tatty bumpkin-: March 2015

Monday, March 30, 2015

Have a Go at Seahorse! Tatty Bumpkin’s Kid’s Yoga Activity for this Week. It will give you a lovely stretch - perfect after too many Easter eggs!

This blog is written for Tatty Bumpkin By Sue Heron – Training Co-ordinator at Tatty Bumpkin and Paediatric Physiotherapist

In this blog we:

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

Tatty Bumpkin's Yoga Activity for the Week is Seahorse

This week Tatty Bumpkin goes on an adventure under the sea to help the poor mermaid find her precious jewel, on her way she meets a group of seahorses ....
Remember when you encourage your child to have a go at seahorse pose – try to do the pose with them or encourage brothers and sisters to join in. This is because:

Children, and definitely those under 3 years, learn new movements best by copying others.
Research is showing that toddlers and young children bond with their parents and ‘key people’ not only through touch but also by moving with them.
Seahorse pose gives you the chance to gently stretch your own back and activate your tummy muscles. Do check with a health professional before doing the pose if you have health concerns.

Swishing your seahorse tails!

Find a clear space on the carpet or a mat to lie down with your child. Make sure you both have space around you so you are not likely to bump into anything!

Take off your shoes and socks. This is because you will be get more sensory information through your feet if you do the pose barefoot.

Start the pose lying on your backs then bend your knees up so they are pointing up to the ceiling. Keep the soles of your feet on the floor and spread your arms out to either side- like seahorse fins.

Then let your knees rock gently over to one side. As your knees roll over to one side – let your feet roll in the same direction – but keep them in contact with the floor. See picture above.

Slowly bring your knees back to the middle and then rock them both over to the other side.

Note to adults – to protect your back only rock your knees over as far as is comfortable for you and if you feel any pain do stop. As you let your knees rock over to one side try to breathe out and tighten your tummy muscles. Take a few breaths with your knees over to one side, then breathe out as you rock your knees back to the middle. Remember to keep your feet on the floor – letting them roll side to side.

Adaptations of Seahorse Pose

Younger children may find it hard to follow the seahorse movement. So, when doing this pose for the first time with your child, gently guide their knees over to one side and then the other (never forcing the movement). Once your child has the idea, and you are comfortable to do so, try to do seahorse pose yourself, then your child can copy you.

Play Ideas - Make a Sensory Seahorse Garden!

If you find yourself inside this Easter why not have fun playing with your child in your very own underwater ‘seahorse garden’. This is a great way for your child to playfully work on their movement skills and refine their organisation of their senses.

Ideas for your ‘Seahorse Sensory Garden’

Safety first - Always use your own common sense about what objects are safe for your child to play with and supervise them closely during their play. Never leave your child alone, or with another child, with any of the objects suggested below. Carefully clear away any items which your child could hurt themselves on if they trip or fall. A good tip is to never put anything ‘soft’ or ‘uneven’ against anything ‘hard’ e.g. do not put the bath mat near to a table or chair – as your child might lose their balance on the mat and hurt themselves on the table.

Textured, anti-slip, bath mats – these encourage your young child to explore different textures with their hands and feet.
Blue and green ribbons (for seaweed) with little pots. Younger children will enjoy waving these and putting them in and out of the pots.
Lightweight blue material which your child can crawl under or you can use to drape over them to play peek-a-boo games!
Clean child nail brushes. Encourage your child to brush over their hands, arms and feet using these brushes. This game not only brings your child’s attention to different parts of their body – it also is great for developing early language skills i.e. can you brush your toes?
Different textured, coloured sea shells – rough and smooth - which your child can explore. Remember make sure these are a ‘safe’ size and always supervise your child as they play with them.
And, don’t forget, the great Tatty Bumpkin Dolphin song! This song is a great to listen to as you wallow in and swim around your undersea world. see https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/this-is-the-life/id376347823

Playing in an Underwater Garden!

