Have you ever lead a family workshop? Is this something that you would love to do but don’t know where to start?
They can be a really lovely fun experience for everyone involved, it can feel very special to be included in some ones family time! One -off events such as family workshops can also be a great thing to have in your kids yoga business both from a financial perspective and also because they help you to connect with a wider audience of people than you may be able to access in after school classes etc. There are a few things to consider and today I’d like to share with you some thoughts based on my own experience in this area. FAQs When should I run these? Some people run them as monthly events or even weekly! I find this a bit much for me personally, I’d rather do something more involved, less often. For me, family yoga workshops work really well in holiday times, so it’s worth looking at when the school holidays are in your area. I love running seasonal ones, then I link it with nature and what the general themes are around that time. If you would like to run a spring workshop, check out my tried and tested plan for this. How long should it be? This really depends on your energy and what you feel is right for you and the people who you would like to invite. For example, if the families coming all have very young children you might like to keep it to one hour – 90 minutes, but if your families have older children you can probably manage anywhere from 90 minutes up to three hours. What timing is best? Generally, I would avoid lunchtime, mainly because that involves feeding people lunch and although snacks are definitely something I’m comfortable with, I’m no domestic goddess and I don’t fancy feeding everyone. For me, that would feel stressful. But If you are someone who really enjoys feeding people then this may be something that you would like to include. Also, consider the age of the children you hope will come, would they be younger children that may need a nap at some point? Old older children who may not enjoy an early morning? For me, it comes down to knowing your people, ask them! Having said that, it’s ok to get some general feedback, but don’t try and accommodate everyone because you’ll never please everyone, if you have a social media account that your people interact with, a poll can be a useful way of finding out preferences. What should I include? I think this depends on what you love to share and do and what type of person YOU are! I personally love: eating treats, nature, being creative and connecting with others so that transfers to my family workshops! A structure that has worked really well for me previously has been:
I have found that this structure can be used for a variety of different durations and I have just played around with different amounts of time for each section. How should I price it? Again, this really depends! Some factors that you will need to consider are:
Pricing structure can also be a tricky one here, some people charge per person, others by family some do a combination of the two by having a price per person and then a family bundle price or a family price for up to 4 for example and then an extra charge for additional people. Whatever you choose needs to feel good for you. How should I advertise? Here are some ways that I have had success with in promoting my family workshops:
Considerations Terms and Conditions Make sure that you are really clear about your terms and conditions for events such as this and share this at the point of booking. For example what happens if a family pull out last minute? Have a policy in place before you even take bookings. Payment I always prefer to take full payment at the point of booking and I use either my own website or a site like bookwhen, this avoids people reserving a spot, not paying and then not turning up. It happens! Abilities and comfort levels Make sure that you have information before the event about any health concerns so that you can be safe, also make sure that everyone know that the practices are optional. I always introduce everything as an invitation, not everyone is comfortable with everything and that is ok! Safety Make sure that you have risk assessment and insurance in place. If you are planning crafts, make sure that they are appropriate for the age and stage of development for the children attending. Ensure that parents know that they are responsible for keeping their children safe at the venue. Photographs Some people LOVE having photos of them being involved in an activity with their family, they love to share them with friends on social media and love the photos as a really special memory. Others HATE it! Or have very valid reasons why photographs of them and their family aren’t to be taken or shared on social media. Ensure that you get this information before the event, as you want people to be as comfortable as they can during the workshop. I personally have really cut down on the amount of photos that I take because I want people to be as present as possible. I’d love to know your thoughts on this, is it something that you would like to do? Family workshops can be so much fun and I definitely enjoy the connections and the laughter that is created during them. If you are interested in running a spring family workshop, check out my bundle for this.
