Leap into autumn with Tatty Bumpkin’s Frog Yoga Activity - to develop balance skills and manage 'levels of alertness'

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

Children need regular movement opportunities throughout their day; not only to develop key physical skills but also to help them refocus. Tatty Bumpkin frog pose can provide that great ‘movement break’ for your child!

Frog Pose – Tatty Bumpkin’s Yoga Activity for the Week 

• Try to do Frog pose  with you child – slowly and carefully - so they can copy you and join on the fun. Do respect your body though - if you know you have back or neck problems always consult a health professional. 

• Find a clear place on a non-slip surface (e.g. mat or carpet) - where you can do frog pose without bumping into anything with your head arms or legs. 

• Remember to take off socks and shoes – this will enable you and your child to use your feet effectively as you jump. 

• You can do Tatty Bumpkin Frog pose along to Tatty Bumpkin Frog Song. This song guides you to do 4 frog jumps in a row and then to take a rest, under the lily pad, before jumping once more! See http://bit.ly/1q2kqVQ. 

• Begin frog pose curled up together on the mat or carpet - as if you’re both hiding under lily pads. 

Curl up under your lily pad! 

• Now imagine you’re waking up - move into the kneeling position. 

• If your child is older, encourage them to balance on their feet to squat. 

• Then 1, 2, 3, … bounce on your toes and leap into the air, taking your arms above your head! That’s jump 1!!

Jump 1!

• If your child is 3 years or over, encourage them to do their frog jump without putting their hands on the floor – this is one the key physical skills identified in the Early Years Foundation Stage http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2015/09/4Children_ParentsGuide_Sept_2015v4WEB1.pdf 

Physical skills for children 22 - 36 months

• If your child is younger see if they can bend and straighten their knees to jump as frogs! 

Jumping as little frogs

• Come back down into squatting position and then jump up once more – jump 2!

• Do 2 more frog jumps (4 in total) then curl up again on your mats and pretend to hide once more under your lily pads. This curled position will help your child to calm after the excitement of the jumps. 

• After spending about 10 secs curled up - repeat your 4 frog jumps before finishing the activity in the curled position. 

Curl up once more under your lily pad!

Progressions for Frog Pose 

If your child is older they may want to ‘have a go’ at doing frog jumps forwards, backwards and sideways! 

Benefits of Tatty Bumpkin’s Frog Yoga Activity for Your Child 

Frog pose will give your child the opportunity to:

1. Strengthen their ‘core’ muscles 
As your child leaps as a frog, taking their arms above their head, they will be strengthening their gluteal (hip), abdominal, spinal and shoulder muscles. Your child needs these muscles to be strong and active so they can improve both their gross (whole body) and fine (hand) movement skills.

2. Strengthen their leg muscles 
Jumping will strengthen your child’s quadriceps (thigh), hamstrings, calf, ankle and foot muscles. Your child will be using their own body as a natural weight to ‘work’ these muscles. 

3. Develop their foot muscles 
As your child does Frog pose they will be stretching and strengthening their foot muscles in many ways: 

• Firstly they will be feeling the floor with their feet
• Then they will be using their feet to jump up from the floor 
• Finally they will be using their feet to land back down on the floor. 

4. Improve their balance skills
Staying still in the squatting position for a few seconds will challenge your child’s sense of balance. If your child is older encourage them to rock forwards onto the balls of their feet as they prepare to do their frog jump and to try and jump up and down without putting their hands on the floor.  

5. Raise and lower their ‘levels of alertness’
Jumping in frog pose will stimulate your child’s vestibular sense. This sense, stimulated by movement of the head, can be thought of as the ‘volume control’ for our bodies.  
As your child jumps up and down in frog pose - they will stimulating their vestibular sense -turning up their body’s volume - and hence feel more alert.  
As your child curls up under their lily pad with their head still - they will be quietening their vestibular sense - turning down their body’s volume and hence feel calmer.

Early experience of different states of alertness and moving between them will help your child to develop strategies for alerting and calming themselves when they need to. 

For further reading on the vestibular system and how it can help your child find that just right level of alertness see http://www.pillerchilddevelopment.com/literature/articles/2010/vestibularInput.php

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

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. 
  
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.

Relax and Calm with your child - Tatty Bumpkin Tummy Breathing Activity

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

Through all the rush of the new nursery and school year - support your child to cope with tiredness and anxiety by trying Tatty Bumpkin tummy breathing. 

