It is not hard to find yoga classes for children these days. Kids are doing yoga in classrooms, studios, summer camps and after school programs. Teaching yoga for children can be super rewarding and fun. There are variety of yoga teacher training courses available. Some programs offer 200 hr certifications with specialization in kids yoga, while others offer training for teachers, school counselors, parents or anyone who works with children. Some trainings take a more mainstream approach by focusing on the health benefits, self-discipline and self-awareness. Other programs use mythology and ancient wisdom to bring a kid-friendly twist to a classical or traditional practice. In addition, there are now specialized kids yoga teacher trainings for those who want to teach to the ‘tween set, teenagers or children with special needs.
Yoga Alliance standards for teaching yoga to kids:
- General Background (12 hours): Understanding childhood development stages from children ages 2 – 15
- Techniques Training /Practice (20 hours): Yoga based practices appropriate for child development, yoga – based games and activities
- Teaching Methodology (15 hours): Classroom techniques, lesson plans and group processing; age-appropriate teaching skills; effective communication skills (songs & stories)
- Anatomy & Physiology (10 hours): related to changes during childhood development and their application
- Yoga Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics for Children’s Yoga Teachers (12 hours): basic yoga precepts as they relate to children and teaching to children; awareness of ethical behavior
Teaching yoga to kids presents some new challenges for yoga teachers. It is important to realize that kids will find it difficult to be quiet throughout a yoga class. You will need to let go of any expectations of what you think it should look like. Kids want to be able to act out the poses by making animal sounds or by taking on some characteristic of the pose. Allow this to evolve naturally. Small children won’t understand the benefits of yoga if you tell them. Seasoned kids yoga teachers know how to effectively use stories, music and art to get kids to tap into the undercurrent of a yoga practice.
If you are looking for a yoga teacher training for children in your area, check with studios offering teacher training and see if they also offer training to teach children, what the training includes and what prerequisites the teacher training for kids may have.
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