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 

2015 Spring Term Week 6. Tatty Bumpkin’s Kid’s Yoga Activity for the Week is Dolphin – A great way to strengthen key muscle groups!

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. 

Tatty Bumpkin Dolphin Yoga Activity 

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

• Children, and definitely those under 3 years, 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.
• Dolphin pose can help you to strengthen and tone tummy muscles.
  Remember to check with a health professional before doing the pose if you have health concerns and especially if you have back issues. 

Diving as dolphins!

• Find a clear space on the carpet or a mat - make sure you both have space around you so you don't  bump your heads! 

• Start by taking off your shoes and socks. Your child will benefit from doing dolphin pose barefoot as then they will be able to flex their toes properly and will receive accurate sensory information through their feet. 

• Lie down on your tummy, with your child. Bend your knees up under your body so that you are resting on your forearms encouraging your child to copy you. Guide your child to clasp their fingers together in front. 

• Together, rock forwards and backwards on your knees so you are moving your noses back and forth. Just like dolphin diving in the waves! See picture above. 

• After doing the Dolphin Yoga activity, rest back on your heels and curl up in mouse pose To stretch your back the other way -– see picture below. 

Curl up in mouse pose

Dolphin Pose for Younger Children

• Find some blue ribbons or lengths of fabric - ideally 2 for you and 2 for your young child. Make sure the ribbons are short enough so your child does not trip over them and they are not able to wrap them round their neck. 

• Take off shoes and socks, for the reasons outlined above, and find a clear place to dance! 

• Put on Tatty Bumpkin Dolphin song or a song with a good beat. You can download Tatty Bumpkin dolphin song from iTunes see https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/this-is-the-life/id376347823.

• Encourage your child to wave their ribbons up and down to the beat of the song, bending their knees and stretching up tall as they do so. Your child can also do this in sitting. 

• Help your child develop their early communication skills by saying, “Your ribbon is up” as they wave their ribbons up in the air or “Your ribbon as down” as they wave their ribbon downwards  

Why Dolphin Yoga Activity is ‘Good for Me’

Dolphin pose will help your child to: 

1. Strengthen 'core' muscles for good posture and early writing skills
Dolphin Yoga activity will help your child to strengthen their ‘core muscles’ i.e. their shoulder, back, abdominal and hip muscles. Active and strong ‘core’ muscles lead to a good sitting posture. Dolphin posture focuses on the shoulder muscles, so this pose is especially helpful for aiding fine motor skills like writing.  

2. Regulate or manage their ‘levels of alertness’ 
As your child uses their muscles to lift their body off the floor and rocks their head back & forth in dolphin pose they will be stimulating their 'body senses' - this has a direct impact on their overall level of alertness. If they rock slowly, this can help your child to calm and 'oraganise' themselves, if they do faster rocks  this will help them become more  alert. 

3 Refine their visual tracking skills for classroom/whiteboard skills 
In dolphin pose your child will be looking up, straight ahead and then down to the floor - moving their eyes up and down. In the classroom, your child will have to move their eyes in a similar way - as they look up to the whiteboard and then down to a book. 

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 little dolphin learn to squeak! On this adventure your child and will have a chance to: 

• Physically, develop their ‘core’ muscle strength as they swim as dolphins. 

• Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they remember the instructions to the dolphin’s house and come up with own ideas on how to help the little dolphin to squeak!

• Progress their communication skills as they talk about the things they would take with them to the beach and listen to the words of Tatty Bumpkin dolphin song. 

• But most of all, your child will have fun with others as they row their boats and imagine they are a tickling octopus! 

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 

Disclaimer: Sue Heron is a Certified Physiotherapist.  The advice given in this blog 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 objects that could pose a choking hazard to babies or young children. Never leave a baby or child unattended during these activities. Please be aware of, and follow all age recommendations on all products used in these activities. Tatty Bumpkin Ltd takes no responsibility for injury caused through actions taken as a result of using this blog. 

2015 Spring Term Week 5. Tatty Bumpkin’s Kid’s Yoga Activity for this Week is the Gloomy Cloud – a playful way to explore emotions.

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 Gloomy Cloud

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

• Children, and definitely those under 3 years, 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.
• The Gloomy Cloud pose allows you to give time to how you are feeling – in a playful way.

A 'Gloomy Cloud' ...but not for long...

