In this blog I will:
- Describe how you can do the activity with your child or toddler
- Give you reasons why this Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity is beneficial for your child or toddler
- Give you ideas on progressions and the games you can play with your child around the activity.
Or, ask your child’s nursery if they are doing Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity sessions as part of their day. Our qualified Tatty Bumpkin Teachers are fully trained in aspects of child development and Yoga and are kept fully up-to-date by our professional team of paediatric physiotherapists, Yoga teachers and musicians.
Or, 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
The Weekly Tatty Bumpkin Adventure
If your child is attending Tatty Bumpkin classes this week they will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin and her friends the ducks to a very windy pond! This adventure story will help your child to:
- Progress their physical skills as they bob up and down in the duck Yoga activity!
- Progress their communication and thinking skills as they help Tatty Bumpkin rescue one of the ducks
- Increase their awareness of their breathing pattern as they practise the ‘tummy breathing’ Yoga activity.
Tummy Breathing – Tatty Bumpkin’s Yoga Activity for the Week
Note for Parents- What is ‘Abdominal Breathing?
- This method of breathing is also called ‘tummy’ or ‘diaphragmatic’ breathing.
- The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped muscle located at the base of our lungs. It largely separates our ‘chest’ and ‘tummy’ cavities.
- Although we use our diaphragm muscle to breathe all the time, not just when we are ‘abdominal breathing’, we often do not use it as efficiently as we could.
- By concentrating on moving our tummy whilst we are breathing you and your child will be using your diaphragm muscles more effectively.
- You may well be surprised how easily your child gets the hang of ‘abdominal breathing’, often adults find it harder to do.
Technique for Abdominal Breathing (Adults)
- As with any new exercise practice makes perfect! So try to do this exercise twice a day for short periods (with or without your child). Then you can use the technique to calm your mind whenever you find your are dwelling on upsetting thoughts orexperiencing pain.
- Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. When you take a deep breath in, the hand on the abdomen should rise higher than the one on the chest. This insures that your diaphragm is pulling air into the bases of your lungs.
- After breathing out (exhaling) through your mouth a little way, take a slow, deep breath in through your nose - imagining that you are sucking in all the air in the room! Hold your 'breath in' for about 5-7 seconds (or as long as you are able, but do exceed 7 seconds)
- Then slowly breathe out (exhale) through your mouth for a count of 8 (or as long as you are able). As all you release the air from your lungs, gently tighten your tummy (abdominal) muscles to completely evacuate the remaining air from your lungs.
- It is important to remember that to take a deep breath we need to not only focus on breathing in, but also on making sure that we have breathed out fully.
- Repeat the ‘cycle’ 3 – 4 times.
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| Inhalation - breathing in. Exhalation - breathing out. What happens from the inside! |
Tummy Breathing and Relaxation – With Your Child
Ideally lie down and relax with your child as:
- Children under 3 years, largely learn new movements by copying the actions.
- Research is showing that toddlers and young children bond with their parents and ‘key people’ not only through touch and by communicating with them but also by moving with them.
- The relaxation and breathing is good for you as well
- Find two toy ducks or similar (the non – squeaky kind!) and a soft space or mat to lie down on. The quieter the better- as you may want to listen to some gentle music i.e. Tatty Bumpkin Relax Song see http://bit.ly/1q2kqVQ.
- Start by showing your child what to do. Lie down on your back (you may want to put a cushion under your knees to make your back comfortable) and place one for the ducks on your tummy.
- Using the tummy breathing technique described above, show your child how you can make the duck on your tummy go up and down by only using your breath.
- Your child might find it useful to place their hands on your tummy so they can feel it go up and down. This is also a lovely ‘bonding’ experience for both of you.
- Then guide your child to lie down with you and place the other toy duck or a toy on their tummy.
- Encourage your child to see if they can make their duck ‘bob up and down’ on their tummy by taking deeper breaths. Watch your child’s breathing to check that:
- As they breathe IN their tummy is moving UPWARDS and OUTWARDS – so lifting their duck upwards.
- As they breathe OUT their tummy moves INWARDS and DOWNWARDS – so letting their duck fall.
- If your child is doing the movements the other way round i.e. as they breathe in they suck their tummy in – gently try to correct them by showing them hhow to do it once again.
- Only let your child do 3 or 4 breaths in a row and then to rest as you do not want them to become dizzy.
Progressions for Tummy Breathing
If your child is older they may want to have a go at ‘tummy breathing’ or 'ballon breathing' whilst sitting or standing. if they can do this, they can use this kind of breathing to calm themselves when they are feeling a anxious or stressed.
Balloon Breathing Technique for Children
- Find a supportive seat for your child, ideally one with arms, and encourage them to sit up as straight as they can.
- Guide your child to:
- Put both their hands on their tummy.
- Then to keep their mouth closed and take a slow breath in through their nose.
- Encourage your child to imagine that, as they breathe in, there is a balloon in their tummy and they are trying to fill it up with air!