We all need time to relax

A Bit about Breathing

We always have to breathe vital! But our breathing pattern alters in pattern and rhythm at different times of the day and in different emotional states, for example: sighing in despair, panting with exhaustion, holding our breath in fear and terror. 

Usually we breathe automatically, without thinking about it, but we can also alter our breathing pattern at will. 

Because of this unique relationship between our thinking and bodily processes, our breathing pattern can play an important  role in how much we are affected by stress. 

Indeed, breathing is one of the most sensitive indicators or warning signs of stress, because it is such a vital link between our minds and bodies. 

By consciously increasing our awareness about breathing and by practising breathing exercises it is possible to: 

• Improve our sense of well-being 
• Decrease our level of stress 
• Help to bring about interconnectedness between our minds and bodies.

We breathe in two different ways:

• Chest breathing 
• Abdominal (or diaphragmatic) breathing. 

Chest Breathing 

We usually chest breathe when we are exercising – we see our chest moving upwards and outwards. 
But if we constantly use chest breathing, it can make our body tense, as if it's under stress. This is because activated upper chest muscles can increase feelings of anxiety. 

Tummy (abdominal or diaphragmatic) Breathing 

The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle, which separates our chest and abdomen. 

When we breathe in (inhalation) - our diaphragm contracts, flattens and moves downwards, sucking air into our lungs. As our diaphragm moves down, it pushes our abdominal contents down, which forces our abdominal wall outwards. 

When we breathe out (exhalation) our diaphragm relaxes and air passes out of our lungs. Our abdominal wall moves upwards helping the air to flow out of our lungs. See picture below. 

Tatty Bumpkin Yoga Activity Tummy Breathing 

For 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 mind dwelling on upsetting thoughts or when you are experiencing pain. It's probably easier to learn abdominal breathing whilst lying down but once you get the hang of it you can do this form of breathing in sitting or standing. 

• Place one hand on your chest and the other on your tummy (abdomen). This will help you to gain an awareness of the movements of your chest and abdomen. See picture below for guidance on where to place your hands. 

• Start by taking a slow deep breath in through your nose imagining that you are sucking in all the air in the room and hold it for about 5-7 seconds  (or as long as you are able, do exceed 7 seconds).  As you breathe in the hand on your tummy should rise higher than the one on the chest. This insures that your diaphragm is pulling air into the bases of your lungs.

• Now slowly breathe out through your mouth for a count of 5-7 seconds. As you release the air from your lungs, gently tighten your tummy (abdominal) muscles to completely evacuate the remaining air from your lungs. You should now feel the hand on tummy moving downwards. See picture below. 

• It is important to remember that to take a deep breath  - we need to focus on breathing in, and then  make sure we have breathed out fully. Repeat the ‘cycle’ 3 – 4 times.  

Tummy Breathing and Relaxation – With Your Child 

• Find two toy ducks (the non – squeaky kind!) or similar toys and esttle down with your child on a soft carpet or mat.  You may wish 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 above show your child how you can make the duck on your tummy go up and down by only using your breath! 

• Some children 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 try and 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 they are lifting their duck up with their tummy. 
• 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. 

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 whilst sitting up or standing so that they can use this kind of breathing to calmed themselves when they are feeling a anxious or stressed. Below is an exercise your child can practise so they tummy breathe whilst sitting. 

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.
• Tell your child to imagine, as they breathe in, that there is a balloon in their tummy and they are trying to fill it up with air. 
• Encourage your child to keep breathing in until they think the balloon in their tummy has enough air inside! Don’t encourage your child to breathe in too much as they may then find it hard to stay relaxed. Your child should be feeling their hands on their tummy are 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 no feel their hands on their tummy are coming back towards their body. Guide your child to do 4-5 breaths like this then to breathe normally. 

Benefits of Tatty Bumpkin’s Tummy Breathing for You and Your Child 

Why Tummy Breathing is Good for You 

Abdominal breathing is the most efficient and relaxed way of getting enough air into your lungs.This type of breathing has two important effects on the body:

1. It is in itself relaxing compared to the ‘emergency mode’ breathing of the upper chest, which is an integral part of ‘fight or flight’ response to a stressful situation. 
2. It is typical of the regenerating processes such as when you are asleep, digesting food or the body is at peace.  