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When I first started teaching yoga, I was intimidated to deliver kids yoga in schools, because I was worried that I didn’t have the right documents in place. I loved the idea of teaching yoga to children, but I felt unprepared and overwhelmed with what ‘legal bits’ I needed (what did I even need anyway?). Unprepared… My kids yoga training gave me loads of ideas and I couldn’t wait to use all of the exciting props that I had bought. But when it came to ACTUALLY teaching the classes, I found myself stalling. It wasn’t because of the teaching (I had been a school teacher for years- I knew I could do this). It was the paperwork! What did I need? Where could I get it from? How did I know that I had everything? It took me a really long time to get all my stuff together! I researched lots and also learnt the hard way -by a setting or school asking for something and having to suddenly create it! Now, after teaching in yoga in many schools (and nurseries and community groups), I’d like to share with you what I’ve discovered. Every School is Different! I’ve taught in state schools and private schools, nurseries, primary schools, infant and junior schools and secondary schools and there has been a real range in what documents they have asked for. There doesn’t seem to be (in my experience) a magical master list that schools have. BUT… There are some things that you will definitely ensure that you have in place whether you are asked for it or not! For me, the following documents are vital: My Top 5!
What else? Is that everything? Is that all you need? Not really! Over the years I’ve been asked for a variety of different policies and I have also discovered a few other documents to be helpful to me. I have compiled a list of all of the documents I have needed over this time, if you would like this super helpful document, you can download it here. If you want to save time, check out the editable document bundle that’s available to buy. The Fabulous folder! When you have your documents gathered and printed, I HIGHLY recommend getting a folder to keep it all in. As a self-confessed stationary addict, it’s not really surprising that I’d recommend this, but my folder really does save my sanity. I keep everything safe in my folder and carry it everywhere I go, guarding it with my life! It’s a good idea to have all of these documents backed up in a folder on your computer- just in case. One last note… As always, I am sharing here, my own experience of working in various settings in the UK, this may not be the case for other countries. If working with a new school or setting, I would also recommend checking with them if there are any documents or policies that you will need, prior to arrival, for example, schools usually ask for some form of ID- easily forgotten! Do you want to feel super organised and ready to go? Get your checklist here. Is there anything that you would like me to talk about in a blog or video? Would you like me to help you get your documents together? 📧 Email me here x Julia Recently, I was chatting to some kids yoga teachers at a training that I was delivering and they were talking about how hard it can be to manage/ engage children during an after school yoga class and that they seemed so wired after school. I shared with them about after school restraint collapse and so thought that it would be a good place to share it here to. So today’s blog is all about what after school restraint collapse is, how it may impact your after school class and also how you can support children who are experiencing this to make your after school class fun and calm.
📽️You can watch the video here if you prefer. What is after school restraint collapse? The term was coined by counsellor, parenting educator and expert Andrea Loewen Nair. Here is an article that she has written about it. Many children are ‘holding it together’ all day ‘behaving’ and fitting into the rules and constraints of the school day. Lots of children suppress their emotional reactions to things out of fear or embarrassment or just simply wanting to fit in or not make a fuss. It gets to a point where this ‘restraint’ is too much to hold. Andrea compares it to a bubble that needs to burst. This is usually talked about as something that children experience when they get home from school and are with their parents/ carers. In my years of teaching yoga to children, I believe that this happens in this situation too. I think that if the environment is one that feels accepting and compassionate and the children are comfortable with the adult, children may release the emotions that they have been holding on to all day. How does restraint collapse impact an after school class? In an after school class this might look like: lots of emotions- quick to tears or anger, running around a lot- many children will not have been moving as much as they need, explosive energy, loudness! It’s likely that the children will have been quiet for much of the day and now they have everything to say all at once, to anyone who will (or won’t!) listen! How to support children I find it really interesting to reflect on the article written by Andrea Loewen Nair, because many of her suggestions are what I put into place in my yoga classes! Here are her suggestions and my take on how this can work in the yoga class:
So, I hope that you can see that many of the things that you are already doing within your kids yoga classes are supporting children to unwind after school. If you are having any challenges that you would like my support on, reach out. I offer hour long mentor sessions as one- offs as well as longer mentor packages for kids yoga teachers and I can give personalised support and guidance. If you have an issue and you don’t have the finances for a meeting, email me about the situation, and I may be able to talk about it on one of my videos or blogs. If you would like more information about behaviour in your yoga classes: 🧠check out this blog or video, 🎁download the rules that I use, ⬇️get this training workshop. Hope you find this helpful, I'd love to know what you think :) x Julia 📽️ Prefer to watch or listen? Check out the video here.