• Sit in a comfortable position on the floor with your child. Think about gently straightening your back and letting your shoulders drop away from your ears so they feel relaxed. Encourage your child to copy you. 

• Do a ‘sad’, 'gloomy' face together and imagine you are feeling sad all over - slump your shoulders and make your bodies droopy! 

• Take a deep breath in and let the air out in a big sigh whilst puffing out your cheeks. 

• Now imagine you are happy, sit up tall again, push out your chest and smile your biggest smiles at each other!

Happy Cloud!!

Progressions

Look in a mirror with your child and encourage them to do different facial expressions. Can you make a ‘cross’ face or a ‘shy’ face together? Did you know that if you make a smiley face and giggle, it makes you feel happy!

Happy/Sad Cloud Peek-a-boo!  

A good game for younger children. Find a clean handkerchief – this is your ‘cloud and play peek-a-boo with your baby doing different expressions. If your child is younger remember to use your common sense about what may be dangerous for them – and never leave them unattended if you feel they could harm themselves with the prop. 

'Cloud peek-a-boo'

Why Gloomy Cloud Yoga Activity is ‘Good for Me’

Whilst doing Gloomy Cloud pose, your child can:

1. Develop their communication skills
By taking the time to get close to your child, and encouraging them to look at your face, you will be supporting them to:

• Look closely at people’s faces. This will help your child to understand the needs of other people as they get older. 

• Focus on different facial expressions so they start to understand what they mean. Older children can learn the words for more complex emotions e.g. 'excited' or 'shy'   by having a go at the appropriate ‘face’. 

• Listen to people. Listening skills are vital for young children so they can start understand the world around them and it is never too early to start! The Early Years Foundation Stage 2014 suggests that from the age of about 2.5 yrs - a child ‘Listens to others one to one or in small groups, when conversation interests them’.

• Take turns. Being able to ‘take turns’ in a conversation i.e. speaking, then waiting for the other person to speak is another crucial social skill. 

2. Explore their emotions – especially their funny side! 
Recent findings highlight how humour is vital for our well-being and plays a critical role in building and maintaining relationships, emotional health, and cognitive function. http://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/5/1784.full.
Through using emotional gestures & words in symbolic play, your child becomes more aware of their own feelings & those of others, and can practise expressing their own feelings to others.  

Happy together!

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 Gloomy Cloud understand he can make everyone laugh! On this adventure your child and will have a chance to: 

• Physically, develop their balance and co-ordination as they jump as horses and become cloud shaped frogs! 

• Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they come up with own ideas on how to help the Gloomy Cloud and suggest animal shapes for him to be. 

• Progress their communication skills as they listen, and follow the movements, to the Tatty Bumpkin ‘Sun Salutation’ song. 

• But most of all, your child will have fun with others as they hop together as rabbit shaped clouds and whizz across the sky in a giant cloud train. 

A cloud train! 

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. 

Tatty Bumpkin and the butterflies!

Love Tatty Bumpkin x 

2015 Week 4 Spring Term - Tatty Bumpkin’s Kid’s Yoga Activity for this Week is Crocodile. A fun way for your child to progress essential co-ordination 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 ideas on progressions for the activity and games you can play around the activity. 

This week’s Tatty Bumpkin Yoga Activity is Crocodile Pose

Snap as a hungry crocodile!

Ideally, try to do Crocodile pose with your child, or encourage brothers and sisters to join in, as: 

• Children, and definitely those under 3 years, 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.
• Crocodile pose will give you a chance to stretch out your back and upper chest muscles.  Remember though, if you have issues with your muscles or joints, do check with a health professional to make sure that this pose is appropriate for you. If you know your back is vulnerable be very careful and only do the ‘snapping’ actions on your side! 

How to do Crocodile Yoga Activity

• Find a space on a carpet or mat where you and your child can safely stretch out and roll as crocodiles. 
• Take off your shoes and socks. So you can feel your feet … 
• Lie on your tummies – facing each other and do a gentle smile to show off your crocodile teeth! 
• Stretch your arms out in front of you, keeping your palms together and roll over onto one side.
• Take your hands and arms apart a little way – then bring your palms together to ‘Snap’!  
• After you have a done several snaps on one side, roll over and do a few more snaps o your other side!! 
• If your child is younger – start the activity by lying on your side facing your child and encourage them to lie on their side as well - so they are facing you. See picture below. In this position you can gently guide your young child’s arms into a snapping action. Once they have the idea – they can then do the snaps by themselves – copying you. 