As you take deeper, slower breaths whilst practising abdominal breathing 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 Tummy Breathing 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 its 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. 

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

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. 

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. 

'Tatty Bumpkiners' celebrating their achievements! 

Wriggle into Autumn - Support your child’s nursery/classroom skills with Tatty Bumpkin's Snake Yoga Activity

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

We often think of tummy time for babies and little ones - but it's helpful for everyone! 
Giving children the opportunity to play games on their tummy can help their: sitting posture, balance skills in the play ground or on the sports field and their ability to focus. 

Tatty Bumpkin's Snake Pose 

• Find a clear place on a non-slip surface (e.g. mat or carpet) - where you and your child can do snake pose without bumping into anything with your head arms or legs! 

• Try to do snake pose along with you child – slowly and carefully so they can copy you. Do respect your body though - so if you know you have back or neck problems and always consult a health professional before you try the pose.

• Remember to take off socks and shoes – this will enable you and your child to use your feet effectively as you wriggle. 

• Okay lie down on the floor together – prop yourselves up on your forearms and ‘hiss’ at each other - this is snake pose great for encouraging speech and confidence. As your child props on their forearms they will be activating their neck, shoulder and hand muscles - they may also push up onto their hands. Activity in these muscles groups will help support their fine motor skills i.e. holding a pencil or crayon to draw or write. 

• Look all around – to your right and left - to find objects round the room. Then see what you can spy when you look gently upwards or back down to the floor in front of you. This activity will help your child to refine their head and eye movements. In the nursery or classroom your child will be able to draw on these skills as they start to look up to a white board and back down to their paper. 

• Now start to wriggle together – reaching forward with one arm and then the other. Once again your child will be working their shoulder muscles but they will also be using their back and tummy muscles more. To sit well your child needs both their tummy and back muscles to be active. 

• After you have wriggled a little way – stop - and have a think - are you moving your legs? Often we forget our legs when we wriggle! Encourage your child to move their opposite arm and leg to perfect their 'snakey wriggle' - they will then be strengthening their hip muscles and developing co-ordination skills. Why not wriggle and hiss to the Tatty Bumpkin snake song see https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/this-is-the-life/id376347823. 

• If your child is finding it hard to move both their arms and legs as they wriggle – break the activity down into smaller steps. For example:
• Guide your child to lie on their tummy with their elbows bent so they are propping on their forearms - as in snake pose. 
• Encourage them to move their right elbow forwards a little way and then to roll onto their right side.  
• As they roll to the right guide your child to look to their left – almost automatically they should bend up their left leg. 
• Try the same movements only on the other side I.e. encourage your child to roll back into snake pose - but this time guide them to move their left elbow forwards,  then to roll onto their left side and to look to the right – this should encourage their right leg to bend up. 
• Guide your child to repeat the rolls – whilst moving their elbow, body, head and opposite leg - then see if they can link them together to commando crawl.

• Wriggle forwards and backwards then take a rest and just wave your ‘snakey’ tail. Bend up your knees so your feet are up in the air and gently sway both feet from side to side.  Once again this activity is great for tummy, back and hip muscles but it also helps your child to become more aware of the ‘middle’ of their body and how they can take their legs (and arms) across this middle section to the other side. This ability is often known as ‘crossing the midline’ – just think how many times your child will be using this skill to dress themselves in the morning! 

• After you have wriggled as snakes – curl up the other way to be a mouse or maybe a rock for the snake to hide behind! This movement makes sure you have stretched your back and neck the other way to snake pose - helping to release the back and neck muscles you have been working. 

Curl up as a mouse!

If you want to read more about tummy time games and activities for young children I recommend this free New Zealand activity leaflet see http://www.sportnz.org.nz/assets/Uploads/attachments/managing-sport/young-people/Tummy-Time-Rolling-and-Crawling.pdf

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

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. 

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. 

Back to school and nursery? Support your Child’s Independence with Tatty Bumpkin's Tree Yoga Activity.