Although I do teach in nursery settings and senior schools occasionally, my experience is mainly with the primary age group. This is the age that I have worked with most in my 20+ years in education. So this blog is mainly with this age group in mind. When we are teaching yoga to children of different ages it can sometimes feel like we need to do completely different lesson types for each age group. I don’t actually think that is true, but I do think that there are some things that we need to consider when working with children of different ages. Firstly I would like to bust some myths:
Here are some things to consider about teaching yoga to different ages: Teaching younger children:
Teaching older children:
All children need:
Ways to make teaching multiple classes of different ages manageable for you but also suitable for each group:
I hope that you found this article helpful or interesting. I would love to hear about your approach to teaching different ages. Is there something you would like me to write or talk about concerning kids yoga? If so, email me. Would you like to work with me? Email me to discover if I can help you develop skills and grow in confidence in your kids yoga business. X Julia Prefer video or audio? Watch or listen here
Last week I talked about ways to fall in love with your planning process (so if you missed that check it out). I shared how I batch my planning and do it all in one go. Today I’m going to go into more detail into my process of medium term planning- how I actually do my own plans in a really simple way! So I’m just going to break down my system of how it works best for me. I am not saying this is the best or only way to do this, just that it is the way I have found to work for me. I think it can be really helpful to learn each- others’ ways of doing things to magpie ideas that resonate or make sense for us. You may have a completely different way that works for you and of course that is fine! As I always say to those who are working with me, we are all different and need to find our own ways of working that suit our styles. Reflection Firstly, I sit with the previous term / half term plan and for each year group/ phase / class I think about:
Next steps Then, I spend some time considering:
If you aren’t sure what the next steps for the children you teach is, you might find a ‘Playful Planning’ session useful- this is where we work together and I help you to map out what comes next for the learners in your kids yoga classes. Email me to find out more. The actual plans Next, I start with one year group plan, one I am confident and comfortable with. I plan out how the next few weeks might look for them:
When I have planned out the lessons for one year group / phase/ class, I use this as a basis to plan my others classes. I like to do mine on the computer, because I literally copy the plan from one year group and edit it to suit the next year group. Personally, I start with nursery, then build up from there, making things more complex with each year group, but keeping certain things the same (such as the props). If you would like a copy of the planning grids that I use, you can get them here. This is how I have learnt to simplify my planning process, starting with what I know and building up my plans based on ones I’ve already created. It saves me a lot of time and I hope that you find it helpful in saving you time too. Let me know what you think! Is there anything that you would like me to talk about? Get in touch to let me know. x Julia So it’s valentines day tomorrow, and although I don’t celebrate it, I DO really love to spend time with my husband (one of my top love languages is quality time).
What I don’t love doing with my time is spending hours and hours needlessly planning each and every week! This is part of the reason that I left teaching. I felt that I spend a lot of time filling in forms for other people and that didn’t make me a better teacher, it made me grumpy! One of the great things about being self -employed is being able to create your working week the way that you want it to look. This means spending time on things that you love and doing the things that are necessary in a way that is fun for you. Planning is unavoidable, we definitely need to do it to deliver quality kids yoga lessons that flow, make sense and build upon skills that the children have learnt. But it doesn’t have to be boring, I believe that you can make it fun and something that you actually look forward to- yes really! Last week I shared all about the three types of plans that I use (if you missed it, go and read the blog here or watch the video here). And today, I want to share how we can fall in love with the way that we plan our kids yoga classes. One excellent tip that I use in every area of my life is to trick my brain into doing something I don’t like doing by pairing it with something that I do like doing! As I’ve already mentioned, I don’t really naturally love writing lesson plans, I used find the process mind numbing boring. Thankfully, I know myself really well and so I can easily trick my easily bored brain into actually looking forward to it! It’s true! Here’s how I have done it (and you might like it too!): Batching and prioirtising I batch my plans, which means that