Why Seahorse Pose is Good for Your Child

As your child does seahorse pose they will have the chance to:

1. Gently stretch out their back muscles
Seahorse pose gives your child the opportunity to stretch out their back muscles, especially the muscles of their lower back. These muscles can get stiff and tight after sitting for long periods.

2. Strengthen their tummy muscles
As your child rocks their knees from side to side in seahorse pose they will be strengthening their tummy muscles - as they lower their knees down to one side and then bring them back up to the middle

3. Increase their awareness of their ‘Midline’
As your child rocks their knees side to side they will be crossing the mid-line of their body.
The mid-line is an imaginary line which runs down the centre of our body – separating our right side from our left – see picture below. An important part of physical development is learning to ‘cross the mid-line’ smoothly and in a coordinated way. Children need to cross their mid-lines to progress all sorts of basic skills such as getting dressed or learning to draw or write.

The mid-line

The Tatty Bumpkin Adventure this Week

Improve their physical skills as they rock their seahorse tails side to side or stretch out as starfish.

Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they swim under the waves with the dolphins and seahorses and think how they can help the little mermaid find her jewel.

Progress their communication skills as they listen, and follow the actions, to the Tatty Bumpkin Dolphin song and talk about how it might feel to lose something.

But most of all, your child will have fun with others as they dance as dolphins, swish as seahorses and curl up as oysters!

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

A New Start with Tatty Bumpkin?
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

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.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

2015 Spring Term Week 11. Tatty Bumpkin’s Kid’s Yoga Activity for this Week is Bear – Activating tummy muscles and progressing balance skills ready for summer sports and games!

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 or toddler
Give you reasons why the Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity is beneficial for your child or toddler
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 Bear

This week Tatty Bumpkin goes on an adventure to visit the mountain bears – who are just waking up for Spring.
When encouraging your child to 'have a go' at bear pose – try to do the pose with them or encourage brothers and sisters to join in. This is because:

Children, and definitely those under 3 years, learn new movements best by copying others.
Research is showing that toddlers and young children bond with their parents and ‘key people’ not only through touch but also by moving with them.
Bear pose gives you the chance to activate and strengthen your tummy and hip muscles. Remember do check with a health professional before doing the pose if you have health concerns yourself.

Be a growly, stompy bear!

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

Take off your shoes and socks off as it is safer and easier to do bear pose barefoot. Your child is less likely to slip and will receive accurate sensory information through their feet of they are do bear pose barefoot.

Guide your child to stand opposite you with their legs about hip width apart.

Then bend forward yourself - from the waist and wrap your hands loosely round your calf muscles. These are the muscles that run up the back of your lower legs below your knees – See picture above. Tighten your tummy muscles as you bend forward as this will protect and support your back. Do not bend down too low and, if you feel any pain in your back do stop or see adaptation below. Guide your child to copy you.

In this 'bear pose position', take a few steps forward together - Remember to keep your hands round your calf muscles.

As you both get the idea of the pose try to take slightly larger, slower steps - this will help your child to refine their balance skills.

After a few steps straighten up, to stretch out your back, then walk on together, as a grumpy bears, making growling sounds!

Bear Yoga Activity Progression

See if your child can walk backwards or sideways in bear pose.

Adaptation of Bear Yoga Activity

This adaptation of the Bea Yoga activity is suitable for younger children or for those who are doing the poses for the first time.

Be stompy, growly bears together!

Guide your young child to stand opposite you and gain eye contact with them so they can copy your movements.

Lean forwards from the waist only this time, just put your hands on your knees - encourage your child to copy you. Once again tighten your tummy muscles as you lean forward as this will help you to support and protect your back.

You might want to do gentle (funny) growls and wriggle your nose – to get your child’s attention and to encourage them to copy you.

Then start walking round the room together, stomping your feet on the floor and taking slightly larger, slower steps. All the time keep encouraging your child to copy you. Both of you being bears going on a bear hunt…. After you have taken a few steps straighten up and take your hands off your knees to stretch your back out the other way.

