Tatty Bumpkin’s Crab Yoga activity is great for self-regulation and concentration 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. 

In all the Tatty Bumpkin poses we encourage parents and carers to do the pose along with their child. This is because children learn a great deal from watching, they also ‘bond’ which other people when they are moving with them, and finally it gives you a chance to have a break and a stretch!

This week’s Tatty Bumpkin Yoga Activity is Crab

Crawl as crabs along the seashore! 

Pose Pointers!

• Firstly find a non-slip mat or an area of carpet where you can both do the pose. Make sure you both have enough room around you to avoid bumps and knocks. 

• Take off your socks and shoes- it’s far better to do crab pose with bare feet. Barefoot your child will slip less and will be able to do the pose more accurately. Interestingly we rely on sensory information passed up through the soles of feet to balance.  

• Sit down alongside your child with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor – encourage your child to copy you. 

• Show your child how they can place their hands flat on the floor behind them and then lean back onto their hands to wave their feet in the air. 

• Once your child has the idea of taking weight through their arms, encourage them to keep their feet on the floor, as they lean back on their arms, and to then push up through their feet so they are lifting their bottom and hips off the floor. Show your child the movement so they can copy you. 

• Now you should both only be balancing on your hands and feet in crab pose! 

A cluster of crabs on the sand!!

Progressions for Crab Pose 

• Encourage your child to try walking like a crab, forwards, backwards, even sideways!!

• Play crab football with your friends using a soft foam or lightweight ball!        

Footballers play crab football to improve their skills

Younger children

• Guide your child to lie down on the mat or carpet with their knees bent and feet flat on the floor. 

• Then encourage them to lift their bottom off the floor. You may need to help your child to bend their knees and position their feet flat on the floor so they get the idea of pushing up through their feet to lift their bottom off the floor. 

• To make this activity fun, pass toys underneath! Whilst they are playing with the suggested props supervise your child closely and NEVER leave them unattended, or with another child. 

Baby crab creeping on the sand!

Why Crab Pose is Good for your Child

Crab pose will give your child the opportunity to:

1. Activate and strengthen their hip muscles
Crab pose is excellent for strengthening your child’s ‘gluteal’ muscles around their hips. Strong, active gluteal muscles improve balance skills for sport and may even help to prevent a ‘knock kneed’ standing and walking position in later life. 

2. Activate and strengthen their ‘shoulder’ muscles
Active shoulder muscles help your child to control their arm for writing.

3. Gently organise themselves to focus
As your child does crab pose they will be stimulating a body sense called ‘proprioception’. 

A word on the 'body sense' - PROPRIOCEPTION
Our proprioceptive sense tells us about the position of our body. Tiny receptors, deep in our muscles and joints tell us if our muscles are squeezed or stretched or if our joints are bent or straight.

Why is it important for your child? 
The proprioceptive sense is often called the ‘safe sense’ by paediatric physiotherapists and occupational therapists. This is because when this sense is stimulated it can either gently alert or calm your child - either way helping them to feel more grounded. Therefore doing 'proprioceptive rich' activities with your child can help them to re-focus if they are bored or to ‘calm their mind’ if they are overexcited.

Examples of 'Proprioceptive Rich' Activities
Most ‘heavy work ‘activities - which require muscle effort -  will stimulate the proprioceptive sense. For example your child may love to sweep the drive or front room, maybe they can help you to pull the wheelie rubbish bins or help you push a chair back in place.  Lifting and carrying objects are also great proprioceptive rich activities. 
In crab pose your child has to lift their body weight off the floor using their own arm and leg muscles. 

Proprioceptive rich - 'hard work' activities 

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 (England) and  the Curriculum for Excellence (Scotland) 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 have the chance to: 

1. Improve their physical skills as they move in different ways in crab, dog and air-plane poses.

2. Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they imagine they are by the sea and visiting the ‘fun day’ with crab!   

3. Progress their communication skills as they listen, creep and crawl to Tatty Bumpkin crab song and tell everyone what kind of dog they are going to be. 

4. But most of all, your child will have fun with others as they fly on the air-plane roundabout and ‘have a go’ at the coconut shy! 

Relaxing after the Crab adventure!! 

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.