6 ways to incorporate yoga into a homeschool pod
By Jeanell Birk
Most families around the world have fully adjusted to learning from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While some children are back to school, others are participating in remote learning, have joined a pandemic pod or have some hybrid version of both in-person and virtual learning. And while the combo of ‘yoga homeschool pod‘ may be totally new, lots of families are now bringing physical fitness and yoga into their remote learning days!
Indeed, children have become Zoom meeting masters and Facetime social butterflies. Some are even pursuing newfound hobbies and passions in their free time! By all appearances, they’re learning and happy – all from the comfort and safety of their own living rooms.
Yet, your child’s COVID-19 homeschooling isn’t all about academics and social time. In fact, maintaining fitness and good mental health is essential to your children’s growth, academic success, positive self-esteem and overall well-being.
Are you ready to incorporate yoga and mindfulness techniques into your child’s homeschool pod?
We thought so! Read on for 6 ways to incorporate yoga into a homeschool pod.
1. Free learning resources with games galore!
Games are a fabulous way to get your children and their peers to connect with each other while getting fit and having fun! In fact, games can get your kids moving as part of a pandemic pod without them realizing that they’re “doing” physical education.
You can start by picking from the classics, like Duck Duck Goose, Follow The Leader, Simon Says, and The Hokey Pokey. To really get the kids breaking a sweat, try more active games like Capture The Flag, Four Square, or kickball. Aim to begin your school day with a game or two, or perhaps let everyone work their wiggles out after lunchtime.
2. Learning from home activities
This one might require a tad bit of planning on your part, but in the end, it’ll be completely worthwhile!
You can create a scavenger hunt and incorporate fitness or yoga into it. Before the kids receive each clue, they can do their favorite kids yoga pose or some kind of exercise like jumping jacks.
And who doesn’t love a good dance party? Try creating a playlist of your children’s absolute favorite songs to allow everyone to let go and have fun in a healthy way. You can even play a variation of Freeze Dance by freezing in a kids yoga pose every time the music stops! To get the kids moving even when teaching subjects that don’t traditionally lend themselves to physical activity, encourage the kids to get up and create their own yoga movements to match what they’re learning, like characters in a story or mathematical symbols.
3. Outdoor activities for kids
During the pandemic, outdoor activities are your best bet for safe, accessible fun. Plus, by getting out and exploring your local area, you’ll discover something new and exciting in your familiar surroundings on a daily basis.
Some ideas: take an adventurous hike each week, ride your bikes to a local nature preserve or farmer’s market, visit new playgrounds or view your neighborhood with a fresh perspective on an evening lantern walk with your kids. Stop and smell some wildflowers and make the best of these days with your children. You won’t regret a single moment!
Amazing educational resources
4. Online yoga
If you’re already exhausted all of these different activities, the team at Pretzel Kids is here to help you out!
By enrolling your children in a weekly kids yoga class, you’ll get a bit of a breather as your children reap all of the incredible physical and mental benefits of yoga. They’ll develop balance, strength, and flexibility while boosting their all-important immune systems and relieving stress.
However, if you’ve found that you’re starting to really enjoy being around your children and their pod-mates, then maybe you’d like to teach them a yoga class yourself! You can become a certified Pretzel Kids teacher in less than 12 hours, and the Pretzel Kids curriculum can be incorporated right into your pod’s established schedule.
Even better: Pretzel Kids’ online yoga teacher training course comes with ongoing teaching resources, lesson plans and more! If you’re looking to start a side hustle or make a career change and become a kids yoga teacher, then there certainly is no better time to become a children’s yoga instructor than right now!
5. Set up an obstacle course for your pandemic pod
If you’re a creative type, why not put together an obstacle course for the kids? The possibilities are truly endless, and your children can even pitch in and come up with some ideas of their own! It can be as simple as sidewalk chalk guiding you through the entirety of the course, or you can go with a more complicated gauntlet of cones, buckets, tunnels, chairs, beanbags, hula hoops and more.
Break out the toys and set them up along the course as a cheering “audience” for your kids as they run it. You can even add “fitness stations” for jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, squats and yoga balance poses as an enjoyable way to sneak some fitness into the fun!
6. Fill your “fitness for kids” idea jar
Searching for some spontaneity in your quarantine lifestyle? Start a “fitness idea jar” filled with movement and fitness ideas for those days when you or your kids are running low on motivation and creativity.
Feel free to reach into the jar at the top of every hour throughout your day and see what appears! You can start with the basics, like “go on a walk” or “jump rope for 15 minutes,” and then throw in some more extensive activities, like “family bike ride” or “kids yoga class” for some added variety. To keep things really interesting, add some curveballs such as “floor hockey” or “homemade bowling game” to keep everyone on their toes.
Get moving with kids yoga and fitness for kids!
We hope these 6 easy tips will make your kids’ homeschooling days fly by! Now, you can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that your children will be keeping their bodies and minds strong while having a lot of fun!
And, don’t forget: If you’re thinking of adding kids yoga to your homeschool pod or pandemic pod, Pretzel Kids is here with an assortment of weekly online kids yoga classes sure to fit your schedule.