Games to play Around Bear Pose

Bears Going Down the Mountain Path

You can make a pathway in a room or in the garden by placing non-slip spots or non-slip carpet squares on the floor. These will help your child to get the idea of taking bigger steps. Remember clear a space and to supervise your child or toddler closely whilst they do this activity to avoid any trips or falls.

Place the spots far enough apart so your child is encouraged to take bigger steps but close enough together so they feel confident to ‘have a go!’
For safety, and to give them confidence, it is a good idea to grade the activity for your child i.e.

To start with, don’t worry about walking on the spots in bear pose - instead hold your child’s hand to give them support and reassurance
As soon as you can, just give your child fingertip support and then see if they can take the bigger steps down the spots by themselves.
As your child does the activity on their own they will be developing a wide range of skills. Importantly, they will be learning how to automatically organise their body in anticipation of doing the activity - how to use their head, body, arms and legs in a mature way to keep their balance.
Finally encourage your child to have a go at walking down the line of spots or squares in bear pose.

The Bears Go Over the Mountain

Younger children often find it easier to do new actions whilst reciting a rhyme or singing a song. So, as you stomp round the room in bear pose together - sing the song -

“The bear goes over the mountain, the bear goes over the mountain, the bear goes over the mountain …to see what he can see! And all that he can see, and all that he can see is .. the other side of the mountain, the other side of the mountain, the other side of the mountain is … all that he can see!”

Why Bear Pose is Good for Your Child

As your child does bear pose they will have the chance to:

1. Gently stretch out muscles prone to tightness
Bear pose will give your child the opportunity to stretch out the muscles at the back of their legs i.e. their hamstring and calf muscles. Generally these muscles are prone to tightness as they are kept in a shortened position whilst your child is sitting – if your child is having a growth spurt they might be more prone to tightness.

2 Progress their core stability
Bear pose will help your child to strengthen their tummy and the hip muscles. These are key muscles for both good posture and balance.

3. Develop their sense of proprioception (body awareness)
Bear pose offers your child a great opportunity to increase their understanding of their body shape. They will draw on this awareness when they are learning more complex daily life skills such as getting dressed or sporting skills such as dance or football.

4. Refine their balance skills
To walk in bear pose your child has to shift their weight further over to each side as they move from one leg to the other, this will challenge their sense of balance.

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 into the mountains. Here they will visit the mountain creatures and the bears secret cave! In this story your child will have the chance to:

1. Improve their physical skills as they stomp as bears and roar as lions.

2. Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they imagine they are in the snowy mountains and think about the creatures who might live there.

3. Progress their communication skills as they listen, and follow the actions, to the Tatty Bumpkin Snake song and come with ideas on who might live in the mountain cave.

4. But most of all, your child will have fun with others as they stand together to be a big, snowy mountain range, stomp as bears, wriggle as snakes and then investigate the grasses and flowers in the bears cave,

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

A New Start with Tatty Bumpkin?

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

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.

Monday, March 16, 2015

2015 Spring Term Week 10. Tatty Bumpkin’s Kid’s Yoga Activity for this Week is Cockerel – Practise your 'early morning crows' ready for the hour change on Sun 29th!

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 or toddler
Give you reasons why the Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity is beneficial for your child or toddler
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 Cockerel

All this week – Tatty Bumpkin will be doing her cockerel Yoga pose in preparation for the time change on Sunday 29th March!

When encouraging your child to have a go at cockerel pose, try to do the pose with them or encourage brothers and sisters to join in. This is because:

Children, and definitely those under 3 years, learn new movements best by copying others.
Research is showing that toddlers and young children bond with their parents and ‘key people’ not only through touch but also by moving with them.
Cockerel pose will give you the chance to gently stretch out the muscles in your upper back, chest and shoulders – it's also good for your co-ordination! Remember do check with a health professional before doing the pose if you have health concerns.

Crow as a cockerel!!

Find a clear space on the carpet or a mat where you can sit or kneel with your child.

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 as it is safer and easier to do cockerel pose barefoot. Your child is less likely to slip and will receive accurate sensory information through their feet.