I do all of my plans in one big go, usually at the start of a new half term. This might sound like a nightmare, but it has become a special time in my calendar that I actually really look forward to. Prioritising it in my diary and doing it all in one go works well for me because: a) It will definitely get done rather than being something that gets squeezed out of a busy day b) I can focus all of my attention on it and it is quicker to do as my brain is in the mood for it. Create space An important aspect for me to get it done is to create spaciousness around it. For me, this means ensuring that I have enough time. I always used to really underestimate how long it would take for me to plan, which made me feel stressed and overwhelmed. Now, I make sure that I give more time than I think I will need. How much time you need to plan will depend on so many factors, such as how many classes you have, how many different types of classes you have, how experienced you are in planning, the level of energy that you have available. When I put my planning day into my calendar, it isn’t just about time but also about mental capacity. I am a mom and also have other family commitments which I need to consider. I need to think about childcare, my kids activities, whether my husband is working away etc. Maybe you have other responsibilities such as caring for others, other jobs to do, can you arrange for those other duties to be taken by others so you have more mental space to concentrate? Consider how you can receive support here – asking for help is definitely something I am working on, it doesn’t come easy to me. Another way that I create space mentally is by making life easier. When I have timetabled planning days for myself, I personally know that I can be a bit brain foggy by the end of the day. I hate making decisions I’m not really a domestic goddess and for me, making a complicated meal after a day of planning would just piss me off! So I have learnt to either; make sure that it isn’t my turn to cook , cook something super easy that is a win for everyone (usually pizza!) or get a chippy tea! This means that not only do I not have to think much but I also have something treaty to look forward to! How can you make life easier for you when you are planning? Super focus! One of the (sometimes) benefits of being neurodivergent is that I do have the super power of hyper focus! This means that when I am in the zone I can get really into it and not think about anything else. I think that this is why batching works really well for me. Some ways to make sure that you are staying focused are:
Pick the right time For me timing is really important, I am not the same person on any two days! My energy is so completely affected by other things that are going on at that time with my family, my cycle and my own energetics- even the moon has a part to play! Unfortunately, I can’t predict entirely how my energy will be, but I know generally what things impact me and I can take a guess at what days would work for me and when wouldn’t. I guess though that I am a sensitive soul, and not all people are so affected. I still think that it is wise to choose a time that works for you energetically and practically. Make it special I am really affected by my environment, so one of the best ‘hacks’ for me is to make my planning day feel special. For me this includes a tidy of my office, nice candles, music, maybe even some crystals, nice snacks, going for a walk at lunch and having something tasty planned for tea. This is a personal thing so think about ways that you could make your planning day feel special for you. What do you associate with ‘special’ and how can you make this process feel special to you? I hope that you found this interesting to think about. I’d love to know your planning process and how you make it enjoyable for you. Next week I’ll be talking all about how to make your plans work for you not against you! If you would like to get some help with the planning of your classes, get in touch and find out if a ‘Playful Planning’ session is right for you. 📽️ Watch the video here if you prefer video format. 🎁 Get the freebie here and receive the 3 planning grids that I use to plan my kids yoga classes. 🧠 Purchase the training ‘Structure for Success’ and learn how to structure your kids yoga classes for schools. 📧 Email me here: Julia@juliahankins.co.uk to ask a question, give feedback or arrange working with me. 💞 Join our community here this facebook group is specifically for kids yoga teachers who work in schools (or would like to) Thanks for reading x Julia 📽️ Prefer video format? Watch it here! 🎁 Get the free plans here
This month I’m going to be talking about something that you might think is boring! It is something that I don’t think is talked enough about in kids yoga teacher training. PLANNING! I often hear from the kids yoga teachers that I work with that they have lots of fun ideas and games to use with kids , but no idea how to structure a class. They don’t know where to start, what a class should look like and how to plan. It can be a barrier to teaching and also something that some kids yoga teachers feel embarrassed about. If this is you, read on… As a class teacher, planning was a big part of the job and to be honest, one I really hated! “Fail to plan, plan to fail!” I don’t necessarily believe that failing to plan always leads to failure, because I do think that us yoga teachers tend to be intuitive and are generally great at reading a room, knowing what children need and are able to include that. But I do think that it is good to have an idea of where you are going in your lesson or series of lessons, here’s why:
When I first started teaching yoga I felt like I was planning lessons all of the time and it really stressed me out! If this is you, read on… There are three main types of planning, long, medium and short term planning. Getting your head around what they are and when and how to use them can really impact the quality of your classes and your confidence in what you deliver. So, let’s get into them: Long term, this is when you have an overview of what you will teach over a long period of time, so this might be a year for example, you might have ideas of themes that you will use over the course of the year. This type of planning is big picture planning and gives you a really broad idea of what you will be focussing on for each half term (for example) in a very broad way. This might look like listing how many weeks you have in each term and a general idea of some themes you might teach in this time. This works well for holding ideas all in one place, so adding in additional ideas like special days / teacher days etc can be really helpful. I do my long term plan at the beginning of the academic year, because this is how I work (as most of my work is in schools). You could use a calendar year, if that is how you work, or some other way that works for you and your business. Although I only do this plan once, it is a working document, full of scribbles where I add on any things that are important or that get changed. Medium term, this is my most used type of plan. It is where I detail the main things that will happen in each lesson in a series of lessons. So, I’ll list the main features of each lesson and plan what will go in each section. I’ll think about the props that I’ll use each week, which poses I’ll use, which games I’ll play and which breathing techniques and relaxation. I plan like this at the start of each half term, so I only plan once at the beginning of each half term. Batching like this helps me be more efficient with my time. As someone who is neurodivergent, having little ‘hacks’ or shortcuts like this, helps me a great deal. I do all of the thinking about planning at one time and do all of the tasks associated with it (like printing the plans and putting them in my folder), then the plans are ready to go when I need them. Short term, this is really a focused plan for just one lesson. I only really use a single lesson plan for a one- off lesson. For example, if I’m doing a special lesson for a particular reason such as a session for Rainbows or a Well-Being Day for a school (if you aren’t sure what this is, check out this video or this blog). I’ve been teaching for a long time and I don’t really need too much detail in a plan. It can be helpful if it is the start of your teaching journey or, if you are embarking on teaching a new style of class or something that is not yet second nature. A lesson plan for one lesson might include scripts of specific things that you want to say or a reminder of how to play a particular game, I might also include timings for each section, so that I don’t over run. Where do I even start? I am all about removing barriers and helping kids yoga teachers grow in confidence so we can change the world! So, if you would like to have a helping hand with your plans, get the freebie to use as a basis for your own yoga classes. They are in word format, so you can just download them and type straight into them. There are no frills and whistles here, don’t expect a beautiful PDF with lots of lovely branding and images! This is just a super simple, back to basics word document, that I hope will make life a little easier by making planning straightforward for you. Download them and make them your own, we are not ‘cut and paste’ yoga teachers, we all have our own unique style and gifts to share with the world. I am not saying these plans are ‘perfect’ or the only way to do things. But they are what I use, and I find them helpful and I hope you do too! Over the next few weeks I’ll be talking more about planning for your kids yoga classes, and how to make it a manageable and easy process for you. So stay tuned for the next instalments! If you have a question about planning, email me about it. If this is something that you find hard and you would like to talk through this with me, why not book a focussed ‘Playful Planning’ hour with me? After I have a few details about you and your business to bring me up to speed on where you are at, we spend an hour together to talk through your planning process and I help you to find a way that works for you. Would you like to know more about planning lessons within school time? You might find my training ‘Structure for Success’ really useful. Thanks for reading, I'd love to know your thoughts on this :) x Julia Wonderful Well-Being Days - the what, the why, the when and...some considerations and tips30/1/2024 📽️ Watch the video of this blog.
