📽️ 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:

• All kids like toys, stickers, and fun things like that! Just because children are in year 5 and 6 (ages 9, 10 and 11) and may seem like they are too cool for school- most of them still love an opportunity to play and sadly, often don’t get much opportunity any more.
• All age groups like a bit of silliness.
• You don’t have to sing to teach younger children! Sure, they love it, but if you don’t love it– don’t feel you have to do it!
• You don’t need to act like a different person when you are teaching different ages- this is just exhausting!
  

Here are some things to consider about teaching yoga to different ages:
Teaching younger children:

• Young children move, a lot! Get them involved and joining in with everything that you do- if you don’t want them dancing and spinning off around the hall! They want to move their bodies so make sure that they are doing this with you rather than despite you!
• Young children have shorter attention spans, they need shorter activities- use shorter songs
• Talk less! Move more! Their language processing skills are still developing, too much talking can be tiring and confusing.
• The pace of a lesson with younger children may feel ‘pacier’ as to engage them, you’ll need to ‘add novelty’ more regularly.

 
Teaching older children:

• Older children crave freedom and autonomy- allow freedom to choose who they work with, and a variety of tasks to choose from.
• Partner work, and group work (ensure that you are clear here about how you expect them to work together).
• Ask them why! Get them thinking about what benefits the activities that you are teaching have.
• Explain why! Older children especially love to know why they are doing something. Sharing scientific facts is a winner.
  

 
All children need:

• Rules and boundaries, ‘this is what I expect, this is what you can do…’ Get my rules poster and guide here
  
• Demonstration ‘this is an example of what it might look like’
• Structure and understanding what will come next ‘first we will… then….’
• Resources to scaffold their learning, such as visual aids- things like yoga cards to help them base their learning on.
  
• To know what it is they are learning and how this fits into their previous and future learning.

 
Ways to make teaching multiple classes of different ages manageable for you but also suitable for each group:

• Use the same props but do different activities with those props. If you are not sure what to do with the props, check out the training Props like a Pro or the freebie, Top of the Props!
  
• Use music to help you manage timings and the ‘vibe’ of the room. Use different playlists for different age groups- shorter songs for younger kids and ‘cooler’ tracks for older kids (ask them their favourites!).
  
• Keep the structure of the lesson the same, just vary what goes in it. Check out training ‘Structure for Success’ get my free lesson planning grids.
  

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:

• What did the kids in the classes learn last half term? What are they already able and confident in doing?
• What did I teach, but perhaps didn't really 'land'?
• What did I want to teach but didn't get round to?

I might pop this on a post it or straight into a document on the computer.

Next steps
Then, I spend some time considering:

• What do I think the next step is? What is the natural progression of skills from where the children are at now?
• I write the next step for each group/ phase/ year group.

The next step is usually similar across year groups but with differences based on ability/ stage of development/ age.
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:

• First, I start with the easy, simple things that I can pop in without much thought, for example, what props I will use each week? What breathing / mindfulness techniques I want to incorporate? This is based on what I haven’t used in a while. (check out my training ‘Props like a Pro’ to learn some great ways that I use props in my classes).
• Next, I add in things that I would like to re-visit / consolidate from the previous term, maybe using the warm -up games as opportunity to remind of known poses, for example.
• Lastly, I look back at the next steps and add those in. This could be new poses or new activities to do with poses that the children already know.
  

 
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:

• Turn off notifications on your phone and computer.
• Don’t have your email open.
• Set yourself a timer this article (https://time.com/3518053/perfect-break/) suggests that working for 52 minutes and having a 17 minute break is the optimum time for concentrating and not getting distracted and sloppy.
• Don’t commit to doing other things on the same day that might distract you.

 
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: [email protected] 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:

• If you plan your lessons/ or classes, you are less likely to repeat things! You have something to refer back on, to see what you have already done. Which informs what you can do next.
• Your yoga classes have a structure or flow and are more likely to fit together nicely.
• Lesson plans help you to be a reflective practitioner, which makes you better at what you do- you can scribble on your plan what worked, what didn’t, and this informs your future classes.
• When you plan, you know where you are going and this is good for your own nervous system. It’s also good to rely on, on those day’s when you aren’t feeling so creative!

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