You can begin cockerel pose in either sitting or kneeling. Kneeling will be harder.
Put your hands on your waist, so your elbows are pointing out to each side - encourage your child to copy you!

Then move your elbows back and forth and up and down – once again encourage your child to copy you. Now you’re both cockerels flapping your wings!

Together, stretch your arms up above your head, bringing your palms together, then take them back down, in and arc, to your sides, just like big cockerel wings.

Repeat cockerel Yoga activity several times - don’t forget to crow “cockle-doodle-doo!” as you do the actions.

Would you Like to Make it Harder? Make a Cockerel’s Beak!

Make a cockerel beak with your arms.

Start in sitting, kneeling or standing – stretch out one hand out in front of you and place it on your apposite shoulder. Try to keep it there!

Now stretch your other hand and place it on your other shoulder.

Your arms should be crossing over the front of your body and your elbows should be pointing straight ahead – see picture below. This is your cockerel’s beak!

Open up your little beaks to crow 'Cockle-doodle-doo!'

Keeping this position - take your elbows apart then bring them back together in front of you – just like a cockerel opening and closing his beak – don’t forget to crow ‘Cockle-doodle – doo!’

Why Cockerel Pose is Good for Your Child and You!

As your child does Cockerel Yoga activity with you they will have the chance to:

1. Gently stretch out their chest and shoulder muscles
The actions of Cockerel pose make this pose the perfect antidote to screens or mobile phones - when your child may be sitting in a fairly slumped position with their arms held close to their chest. Cockerel Yoga activity encourages your child to move their arms the opposite way – so they stretch out their pectoralis muscles which run across the front of the chest.

2. Increase their awareness of both sides of their body
As your child flaps their cockerel wings – they will have to coordinate movements on both sides of their body. Your child will be using these basic foundation skills as they learn to write or type.

3. Enhance their 'Crossing Mid-line' Skills
The ‘mid-line’ is an imaginary line running down the middle of our body – separating the right side of our body form the left. Young children have to learn to cross this mid-line i.e. they have to learn that they can take their right arm and hand over to the left side of their body and their left arm and hand over to the right side of their body. When your child puts on their clothes or draws or writes they will have to cross the mid-line of their body may times – so it is useful for them to practice this movement in a fun, non-pressurised way,

4. Develop their Breath Control to Self-regulate and Calm
As your child practises their cockerel crows – they will be encouraged to take slower, deeper breaths. Deeper, slower breaths cause an automatic decrease in heart rate and blood pressure leading to a more ‘relaxed state’. So a few “cockle-doodle-doo's” may help your child to calm down if they are feeling worried or anxious about something – it will also, hopefully, make them smile!

Other Games to Play around Cockerel Yoga Activity

Make up your own actions to Tatty Bumpkin Cockerel Song!
This song is a favourite at Tatty Bumpkin! As well as being a great morning wake up song it really encourages listening skills – you can download the song from ITunes see https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/this-is-the-life/id376347823.

Cockle-doodle-doo!!

The Tatty Bumpkin Adventure this Week

Improve their physical skills as they flap their wings and settle on their nest in cockerel pose.

Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they imagine they are late and think about how they can help Tatty Bumpkin get to her party!

Progress their communication skills as they listen, and follow the actions, to the Tatty Bumpkin Cockerel song - then crow together as cockerels!

But most of all, your child will have fun with others as they fly as cockerels to the bug's party and then settle down to investigate all the different creatures that are there.

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

A New Start with Tatty Bumpkin?

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

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.

Friday, March 6, 2015

2015 Spring Term Week 8. Tatty Bumpkin’s Kid’s Yoga Activity for this Week was Rabbit – ‘Hop into Spring’ with this great activity for fine motor skills!

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 or toddler
Give you reasons why the Tatty Bumpkin Yoga activity is beneficial for your child or toddler
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 Rabbit

All this week, Tatty Bumpkin has been doing rabbit pose as she visits her bunny friends. Rabbit pose is a fun activity to try at home, and has loads of benefits for your child - see below.

