Free Home-School Yoga Resources for Parents and Children

 

Justine, Ella and Tom Aldersey-Williams practicing yoga on Porthmeor beach, St. Ives approx. 2005

free home-school yoga resources for parents and their children

Included in this post:-

• 2 x folding yoga games
• 'move-along' yoga story
• massage routine handout
• 45 printable 'Magical Moves' yoga cards for creating your own lessons
• 'Relax... It's Karmatime - Magical Meditations for Children' CD booklet with links to Spotify tracks free online

A textiles website blogging about yoga? A yoga teacher sharing resources on a textiles website? It's true. I am both yogini and natural dyer but since 2018, when I stopped teaching yoga, I have no other website to share some resources that I feel may be of use to parents right now. So humans from all persuasions, please forgive any confusion. There may come a time when I create a tutorial to help parents home-school their children in textiles but for now, I'll start with yoga materials I've got prepared already.

Children's Yoga Resources

My first born (in middle of photo above) turned 21 on Mother's Day (last Sunday) during this global pandemic which now has many of us quarantined in our homes. My youngest is 18 and whilst it's unusual having them both back home 24/7, I've been reading about the challenges facing parents of young children and I really feel for them! How on earth can they handle their own feelings about this unprecedented situation, let alone explain it to a child?

Before I stopped teaching yoga in 2018, I'd taught both adults and children for 12 years. I qualified with the British Wheel of Yoga, wrote and delivered a children's yoga teacher training course (Karmatime), travelled all over the country and raised awareness of the physical and emotional benefits of yoga, particularly in North West England where I taught and offered INSET at many primary and secondary schools.

I started teaching because when my children started school, I wanted to ensure they had access to classes that built emotional literacy, as in the early 2000s the curriculum was primarily academic, with little acknowledgement of wellbeing. I understood from my own research and practice of both yoga and meditation, how stress affected learning potential and how beneficial relieving stress could be to physical and psychological health.

Image from 'move-along' yoga story 'Tallulah's Missing Belly Button' © Justine Aldersey-Williams 2006

Yoga Resources

I created a number of resources to support my teaching at the time and whilst it all seems like a dim and distant memory to me now, I was contacted a couple of weeks ago by the BBC, requesting permission to use my 'Magical Moves' yoga cards for a well known DIY make-over programme. Sadly, this has had to be postponed until CoronaVirus has run it's course but it was a lovely reminder of the days when I'd have a whole school roaring like lions before lying down quietly relaxing in their assembly hall.

Then yesterday, a yoga teacher messaged to say she was about to share one of my lessons with her kids as part of their home-schooling. Again, it was such a blast from the past and so lovely to realise that people are still using and enjoying my work.

A lifetime ago when I taught children yoga and won the best stall at Thornton Hough Scarecrow Festival with my (then) tiny kids!

In the current circumstances, it's useful for all of us to develop an inner reservoir of calm using stress-relieving techniques. I had hoped to share my entire teacher training manual for free but sadly, due to not being able to access the file (old technology!) I'm instead making some resources that I sell for a small fee over on the Teach Children Yoga Etsy Shop, available for free here. I have to caveat this by saying that there's some effort involved in downloading the biggest resource I'm sharing here (the 45 Magical Moves yoga cards) as I'm limited by file sizes. You'll need to right click each image (which prints at British A6 size), save then print. If you're happy to pay the nominal fee that just covers admin costs, head here to download them all in one go. There are lots of other free resources here too that you can download straight away.

So, here's how to share some yoga with your child aged 2-9ish years during your confinement!

Firstly, a (wish I didn't have to say this) disclaimer:

This material is offered for entertainment/educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your health professionals. Neither do these resources entitle you to set up as a children's yoga teacher. You need years of personal practice and a reputable training to pursue that career. This materials are offered for non-professional use by parents and their children. By continuing to view and use any of this information, you agree to TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN AND YOUR CHILD/REN'S HEALTH AND WELLBEING and you also agree not to pursue and claims, on behalf of yourself or your child, against the producers of these materials. The producers, artist, composer (i.e. me!) and anyone else associated with these materials disclaim any liability from the information offered here.

p.s. parents especially... WARM UP WELL FIRST. Sharing yoga with your child works best if you've practiced yourself and have developed sensitivity to what's appropriate and safe for your body. To learn more about contraindications and precautions or just for further background information, look up each posture included here on Yoga Journal.

Step 1: prepare and warm up

• create a sense of ritual by preparing a space, lighting some incense, gathering props e.g. a bell, turn-taking talking stick, toys to join in, pillows to relax on, journals and coloured pencils to draw their yoga story afterwards etc.
• begin with a warm-up e.g. yoga statues - play music, parent stops music, strikes a pose and children copy OR a simple massage (see handout below.)
• continue with a breathing (focussing) exercise e.g. balloon breath - hold a pretend balloon in front of lips, move hands apart with each slow exhalation until arms make a balloon shape overhead, then bring hands to knees and sit up tall ready to begin
• always end the yoga story with 'dreamers' - the lying down relaxation position as you listen to a guided meditation (see link below)

I created this visual aid after training with the Massage in Schools Programme. This teaches young children about consensual, respectful touch which can relieve stress and foster healthy social bonds.

Then continue to:

Step 2: Move-along Yoga Story

You can create your own yoga story using the 45 Magical Moves Yoga Cards below but to get you started, here's a free example, 'Tallulah's Missing Belly Button'  - just click the image to download and print out. N.B. pages are ordered so they print out as an A5 (A4 folded) booklet e.g. pages 1 & 8, 2 & 7, 3 & 6, 4 & 5 - print page 1, turn over paper, then print page 2 on reverse etc. (unless you have a fancy printer that prints both sides!)

Or you could try 'Larkin the Scarecrow's Magical Yoga Game' - choose the weather in Larkin's field, do his magical moves then reveal his hidden message... this one is fun to make too. Just click the image below to download.

Remember these folding games from school? We used to call them 'fortune tellers'.

Or create any number of yoga stories by selecting 5-10 yoga cards below. Challenge yourself or your children to improvise the most ridiculous tales on the spot or plan out your adventure. Right click each image to print out, place face down, then select your yoga positions. Finish with 'dreamers' whilst listening to 'Relax... It's Karmatime - Magical Meditations for Children' (below.)