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

A recent survey into skills for starting school found that 75% of parents felt they would like their child to be as independent as possible in their self-care. See ‘WHAT DOES “SCHOOL READY” REALLY MEAN?’ Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years 2013 https://www.pacey.org.uk/Pacey/media/Website-files/school%20ready/School-Ready-Report.pdf 

Tatty Bumpkin Tree Yoga activity is a fun way for your child to progress their balance skills – these skills provide the foundation for many basic school activities. For example with improved balance your child will be more able to: 

• Go up/down stairs safely and quickly in crowded situations
• Change quickly into/out off  their PE kit 
• Try new activities in the playground or on the sports field. 

Tatty Bumpkin Tree Pose 

Start by being a tree swaying in the wind

• Find a clear place on a non-slip surface (e.g. mat or carpet) where you can do tree pose without bumping into anything.Take off socks and shoes – so your child can get accurate sensory information through their feet. 
• Try to do tree pose along with you child – slowly and carefully so they can copy you. Your child will love to do the activity with you – great for bonding! Remember, if you have any concerns about doing tree pose i.e. you have back pain or are pregnant do consult a health professional first. 
• Start by guiding your child to stand with their feet hip width apart, stretching their arms out to either side – these are branches! 
• Now imagine the wind is starting to blow – together take a few deep breaths and blow out softly. Then gently sway your bodies side to side! See below for why this is an important step. 
• After a few sways side to side, have a go at taking one foot off the floor. Either rest the sole of your raised foot against the calf of your other leg (as in the picture below) of just hold it off the ground by bending your knee on front.

Tatty Bumpkin Tree Pose

• If your child is tending to squeeze their thighs together, or wrap one leg round the other, to gain extra stability try some of the activities suggested below. 

Spark imagination to make Tree Pose fun and engaging for your child

Tree pose is essentially about standing on one leg. However, crucially, many children will feel far more motivated to try being a ‘big tree in the jungle’ or ‘an apple tree in an garden’ rather than to just keep trying over and over again to stand on one leg! 

To make Tree pose more engaging for your child, give them two apples to hold in their outstretched hands - then they become an apple tree! The weight of the apples will also help your child to become more aware of their arm movements - which will help them to balance.

Tatty Bumpkin Apple Tree

Tree Pose in Small Steps! 

When trying to do Tree pose (stand on one leg) young children often don’t realise that the first thing they have to do is to move most of their weight onto one leg. This is a crucial step - below are a few useful tips on how to encourage this weight shift:

• Be a tree in the wind. Start Tree pose by encouraging your young child just to sway side to side with their arms out wide – like a tree in the wind. Whilst they do this they will be automatically learning how to transfer their weight from one side to the other. Start with little side to side movements then see if your child can move further to each side! 

• Be a tree on a hill! Place a low sturdy box, or a pile of 1-2 big books, in front of your child- on a non-slip surface - to make a low step. Encourage your child to step up with one foot onto their 'step'. See if they can hold this position for a few seconds - then guide them to bring their foot back down. To start with you may wish to give your child support as they step up/down. See note below on how to do this. This stepping activity helps your child to learn the subtle weight shifts they have to do to stand on one leg and to negotiate stairs. Start with a low step then increase the height a little as your child gains in confidence. Once they have had a go at stepping up/down with one leg see if they can do the same thing with their other leg. 

• Offer support by holding the trunk of the tree! Your child may well need some extra support as they try to do Tree pose for the first time. If this is the case, rather than holding their hands, kneel down alongside your child and support them by holding them round their hips. If you support your child in this way they will be able to use their arms to balance – much more normal. 

• Be a tree with tiny roots! If your child is getting the idea of moving their weight onto one leg, but has not yet mastered taking one foot completely off the ground, see if they can do Tree pose with one foot flat on the ground and just the toe of their other foot on the ground. They can rest the heel of their raised foot against their main supporting foot. 

Tree Pose Progressions 

Remember you can practice Tree Yoga activity throughout the day. For example, you can be a tree: 

• Whilst standing in a supermarket queue! 
• Just after you have brushed your teeth (using the sink for support if needs be)
• When you are passing a tree whilst out for a walk. Pick up two leaves, hold them out wide in each hand -  then copy the tree you are next to. 

Practice little and often is the best way to learn a new skill! 

Maths and Tree Pose 

For a nice maths activity which could be played whilst doing Tree pose see  http://www.fantasticfunandlearning.com/falling-apples-fall-addition-activity.html



Love Tatty Bumpkin x


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. All our sessions are linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Scottish Pre-birth to 3 years and Curriculum for Excellence. 

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.