Snap, snap, snap!!

To Progress Crocodile Yoga Activity 

Imagine you are a crocodile in the river, catching a fish!  

• Cut out a ‘fish’ shape out of card or spongy paper and thread a piece of string through one end . Make sure your fish is big enough so it is not a choking hazard for your child and never leave your child unattended with the fish prop. 

• As your child does crocodile pose on their tummy, dangle the fish in front of their out-stretched hands and encourage them to reach up and snap at it! See your child can catch the fish between their hands. This great activity helps your child improve their eye-hand co-ordination and it is fun as well! 

Why Crocodile Pose is Good for Your Child

As you do crocodile yoga activity with your child they will have a chance to: 

1. Develop their body balance and co-ordination for sporting and classroom skills  
As your child rolls on their side in crocodile pose they will: 

• Become more aware of the right and left hand sides of their body. This will help them to progress their general coordination skills. Your child will use these basic skills when they do sports such as football or dance or when sit down to draw or write. 

• Increase the activity in their shoulder, back, tummy and hip muscles - their ‘core muscles’. Strengthening and increasing awareness of these muscle groups will improve your child’s sitting posture and help their hand skills. 

2. Develop their awareness of the 'midline' of their body - for dressing quickly! 
As your child brings their palms together to ‘snap’ as a crocodile, they will be increasing their awareness of their ‘middle’. As zips and buttons tend to be placed in the middle of clothing – crocodile Yoga activity can help your child with their dressing skills. 

3. Develop their eye –hand coordination - for sporting skills and reading and writing
As you child snaps for the fish prop they will be refining their both their eye-hand co-ordination and their visual tracking skills. Not only are these skills useful for sports they are also key for reading and writing. 

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 find the crocodile in the river. On this adventure your child and will have a chance to: 

• Physically, develop their balance and co-ordination as they roll as crocodiles, stomp as elephants and tiptoe as giraffes!! 

• Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they come up with own ideas on how to cross the river safely.

• Progress their communication skills as they listen, and follow the movements, to the Tatty Bumpkin Crocodile song and tell Tatty Bumpkin how they plan to cross the river. 

• But, best of all, your child will have fun with others as they snap and smile as crocodiles or make an elephant train altogether! 

Having fun as elephants! 

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. 

Enjoying life with Tatty Bumpkin! 

Love Tatty Bumpkin x

Regular Naps to Boost your Baby's Learning

 by Sue Heron Head of Training Tatty Bumpkin Ltd

Researchers, at the Sheffield and Ruhr University Bochum in Germany, taught 216, 6 -12 month old babies 3 new tasks which involved playing with hand puppets. See http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/01/08/1414000112.abstract

Jane Herbert doing the study see https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/research

• Half the babies slept within four hours of learning, while the rest either had no sleep or napped for fewer than 30 minutes.

• The following day, the babies were encouraged to repeat the tasks they had been taught. On average: 

• The babies who had a long nap (30 mins or over) within 4 hours after doing the 3 new tasks could repeat 1.5 of them 

• The babies who had no nap, or only a short one, after doing the 3 tasks could not remember any of them

Jane Herbert, from the department of psychology at the University of Sheffield, told the BBC News website see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30776745 that previously it had been assumed that "wide-awake was best" for learning, but instead it "may be the events just before sleep that are most important" and that the findings showed "just how valuable" reading books with children before sleep could be.

Dr Herbert added: "Parents get loads of advice, some saying fixed sleep, some flexible, these findings suggest some flexibility would be useful, but they don't say what parents should do." .... 

Other Thoughts

James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30776745 previously reported that:

• A study last year showed how new connections between brain cells formed during sleep see http://www.sciencemag.org/content/344/6188/1173

• Prof Derk-Jan Dijk, a sleep scientists at the University of Surrey, said: "It may be that sleep is much more important at some ages than others, but that remains to be firmly established." He said: 
• "Babies should definitely get enough sleep" to encourage learning, but concentrating learning just before bedtime may not be best. 
• "What the data show is sleeping after training is positive, it does not show that being sleepy during training is positive.

In Conclusion 

Sleep, and the importance of sleep, seems to be attracting more and more research in recent years. I am sure we do not give it the priority it deserves in our own, and our babies' and children's, busy lives. 

