer inspiration and a good deck also provides you with clear instructions on how to safely enter and exit the pose. To make sure your deck gets maximum use try to use it in lots of different ways. I use my deck for a variety of yoga games in my classes including a pose scavenger hunt, hiding cards under mats, to allow children to design their own flows, yoga pose statues and yoga mirrors. I’d love to hear how you use your decks - please do let me know your ideas and I’ll feature them on my blog!