One of the things that I love offering to schools is well-being days, they fit nicely into the school calendar for many different times of the year and can be a rewarding way of giving lots of children an unforgettable experience. They can also be an opportunity for a school to get to know you, which may lead to more work within that school or setting. What is a well-being day? A well being day is usually a full school day where each class gets the opportunity to have a well-being lesson. It is usually connected to a theme or event that is happening in school, nationally or globally. When are good times to offer them? There are so many great times for schools to benefit from a well-being day, here are just a few suggestions: Children’s Mental Health Week 5th – 11th February. Emotional Health Week 19th – 23rd February. Stress Awareness Month April. World Health Day April 7th. Mental Health Awareness Week 13th – 19th May. Global Wellness Day 8th June. National Sports Week 17th – 23rd June. World Well-Being Week 26th – 30th June. World Mental Health Day 10th October. Stress Awareness Month November. Anti- Bullying Week 11th – 17th November. Schools often have their own health or well-being weeks too, so it is definitely worth contacting schools and letting them know that this is a service that you provide. How do I structure one? To create a plan for a well-being day, you will need to know:
Some schools are happy to create a plan for you to work to, others appreciate you organising this yourself. As there are likely to be lots of classes to teach in one day, it is likely that the timings will be quite short for the lessons. In my experience, these timings have worked well: Nursery and reception: 15 – 20 minutes Key stage one (years 1 and 2): 25 – 30 minutes Lower key stage two (years 3 and 4): 30 – 45 minutes Upper key stage two (years 5 and 6): 30 minutes – 1 hour Obviously, the time that you have will depend on how many classes need to be taught. Tips for making well-being days manageable:
I hope that you found that helpful :) Next steps: 🎁Get booked on to my training 'Props like a Pro' before 2nd of February, and receive the training 'Structure for Success' absolutely free! ⬇️ Download the documents checklist so you have everything you need. 📃 Save yourself some time by buying the document bundle! 🧠 Check out the training ‘Structure for Success’ to make sure that you lessons are perfectly planned! x Julia The Yoga Obstacle Course is your best friend!
We all know that to teach yoga to kids, we need to have a lot of energy and emotional capacity! But what happens on the days when you feel like s**t and don’t have the mojo to teach? It happens to us all. Maybe you’ve lost your voice, are menstruating or are dealing with something in your personal life that means that you simply don’t have capacity? It’s not realistic to say that you won’t teach every single time you aren’t feeling it, as most kids yoga teachers won’t get paid if they don’t teach. This approach also works really well if you are teaching a one- off session to a range of different ages as the children can interact with the activities at their own level of ability/ development. The novelty of different task and the short amount of time for each activity appeals to younger learners (or those with limited attention span) whilst the freedom and independence appeals to those children who are more emotionally mature (perhaps the older children, but not always). Introducing Yoga Obstacle Course! This is not new and I haven’t invented it. It is also not complicated or difficult! But it is fun. So what is it? A yoga obstacle course is basically a carousel of activities that children visit. At each ‘station’, there is a different activity to do. It does rely on having props though, so some organisation prior to the session is needed. It works best with small groups like after school clubs. How does it work? A number of ‘stations’ are set up around the room, each with a different ‘prop’ (resource that children use). The children interact with the props at that station for a set amount of time and then they switch to a different station. The yoga teacher observes to make sure that everyone is being safe and supports and extends the learning where it is most needed. Simples! What sort of props are useful to use? Basically, anything that you have! It could be books, soft toys, scarves, balls, pictures etc. Just make sure that the props are suitable and safe for the age and development of the children using them (no small parts for young children.) If you are interested in my favourite props, check out ‘Top of the Props’ where I list my favourite props and ideas for how to use them. Top tips for organisation
I’d love to know your thoughts, do you use an obstacle course? What are your favourite props to use? X Julia Get your free obstacle course here Here are my top ten props that I use and some ideas for how to use each of them Learn how to be a ‘Pro with Props’ with my training here Managing Behaviour Effectively in a Kids Yoga Class