- Guide your child to keep breathing in until they think the balloon in their tummy has enough air inside! Don’t let them breathe in too far as they may find it hard to stay relaxed. Your child should feel their hands, on their tummy, moving outwards – point this out to them.
- When your child feels their ‘tummy balloon’ is full of air encourage them to imagine they have let go of the balloon, and the air is rushing out! Guide your child to breathe out slowly through their mouth (with pursed lips). They should now feel their hands are coming back towards their body.
- Guide your child to do 4-5 breaths like this then to breathe normally.
Tummy Breathing and Relaxation – Toddlers
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| Tummy breathing in sitting |
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| Tummy breathing lying down! |
- Find a comfortable place to either sit or lie down; making sure your back is well supported. If you are lying down you might find it more comfortable to bend your knees up a little and place a small pillow underneath.
- If you are sitting, shrug your shoulders up and then roll them down and back, this helps you to ‘open up your chest’ and release any tension held in your shoulders.
- Settle your toddler near to you, either on your lap or tummy, reassuring them by talking to them, giving them a hug and maybe giving them a toy to look at and hold.
- Take a slow breath in through your nose and let your tummy move outwards and upwards. (See full guidance on tummy breathing for adults at the beginning of this blog).
- If your toddler is lying on your tummy you will probably be able to gently move them upwards on your tummy!
- Then slowly breathe out, either through your nose or mouth, feeling your tummy move downwards. If your toddler is lying on your tummy they will move closer towards you.
- Only do 4-5 deep breaths in a row, then breathe normally for a few breaths before repeating the ‘tummy’ breaths. Doing too many breaths in a row can cause dizziness.
Other ‘Breathing Games’ to Play
Wind in White Sails
- For this activity you will need a couple of tissues, paper napkins or handkerchiefs.
- Find a comfortable place to sit on the floor and encourage your child to sit facing you.
- Show them what to do by:
- Dangling the tissue/hankie between yourself and your child
- Taking a deep breath in, and then
- Blowing out on the tissue to make it move.
- Now hold the other tissue in front of your child’s nose and mouth, making sure that you can still see each other, and encourage them to blow out on the tissue with you.
- If your child is younger give them time to work out what to do and repeat the game several times.
- If your child is older, you can progress this activity by encouraging them to ‘have a go’ at blowing out through their nose. Again show them what to do first, highlighting to them that you are blowing out through your nose, then support them to try whilst saying “Blow nose!”
Blowing Bubbles!
Playing a blowing game with ‘baby friendly bubbles’ is a great way to bring your child’s attention to their breath.
Benefits of Tatty Bumpkin’s Tummy Breathing Activity for You and Your Child or Toddler
Why this activity is Good for You!
As you take deeper, slower breaths you will automatically be slowing your heart rate. This in turn can help you to relax and feel calmer. Allowing yourself a few minutes of relaxation over the course of your day can often give your energy levels a boost.
Why this activity is Good for Your Child
As your child concentrates on ‘abdominal breathing’ and relaxes they will be:
1. Increasing their awareness of their breath and it's effect on their body. When your child takes deeper breaths, their breathing and heart rate will become slower and this in turn will help your child to calm down. Tummy breathing is a great skill to learn at a young age as it becomes harder to co-ordinate this movement as we get older.
2. Learning the skill of ‘relaxation’. It is never too early for your child to become more aware of how their body feels when they are ‘quiet’ for a while. When we relax we often find it easier to think – it is the same for your child. Perhaps encourage them to think back on their day and what they have done or maybe what they would like to do. Reflection & thinking time is vital for learning & helps develop an imaginative & creative mind. Your child will start to think not just ‘what is’ but ‘what if?!’ Leaders, artists & entrepreneurs all think creatively.
Why this Activity is Good for Your Toddler
- As you relax with your toddler, holding them close, you will be strengthening the bond between you both and establishing that close parent/child relationship. You and your toddler will be bonding in many different ways: by looking at each other, making sounds and listening to each other and even by moving together. But perhaps the most powerful way of bonding is via touch, quietly sitting or lying close to each other, so you can feel the rhythm of each other’s breathing and the warmth of your bodies. If your toddler finds it difficult to settle with you try:
- Being quiet together for just 30 seconds and then gradually building up this time during the day, as your toddler becomes used to being still with you
- Holding your toddler close to you whilst you are standing up, if they a not too heavy, gently sway side to side or move round the room. Maybe sing a lullaby song or nursery rhyme to help you both relax! See my blog on ‘Walking with your baby’ see http://tattybumpkinltd.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/carrying-your-baby-whilst-walking-to.html
So Remember Tatty Bumpkin Classes!
Because each Tatty Bumpkin adventure is carefully linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) the sessions not only enhance your child’s physical skills they also develop their communication, social and thinking skills. Find your local class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html.
Or, find out how you could be trained to deliver Tatty Bumpkin classes in your area at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html
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