Term 7/Summer Holidays Week 2: Tatty Bumpkin’s Kid’s Activity for this Week is Worm Pose

By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist

In this weekly blog I focus on a Tatty Bumpkin ‘Yoga Activity’, giving you all a description on how to do the it with your child and describing some of the benefits. 

To find out about the Baby Bumpkin’s Baby activity – look out for my ‘Mid-week Baby Bumpkin Blog!’

Please remember though, for your child to gain the full benefit of all the Tatty Bumpkin Yoga and multisensory activities:

• Find out about your local Tatty Bumpkin class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html, 

• Or ask your child’s nursery if they are using the ‘Tatty Bumpkin Kid’s Activity Programme’.

Our qualified Tatty Bumpkin Teachers are fully trained in child development and children’s Yoga and are kept fully up-to-date by our professional team of paediatric physiotherapists, Yoga teachers and musicians.

Maybe, you are thinking of a new career, which gives you:

• The opportunity to work with kids 
• A great sense of job satisfaction and 
• Flexible working to fit around your own family? 

In which case - find out how you could be trained to deliver Baby and Tatty Bumpkin classes in your area at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html.

The Tatty Bumpkin Multisensory Yoga Adventure This Week …

This week Tatty Bumpkin heads underground to explore 'Worm Town', so her Yoga Activity is ‘WORM’…..

At first Tatty Bumpkin is a bit worried about following her friend Worm down the dark worm tunnels…

Worm, however, looks after Tatty Bumpkin and encourages her wriggle on her tummy just like him - soon Tatty Bumpkin is wriggling into Worm Town!

Wriggling into Worm Town!

Worm Town is a really busy place! The worms are rolling out roads, building bridges, even building little worm houses…. At the end of a busy day everyone settles down for a ‘Worm Town picnic’.

Do you think you can make a bridge for the worms? What kind of house would you build!? What would you put in your sandwich? Come and join your local Tatty Bumpkin class or holiday club at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html

 

Sandwiches made by the children at 'Country Cottage Nursery' Plaxtol Kent

Because each Tatty Bumpkin kid’s activity session is carefully linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) the sessions not only enhance your child’s physical skills they also develop your child’s communication, social and thinking skills.   

In this week’s activity session your child will have the chance to:

1. Activate their core muscles and increase their awareness of their left and right hand sides as they wriggle with Tatty Bumpkin in Worm pose and roll the roads of Worm Town! Both these skills support your child’s sitting and writing – but in a fun way!

2. Refine their fine motor skills (hand skills), for easier writing, as they make delicious ‘sandwiches’ for the Worm Town picnic.

3. Use gestures or words to express their thoughts, for example:

Feeling ‘worried’ with Tatty Bumpkin as she starts to go down a worm tunnel!

Being ‘caring’ like Worm as he encourages Tatty Bumpkin to wriggle.

Feeling ‘excited’ with Tatty Bumpkin as she cycles down the roads of ‘Worm Town’!.  

4. Come up with their own ideas, and feel confident to talk about them. For example:

Deciding which shape house to build in Worm Town?

Wondering what to put in their sandwich?

5. Develop their sense of rhythm as they move to the Tatty Bumpkin Spider song or Tatty Bumpkin instrumental tracks.

6. Most important of all - have fun with their friends as they: wriggle down the worm tunnels, build worm bridges and, of course, make sandwiches.

Make a 'Worm Bridge' with your friends!

 Worm Pose for Your Toddler or Child

 

 

Wriggle with your child as worms!

Encourage your child to use both their arms and their legs!

  

There are a number of very good reasons to do Worm pose with your toddler or child:

• Firstly, children under 3 years, largely learn new movements by copying others – especially their parents and ‘key people’.

• Secondly, current research shows that young children bond with their parents and ‘key people’ not only through touch and by communicating with them, but also by moving with them.

• Thirdly, as you do Worm pose with your toddler, you will give your own body a chance to move, stretch and realign!

However, if you know you have issues with your back, do stop if your feel any pain or soreness and use your child’s favourite toy to show them Worm pose.  

Description of Pose

• Lie on your stomach, with your legs bent slightly out to the side and your arms out in front. Encourage your toddler or child to copy you.

• Bring your elbows under your chest so you are supporting yourself on your forearms. Encourage your child to copy you!

• Now wriggle forwards with your toddler or child - like worms. Try to use both your legs and your arms to help you wriggle.

• If your child is older, encourage them to ‘commando crawl’ - i.e. To alternate between using their ‘right elbow and left leg’ and their ‘left elbow and right leg’ to wriggle forwards. Commando crawling is great for your child’s co-ordination skills.

• If your child is younger they may need a bit of encouragement to wriggle on their tummy. If this is the case drape some material over a couple of chairs or secure structures outside and encourage your toddler to wriggle underneath!

Games to Play Around Worm Pose

Worm Obstacle Course!

• Scatter a few cushions, of a suitable size, on the floor and encourage your toddler or child to wriggle, like a worm, over and across them.

• The uneven surfaces will give your toddler or child a challenge! As they wriggle on and off the cushions they will be strengthening their shoulder, back, tummy and hip muscles.

• In addition, as they move over the different textures, your toddler or child will be getting valuable sensory feedback through their hands and feet and will be developing their sense of touch.

Wriggling over cushions

Why Worm Pose is Good For Your Toddler or Child

Worm pose will give your toddler or child the opportunity to:

1. Strengthen their ‘core muscles’. As your child wriggles in worm pose they will be strengthening their back, tummy, shoulder and hip muscles. Strength in these major muscle groups will help your child develop a good ‘posture’ and refine their balance skills.

2. Increase their brain’s awareness of their right and left sides. This is essential for skills such as writing and dressing which require the smooth co-ordination of the right and left sides and the arms with the legs.

3. Motor planning skills. In worm pose your child’s brain will be processing information from several senses (touch, sight & their body senses) to produce a fairly complex movement. This sensory processing ability is crucial for motor planning i.e. the ability to learn new movements or do several moves in sequence e.g. skipping, dressing or writing.

So remember:

For a fun, kid’s activities which not only encourage your child to move but also enhance their development - find your local class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html

Or, to find out how you could be trained to deliver Tatty Bumpkin classes in your area at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html.

  

Love Tatty Bumpkin x