Our Baby and Tatty Bumpkin sessions always end with a relaxation time where babies and children are encouraged to be still and calm. 

Info on Tatty and Baby Bumpkin Classes 

Find your local Baby or Tatty Bumpkin class at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/classes/find-class.html or learn how you can be part of our network at http://www.tattybumpkin.com/business/index.html

2015 Week 1 Spring Term - Tatty Bumpkin’s Kid’s Yoga Activity for this Week is Starfish!

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

Happy New Year to everyone from Tatty Bumpkin! 

Did you know recent research shows that doing even gentle exercise, such as Yoga, can help you lose weight and keep healthy? See some interesting articles on Yoga currently in the news http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/05/yin-yoga-calm-mind-stretch-body-slow and http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/dec/16/yoga-may-provide-similar-health-benefits-to-cycling-or-brisk-walking. 

So why not bring a little Yoga activity into your day whilst having fun with your child and helping them to improve their physical and learning skills! 

In this weekly 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 Starfish Pose

Ideally, try to do Starfish pose with your young child, or encourage brothers and sisters to join in, as: 

• Children under 3 years mostly 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.
• Starfish pose will give you a chance to stretch out your upper chest and shoulder muscles! 

Remember if you have issues with your muscles or joints - do check with a health professional first to make sure that this pose is appropriate for you. 

How to do Starfish Yoga Activity

• Find a space on a carpet or mat where you and your child can safely move and balance without being in danger of falling on anything. 

• Take off your shoes and socks. Children under 3 years largely keep their balance by looking where they are in relation to objects around them. However, from about 4 years, children start to use their ‘body senses’ to balance. If your child does starfish pose with bare feet they will get accurate, sensory information though the soles of their feet to help them to balance. 

• Start by standing opposite your child with your feet hip width apart and your arms by your side. Imagine you are on a beach and take a few deep breaths of the sea air. 

• Now pretend to ‘go for a walk (or run) on the beach’ and walk, or jog, on the spot for a few seconds. 

• Then imagine you spy a starfish lying on the sand! On a ‘1, 2, 3,’ jump or step your feet apart and stretch your arms out to either side. Encourage your child to copy you. 

• You are now both five limbed starfish stretched out on the beach!

• With your child, try to hold the starfish position for at least 10 – 20 seconds - so you both get the benefit of the stretch.

• After the stretch bring your legs and arms back to the starting position. Walk or run on the spot for a few seconds as before, before imagining you see another starfish on the beach. Then ‘1, 2, 3’.. spring, or step, into starfish pose again. 

• Repeat the walking and starfish pose sequence a few times so your child gets the idea and you have a gentle, stretchy workout! 

To Progress Starfish Yoga Activity 

Imagine your starfishes want to say ‘hello’ to one another and wave with each of their starfish arms. 
Start by facing each other in starfish pose.

• Firstly wave your hands one at a time –- these are two of your five starfish arms. 
• Then gently nod your head to one another – this is your third starfish arm. 
• Finally, wave your feet at each other by standing on one leg and then the other – these are your fourth and fifth starfish arms!  This is a great way to develop your child’s balance skills and it also gently activates your own core muscles. 

Why Starfish Pose is Good for Both You and Your Child

As you do starfish yoga activity with your child you will both have a chance to: 

1. Gently stretch out your back, arm and leg muscles for a good posture 

• Starfish pose will give both your child and you a lovely ‘whole body’ stretch so it is a great Yoga activity to do after sitting for a while or after a long car journey. 
• Our muscles need movement to stretch and grow – so a big starfish stretch will keep your shoulder, hip and back muscles healthy and this in turn will help both you and your child maintain a good general posture. 
• Remember to encourage your young child to ‘join in’ with the movement as much as possible. If they are able to do the movement by themselves, this will not only boost their self-confidence, but will also help them to remember how to do it. 

2. Develop your body awareness/proprioception for body confidence

• Starfish pose gives your child to a chance to feel a very different body position – one which they rarely do during their day. 
• Variations in body position stimulate your child’s (and your own) ‘proprioceptive sense’. Proprioception is a ‘body’ sense which starts to develop at around 12 weeks in the womb. This sense tells us if our muscles are ‘stretched’ or ‘squeezed’ and whether our joints are bent or straight.  So our proprioceptive sense lets us know what position our body is in at any one time and helps us to build up an accurate image of our body shape in our mind. 
• Creating an accurate picture of their body in their mind, knowing where it starts and finishes, will be deeply reassuring for your growing child and will help them develop their body-confidence. 

