How to Set Up Online Kids Yoga Classes from Home
By Ana Garcia
Given the current COVID-19 situation, many kids yoga instructors are forced to host online classes, whether streamed or recorded.
As educators in this day and age, it’s already challenging to stay up-to-date with the latest tools and platforms to stream, record and share your classes. Yet, the coronavirus pandemic added an extra layer of complexity to this whole process. And no one expected to be teaching from home for so long!
However, now is the time to reinvent yourself as a new, improved, and tech-savvy kids yoga instructor. Don’t let COVID-19 rain on your parade, or in this case, rain on your online kids yoga classes!
We know it’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the information about how to set up your gear and choose your space, but we are here to help you beat the coronavirus online challenges!
Here are our top 4 tips on how to set up online kids yoga classes from home:
1. Create your yoga class space
Before you start teaching yoga online, make sure you have the right place inside your house – a spot where you can move around easily and you won’t be disturbed by other family members and pets. Then, get rid of any clutter you have around.
And, cut yourself some slack. The COVID-19 lockdown shifted dynamics for everybody, so don’t struggle to find a perfect place. Find a functional space.
In fact, you don’t need to have a large spare room or even a yard to set up your children’s yoga class space. But you can spruce up your filming spot. Here are tips to set up the ideal space:
- The setting can be so much fun if you put a little creativity into it! Kids will only see a small fraction of your actual workplace, so decorate it by giving it a special touch. Maybe you own a beautiful mandala poster, a plant, or a rug that can help you bring your students a sense of spiritual connection? Or maybe you just have a playful, colorful picture that you can use for your backdrop. Have fun with this!
- Your atmosphere/feng shui should be a priority for your yoga classes, as is cleanliness. Plus, try to use a place with enough natural light, with constant air flow, and with natural elements around it (including wood, water, fire and metal.) This will give your surroundings a whole new vibe that even your online students will appreciate! One more thing: Make sure your students can clearly see YOU. This will make it much easier for the kids to follow your instructions!
2. Basic Equipment to use
Here are some basic tech tools you’ll want to have at the ready to film your kids yoga classes.
- Camera equipment
Some teachers choose to record themselves with their laptop webcam, and that’s a great way to film classes. Besides, if you plan to edit the video later, it’s already in your computer storage. If you plan to do this, you may also want to try using editing software like iMovie or Filmora.
Also, you may want to get a tripod, since this makes it easier for you to modify the angles, the shots and the overall look of your video.
- Phone and other devices
A great tip is to use more than one camera. You can make it simple by using two cameras: One on your phone and one from any other device, like an iPad. Nowadays, even new-ish cameras can give you great image quality and resolution. Also, by doing it this way, you will have more than one angle for your yoga asana demonstrations, and this will help your students.
- Audio and music
If you’re going to use your webcam, you may want to invest in some audio tools, like a wireless headset (although some laptops now have excellent built-in microphones that may suffice). You can test your sound with a practice round to see how loud you need to speak. This will help you determine whether you need to procure a new mic.
You may also want to consider getting a simple clip mic for poses where your voice might get muffled. One more tip: Try to control the echo as much as you can, and don’t allow your background music to be louder than your voice.
3. Decide what technology platform to use
By now you know that you’ve got lots of options for how to host your children’s yoga classes. Here are some of our top picks:
- Zoom. This might be the most popular site for two-way video classes. It’s also a great way to livestream classes to large audiences with excellent video quality.
- Skype. You can use Skype for private sessions with advanced or beginner students since it’s still the best for one-on-one teaching and one of the most widely used platforms amongst parents and business partners.
- Youtube, Facebook Live, Instagram Live. Youtube is the leading social media platform if you want to upload pre-recorded videos or tips for your audience. You can even think of monetizing your channel. Yet, another option for free content is to use Facebook Live. While this is great for video classes, remember to avoid using copyrighted music, since it’s possible your video will get taken down. You may also want to consider creating a private group to restrict the number of participants. In addition, Instagram Live is very popular with younger audiences. So give it a go!
4. Determine your pricing for livestream classes
A great strategy to attract more people to your business is to offer one (1) free class, and if students want to stick around, ask them to choose from your pricing options.
You’re probably wondering if pre-recorded classes and live streams should have different prices, right? Perhaps one-on-one sessions should be more expensive than group sessions? Yet, it’s not so simple. The real answer is: You should charge what is fair to you and your students, taking into consideration your market, demographics and what your students (parents) are willing to pay for online kids yoga classes.
To get a good read on how much people will pay, ask around in your community, or perhaps reach out to school groups and moms groups on Facebook.
Your next question might be: Once I decide on the price, how do I collect money?
Good thing you asked! Here are some good ways to get paid.
- Paypal: Go to paypal.me and set up an account. From there, you’ll get a link that you can share with parents. They can send you money and place payments for your classes. It can also help you in future transactions if you’re planning on selling other classes. Another pro tip: If you’re a Pretzel Kids member teacher, you can list your classes for direct payment on the Pretzel Kids website. This way you can share your Pretzel Kids class or profile link and get paid directly!
- Venmo: The Venmo interface makes getting paid easy. However, it doesn’t have the same degree of buyer protection. It’s also not recommended for businesses, so probably a better idea to go with Paypal if you plan to start a kids yoga business.
Make Your Kids Yoga Classes Stand Out
There’s no one-size-fits-all way to set up online kids yoga classes, but in coronavirus times, we are challenged to be more creative in order to deliver great quality virtual children’s yoga.
So, use these online lockdown tips to make your kids yoga classes stand out from the pack! And remember: The kids need yoga more than ever, and it’s also a great time to become a kids yoga teacher!