Watch the video of this blog here One question that I get asked time and time again by the yoga teachers who I support and mentor, is how do I manage kids behaviour without losing the yoga vibe. Unfortunately, many (although not all) education settings use shame based behaviour management techniques. As a teacher myself, I have in the past used these too – sometimes we can feel restricted by the environment and systems that we are in. Shame based behaviour techniques (such as shouting, or behaviour charts) are effective at controlling children. That is why they are so prolific in education settings, activities and clubs and also many homes too. Many yoga teachers know that these methods of shouting, guilting and manipulating are not in alignment with the yoga way of life. This means that kids yoga teachers often feel a mismatch between how they are operating in their classes with kids and also how they WANT to show up in the world and relate to children. So what to do? This is something that I struggled with myself, as I made the transition from primary class teacher to kids yoga teacher. Almost 7 years into my yoga teaching journey, I’ve had a think about what key aspects are most valuable to me in ‘managing behaviour’ and I thought I’d share them with you. What’s in a name? This is a very personal choice, but my preference is to be called by my first name in yoga classes. The old teacher persona of being ‘Mrs Hankins’ was difficult to let go of but I knew that I wanted a different way of relating in my yoga classes. Some of the schools that I worked in were not very happy about this, arguing that if I am called ‘Julia’ by the children then they won’t respect me. In fact, I have experienced the exact opposite. Using my first name is just one of the things that I do that makes the children relate to me even more, because they know my ‘real name’. It fosters trust and familiarity and I believe it helps me to connect better to who I am at core rather than a role that I am playing. This means that I am less likely to slip into habits of guilting and shaming children into behaving. Ultimately, it is really important that you feel comfortable with the name that you are being called in your classes. For me this is my first name, for you this might be something else, either way, just check that you feel the best version of you with the name you have chosen. It is also really important to me that I use the children's names. I encourage them to correct me if I mispronounce or make a mistake. It is vital to me that the children who I work with feel 'seen' as individuals and using their name is a crucial part of this. Rules, rules, rules! I am a bit anti- authority, perhaps this is due to my neurodiversity, so I find it funny how important rules are to me and how big a part of my lessons they are! For me though, the rules that I have come from a place of wanting the children in my care to feel safe. Safety is one of my core values and I want the kids in my yoga class to know that they will be kept safe. Reminding them of the rules at the start of each lesson, and any time that they need reinforcing, is a powerful way of stating my commitment to their safety. Having rules that are simple predictable, and easy to understand helps children to know what is expected of them. When children know what is expected of them, they are more able to succeed, they can relax within the walls that the rules provide. I recommend only having a very small number of rules and keeping them easy to remember – I only have three. This way, I can refer to them very easily. If you would like a free guide and poster of my rules, you can download them here. If you teach young children, or those with language barriers of some sort, it is ideal to have a visual representation of them, to make it more accessible. It’s all relative When I was a teacher, I was once told by an executive head “Julia, your relationship with the children is wonderful, but it’s not about that!” She was wrong. I knew it instinctively at the time and now, with a Master of Science in Mental Health and Well-Being in Education behind me, I know that research backs me up. It is ALL about the relationship. When you have a meaningful relationship with the children that you teach, they are more able to learn and they will respect you so much more that behaviour will be much less of an issue. Be curious If we treat children’s behaviour like a problem to be solved, that’s where it will remain, as a problem! Seeing things from the perspective of the child is really important. If there’s something going on with a particular child (or group of children), investigate more and find out what is going on that is leading to that behaviour. This might mean talking to the child individually (obviously not in front of the others) or talking to their teachers or adults, to get more information so you can understand them better. Remember that kids are kids! Sometimes it is really easy to forget that children are not adults! They are only capable of what their nervous system and brain development allows them to do. This means that they will act like kids! Sometimes it’s exhausting, frustrating, annoying! Sometimes they do things you wish they wouldn’t and sometimes they don’t listen, but they are only doing what they can in the situation that they are in. Learning more about children from a (simple) neurological perspective can really help you here. This is covered in the training ‘Tame the Crowd Without Being Loud!’, you can find that training here if this is something that you would like to know more about. Accentuate the positive Sometimes, we can get so caught up in seeing the children NOT doing as we asked, but there will always be those who are. You know that phrase “look for the helpers”? This works in your yoga class too. If you are feeling frustrated or like no one is listening, look for the helpers! The ones that ARE listening or doing as you asked and them thank them personally! Find three children who are doing as you asked and thank them. This will help you feel calm and in control and also it will remind the others what it is you have asked them to do. So these are just some ideas about my approach to behaviour management in my kids yoga lessons. I would love to know if any of this resonates with you. Are there any things I’ve mentioned that you agree or disagree with? What is your approach? Is there anything that I haven’t mentioned that you think is important? If you would like more support with managing the behaviour in your yoga class, you may find these resources helpful:
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From Julia
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March 2024
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