2015 Spring Term Week 7. Tatty Bumpkin’s Kid’s Yoga Activity for this Week is Penguin – A workout for the feet!

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

In this blog I:

• Describe how to do a Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity with your child 
• Give you reasons why the Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity is beneficial for your child 
• Give you some ideas on progressions for the activity and games you can play around the activity. 

This week’s Tatty Bumpkin Yoga Activity is Penguin

Try to do Penguin pose with your child, or encourage brothers and sisters to join in, as: 

• Children, especially younger children, learn new movements best by copying others
• Research is now showing that young children bond with their parents and ‘key people’ not only through touch but also by moving with them.
• Penguin pose is a great way to activate your own foot and ankle muscles. Remember do check with a health professional before doing the pose if you have health concerns. 

Waddling as a Penguin!

• Find a clear space on a carpet or mat. Make sure you both have space around you so you are not likely to bump into anything! 

• Start by taking your shoes and socks off. It is better and easier for your child to do Penguin pose pose barefoot as they will be able to bend their ankles and feet properly and will receive accurate sensory information through their feet. 

• Start by standing up tall together and wriggling your feet into the carpet or mat – so you can really ‘feel’ your toes! 

• Then rock back on your heels so your toes and the balls of your feet are off the floor. 

• Keep balancing on your heels and see if you can shuffle forwards, backwards or even sideways together like penguins. 

• Hold your arms into your sides and turn your hands upwards - like little penguin wings!

Want to make it Harder? 

Find a bean bag, soft ball or even a pair of rolled up socks and see if you can balance it on the top of your feet in Penguin pose – just like a penguin carrying an egg! 
Remember to use your common sense about what may be dangerous for your young child. Whilst they are playing with the egg props, supervise them closely and NEVER leave them unattended, or with another child.

Other Games to Play as Penguins 

Collecting Eggs – Penguin style! 

• Gather a range of props which you can safely use as ‘eggs’ e.g. bean bags, soft tennis balls, rolled up pair of socks or sensory balls. Place them in the middle along with a few plastic bowls, baskets or trays of different sizes. 
• Encourage your child to sit down, with their feet out in front of them. Guide them to put their hands on the floor behind their back so they can lean backwards onto their hands and lift their feet in the air. 
• Once they have the idea of this movement – see if your child can pick up the egg props using only their feet. They will have to wrap their feet around the prop and use their hands to support themselves. 
• Remember the cautions outlined above when using props. 

Gathering 'eggs'!

If your child is younger you can make the game easier by giving them something they can balance their egg prop on e.g. a wooden spoon or play saucepan. Then encourage them to place their egg prop into a bowl. 
This is a great activity for progressing eye-hand co-ordination and fine motor skills. 
Once again always use your common sense about what may be dangerous for your young child. Whilst they are playing with the egg props, supervise them closely and NEVER leave them unattended, or with another child.

Having fun with 'eggs' whilst developing fine motor (hand), eye-hand and concentration skills! 

Why Penguin Yoga Activity is ‘Good for Me’

Penguin pose will help your child to: 

1. Strengthen their tummy muscles 
As your child lifts the balls off their feet off the floor they will automatically be activating and strengthening their tummy muscles. Strengthening these muscles will help you children to be more stable and balanced in the sitting position and this will aid their fine motor skills. 

2. Progress their balance skills
As your child shuffles in penguin pose, with only their heels on the floor,  they will be gently challenging their balance skills as they try to keep themselves steady.

3. Gently stretch out their calf muscles
Penguin pose will give your child an excellent calf muscle stretch (the calf muscles are the ones running up the back of the lower leg). This pose is ideal, fun activity if your child has a tendency to walk on their tiptoes. 

4. Improve their co-ordination skills, especially eye foot co-ordination 
Waddling in penguin pose with the ‘egg prop’ on your feet is a fun way to improve eye hand and foot co-ordination skills! 

5. Strengthen their intrinsic foot and ankle muscles 
As your child picks up the egg props with their feet they will be actively using their foot and ankle muscles. It is important for your child to have the chance to exercise their smaller foot muscles, especially whilst they are barefoot. 

The Tatty Bumpkin Adventure this Week

Remember, for you and your child to gain the full benefit of all the Tatty Bumpkin Yoga and multi-sensory 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 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. All the Tatty Bumpkin stores are aligned to the Early Years Foundation Stage this means the sessions not only enhance your child’s physical skills they also develop their communication, social and thinking skills.

If your child is going to a Tatty Bumpkin class this week they will go on an adventure with Tatty Bumpkin to help the penguin’s make pancakes! On this adventure your child and will have a chance to: 

• Improve their physical skills as they activate their foot and ankle muscles in penguin pose and balance in cockerel pose. 

• Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they imagine they are penguins at the South Pole and think about what to put in their pancakes! 

• Progress their communication skills as they listen to and follow the actions of Tatty Bumpkin Cockerel song and count the number of eggs they have collected. 

• But most of all, your child will have fun with others as they make a giant trampoline altogether to bounce Tatty Bumpkin and the Penguin back to the South Pole! 

Bouncing Penguin home!!! 

A New Start with Tatty Bumpkin in 2015? 

Or, maybe, you are thinking of a new career for 2015, which gives you:

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

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. 

Love Tatty Bumpkin x