Kids yoga should be a priority in preschools and daycares during COVID-19
By Robyn Parets
Over the past few weeks, preschools and daycares across the U.S. have been reopening after sudden March closures in the wake of COVID-19.
Preschools are working hard to prepare kids and families – with safety measures and social distancing protocols in place. Indeed, this is a stressful time for school directors, teachers, parents and kids!
Even for toddlers, returning to preschool and daycare is causing anxiety as there are so many new rules in place and social contact may be limited. For these reasons and more, yoga and mindfulness is something schools should think about implementing right away.
In fact, we think kids yoga should be a priority in preschools and daycares during COVID-19 as research shows that yoga helps children manage anxiety. Yoga also helps foster a healthy preschool community.
Mindfulness Matters, Even in Preschool
Young children and toddlers learn to use yoga, mindfulness, and even breathing techniques to cope with their emotions. Plus, yoga helps kids learn how to share and be more mindful of others. This, in turn, helps kids improve their social skills, even when socially distanced.
In the age of coronavirus, kids need improved social skills more than ever before!
Mindfulness and social skills are also particularly important when you consider that social and emotional development are two of the most important aspects of preschool. While academically prepared for kindergarten, preschoolers often don’t succeed because they lack the social and emotional skills needed for elementary school. And, according to research, mindfulness positively affects the mood and stress levels of students who practice it in school.
Children Learn through Play
Here’s another major reason you should look for a preschool with kids yoga: Children learn through play and yoga for kids is fun!
Many preschool yoga curriculums and toddler yoga programs are play-based as this is how kids learn best. The Pretzel Kids yoga curriculum, for example, was developed by two preschool teachers and the Pretzel Kids yoga teaching method is designed to help kids tap into their creative genius. Each lesson plan is based on a theme, like rain forest adventure, a day at the beach, or jungle safari. This way kids use their imaginations while learning important breathing techniques and poses in a fun way.
Learn More about Why Kids Yoga Should Be A Priority in Preschool
We recently wrote an article for Paper Pinecone on the importance of yoga in preschools during the coronavirus pandemic. Give it a read here to learn more.