When encouraging your child to have a go at rabbit pose – try to do pose with them, or encourage brothers and sisters to join in. This is because:

Children, and definitely younger children, learn new movements best by copying the actions.
Research is showing that toddlers and young children bond with their parents and ‘key people’ not only through touch but also by moving with them.
Rabbit pose is a great way to activate your own shoulder, tummy and hip muscles. Remember do check with a health professional before doing the pose if you have health concerns.

Hopping like a rabbit!

With your child, find a clear space on a carpet or mat. Do make sure you both have enough space around you so you are not likely to bump your heads!

Start by taking your shoes and socks off as it is safer and easier to do rabbit pose barefoot. Your child is less likely to slip and will gain accurate sensory information through their feet.

Squat down on the floor alongside each other....

Keeping your feet still, reach forwards with both your hands and place them on the floor in front of you.

Lean forwards so you are taking more weight onto your hands - then hop both your feet towards your hands.

Repeat the movement again to 'lollop' like a rabbit!

Note to parents: Younger children (under 4 years approx.) will find rabbit pose difficult as the movement sequence requires quite mature co-ordination skills.

If your child is younger encourage them to either:

Bend and straighten their knees whilst they are standing – the start of jumping or
To play in the ‘squat’ position – reaching down for toys on the floor and then putting them in little containers. Most young children can squat in a lovely position!

Get ready to hop!

Games to Play around Rabbit Pose

Place a scarf or streamer on the mat in front of your child and guide them to do rabbit hops over it. A green streamer could be 'spring grass', a blue streamer could be a river!

Your child will find the rabbbit pose easier if they have something to look at and jump over.

Remember to supervise your child closely with the scarf or streamer and never leave them alone with it.

Why Rabbit Pose is ‘Good For Me’?

When your child does rabbit pose, they will:

1. Activate their shoulder and tummy muscles

This means rabbit pose is an excellent prewriting activity, as strong, activated shoulder and tummy muscles are essential for writing i.e.

To sit with correctly your child needs to have active tummy muscles, otherwise they may tend to slump forwards.
If your child’s shoulder muscles are active and strong, they will use these muscles to support the weight of their arm, freeing their delicate hand muscles for writing. If their shoulder muscles are inactive or weak your child may try to support their whole arm with their hand muscles and this can lead to a very tight pencil grip and hand ache.

2. Improve their co-ordination skills

Rabbit pose requires your child to move their hands first and then their feet. This movement sequence is quite hard to do – but is an excellent way for your child to become more aware of their body and how they can move in different ways. This is one of the goals for physical development in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

3. Develop their visual skills for reading and writing

Your child will have to focus on the scarf or streamer as they hop over it, developing their visual skills. Your child will build on these early visual skills when they start to look at books and learn to read and write.

A Rabbit Poem for A Spring Weekend!

I loved this poem as a child – goodness knows who wrote it.

Remember to twitch your nose as you say it and get your rabbits and bunnies in the right order!

Rabbit Poem

There once was a rabbit who developed the habit of twitching the end of his nose,

His brothers and sisters, and various others, said, “Look at the way he goes!”

Now one clever bunny said “That’s very funny, I’ll practice it down in the dell”

The rest said, “If he can, we’re positive we can” – and they did it remarkably well!

Now all the world over, where rabbits eat clover and scribble and scratch with their toes,

There’s isn't a rabbit who hasn't the habit of twitching the end of his nose!

Our Tatty Bumpkin Classes

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.

A New Start with Tatty Bumpkin?

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

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

Disclaimer - Sue Heron is a Chartered Physiotherapist. The advice given in this article is not to replace medical advice from a physician or your paediatrician. Please consult their advice if you suspect any medical or developmental issues with your child. All activities are designed for complete adult supervision. Please use your own judgement with your baby or child and do not provide them with objects that could pose a choking hazard. Never leave a baby or child unattended during these activities. Tatty Bumpkin Ltd takes no responsibility for injury caused through actions taken as a result of using this article.