3. Gently alert or calm your-selves for learning and to re-focus

• Stimulation of the proprioceptive sense can be either gently calming or alerting depending on our general nature and whether we are feeling drowsy or excited. 
• So if your child is battling with their homework and feeling drowsy, probably as a result of sitting for a while, a few starfish poses can help them to become more alert so they can refocus and finish. The great thing about this pose is it does not tend to lead to over excitement.
• Or, if your child is finding it hard sit and settle down to their homework – doing a few starfish activities can help them to become calmer, whilst still keeping generally alert to do their work.  

4. Progress your balance skills

• Waving starfish arms is a fun way for your child to practice standing on one leg, with-out feeling too daunted or that they have to try too hard. 
• If your child finds it hard to stand on one leg – place a small sturdy box, or a small pile of big books, in front of them so they can try lifting up one leg to place it on the box or books. By doing this activity their brain will learn the pattern of the movement quicker. 

5. Progress numeracy skills 

• Bring some fun maths games into starfish pose by encouraging your child to count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, as they wave their starfish arms. 

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 the seaside to visit the starfish. On this adventure your child and will have a chance to: 

• Physically, refine their sense of balance as they move in and out of starfish pose and jump as frogs in Tatty Bumpkin frog pose. 

• Progress their communication skills as say ‘hello’ to their friends on the beach and ask them questions and jump in time to the Tatty Bumpkin Frog song. 

• Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they come with own ideas on how to help the starfish choose his shoes!! 

But most of all, your child will have fun with others as they stretch as starfish, jump as frogs, buzz as bees and finally swim with the dolphins! 

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

2014 Autumn Term Week 6 - Tatty Bumpkin’s Kid’s Yoga Activity for this Week is Monkey!

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

In this blog I:

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

Monkey Pose

Dance as a monkey and practise your balancing!

Ideally, try to do Monkey pose 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.

If you have issues with either your back or hips do check with a health professional first to make sure that this pose is appropriate for you. 

• Find a space on a carpet or mat where you can both safely move and experiment with balancing without being in danger of falling on anything. 

• Take off your shoes and socks. Children under 3 years will use their vision to keep their balance. However from about 4 years children increasingly start to use their body senses to balance. Doing monkey pose with bare feet will insure their brain receives accurate sensory input though the soles of their feet. 

• Encourage your child to leap from squatting to standing, moving their arms up and down like a monkey – make Ooooh sounds! 

• Try reaching up with one hand and then the other to imagine you are hanging from the branches. This activity will give your child a great stretch and help their co-ordination skills as they become aware of their right and left hand sides.

• Then reach across your bodies with one hand and then the other as if swinging on vines or passing a banana. To do this activity your child will have to cross the ‘mid line’ of their body. Crossing the mid-line is a skill necessary for writing - see below.

Other Games to Play in Monkey Pose 

Dance in Monkey pose to the Tatty Bumpkin Monkey song. 
Either download this lively song from iTunes or ask your Tatty Bumpkin teacher for details. 

Why Monkey Pose is Good for Both You and Your Child

As you do Monkey pose with your child you will give them a chance to:

1. Develop their Balance Skills 
When your child does Monkey - leaping from squatting to standing and moving their arms up & down these actions will strengthen their leg & arm muscles & develop their balance skills. To progress their balance skills further, guide your child to 'have a go' standing on one leg. 

2. Develop their ‘Crossing Mid line’ skills
As your child imagines they are passing a banana or swinging from vine to vine they will have to cross the mid line of their body. Crossing the mid-line is an important coordination skill for writing. For more information see http://teachmama.com/five-activities-crossing-midline-important/

The Tatty Bumpkin Adventure this Week

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.

Alternatively, 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 into the jungle to visit the monkeys. 

Your child and will have a chance to: 

1. Physically, refine their sense of balance as they dance in monkey pose and stomp in bear pose. 

2. Progress their communication skills as they listen and move to the beat of the Tatty Bumpkin monkey song.  

3. Develop their imagination and thinking skills as they come up with ideas on how to build the monkeys a new nest. 

4. Have fun with others as they wriggle as sleepy snakes in the jungle and explore different ways to build the monkey nest. 


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