7 Acro-Yoga Exercises for Parents and Children, ages 3y to 12y (or more)

In this post Sharon hosts Sarit, who is an Ashtanga instructor from Kiryat Shmona, and together we want to introduce you to Acro-Yoga (light) for parents and children.

Parents-children Acro-Yoga strengthens the parental connection, builds trust, builds confidence, improves self-esteem and generally speaking broadens the heart.
We recommend that you perform the exercises when another adult is around to stand on guard and prevent injuries. The exercises are performed slowly and while maintaining balance and attention of the child.
2 basic terms are: a. base – whoever lifts the other (in this case the parent) and b. flyer – the person being lifted up and balancing on the base (in this case, the child).

1.  "Airplane" – parent as base, child as flyer.
The parent lie on the ground, lifting his legs with a mild spread of the hips, while the child "free-falls" on the parents legs and shifts all his body-weight to it. The parent then stretched its legs at a 90° angle, while the child spreads his hands to both sides while maintaining balance.

2. "Bat" – from the airplane position the child will move the weight of his upper body downwards with the parent supporting him by the back, while the parent legs are still in a 90° angle to the ground in order to maintain balance. Later on the parent can fold his legs if it's comfortable (in our case the height differences were too big).



3. "Bridge" – the parent is base, the child is a flyer.
The parent places his legs around the upper buttocks (where they meet the back) with a mild spread against the waist, while the child leans backwards when he is supported around the shoulder by the parent. The parent stretched his legs, and the child can hold the parent ankles, and with the help of another adult roll up towards the parent head and all the way to standing up.

4. "Bridge on the ground" - the parent stand with his legs spread above the child's head. The child holds his hands against the parent's ankles while his buttocks leans outside. While lifting the pelvis and placing the head on the ground the parent helps the child by holding his pelvis until a full bridge is formed.

Preparation for the first grade- games suggestions

The first grade is the starting point of any person's academic life; it's an adventure full of excitement and fears. The educational plan by the ministry of education is full of educational- pedagogical assignments that affect the child's play time, recess time, and the development of social skills and emotional maturity, while placing a lot of burden both on the kg teacher and on the child.

Entering the first grade is transferring from a world of less rules, contingency movement and flexible structure, to an entirely different setting,with structured classes, longer sitting times, less mediators and less play time (there are, off course, more differences; and there are different schools and approaches).

It's preferable to play with our children as a preparation for the first grade, and not to  burden them with learning more academic skills, since they will do it any way in the Kg (some love to do it at home too).

You can play games and sing songs about letters, numbers and more; read books, talk and develop spoken language and work on social and emotional skills.

You are welcome to enter the following posts and play to improve the key aspects that will lead to their success in entering the first grade; educators-  - it is highly recommended to work on those skills in the first few months of the a school year and you'll see a lot of  improvement in the children performances:

1.       Sitting and concentration

2.       Strong shoulder belts and hands

3.       Balance, posture

4.       Emotional expression abilities

5.       Basic motor skills- for girls and boys

6.       Social skills- cooperation, empathy, loosing and winning

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We'll be happy to have you in our community, and we'll love answering any question you might have.

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All the responsibility is on the parent and/ or educator.

All the posts and materials belongs to togi let's play, and Sharon Michaeli- Ramon  ©

Games to Practice Patience, Restraint, Coping with Frustration and Error

Playing games can teach us many skills, both formally and informally. In this post I will be presenting you with 2 easy games that work on:

1. Social cooperation
2. Developing patience and restraint
3. Memory
4. Responsiveness speed
5. Requires the ability to continue and play though we were mistaken or defeated
6. Making connections to other topics and creating a casual learning of important topics by playing other games, such as: colors, numbers, letters, word patterns, connections etc.

What's in the Hoop?
You place 2 hoops on the ground, and place 4-5 identical objects in each of them. You call out the name of one of the objects. The first child that grabs this object from their hoop and run to you is the winner. You can exercise colors, numbers, pictures of different categories etc.

What's hiding underneath…(game of speed and luck)
Place a handkerchief or a box at some distance from the children.
Show them two objects and hide one of them when they don't notice. The children need to run, and the first who reached the spot gets to be the first to guess. If they were right, they receive the hidden object or a hug. If guessed wrong, the turn goes to the other.
The advantage of this is luck and speed, so it has no connection to knowledge, only guessing.

You are invited to look at our post that deals with how to teach restraint (and off course consult with us on it).


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All the responsibility is on the parent and/ or educator. 

 All the posts and materials belongs to togi let's play, and the writer ©

12 exercises for strengthening our feet, posture, stability and movement

Our feet are our connection to the ground, and the base of our posture and movement. There are 26 bones, 36 joints and lots of muscles and tendons in them. Our feet must be both flexible and strong in order to stabilize us and enable us to live active lives.
As we  grow old our feet and ankles are weakening, and in our modern world where they are usually wrapped-up in shoes, their flexibility is constantly at risk, leading to the fact that we are not very stable in some of the activities. We must also remember that our feet and posture also affect our knees and pelvis, as part of the lower body movement chain.

In different cultures the feet represent the body as a whole, and healthy feet are like a mirror to the healthy body.Many illnesses first affect our feet.

Good posture - both in movement and static - enables us to be confident in our daily activities.
Since most people don't really know how to strengthen their feet and toes, we decided to share with you some easy and joyful exercises that are important at any age, from 2 yo to a 120 :)

1. Standing on the tip of your toes, and than on your ankles. If you cannot hold yourself straight at the beginning - use something to lean on or hold hands with the person next to you.

2. Stand on only one foot for several seconds, while the other is held in the air, and then change feet. 
Add some jumping on one foot. You can also stand on one foot and stretch the other one backwards or forward.

3.Stand on your 6 or your 4 - on the edge of your fingers and toes - shift the weight of your back from fingers to nails and vice versa, forwards and backwards.Repeat this several times.
Attention: at first this might be difficult, so only perform it with 2-3 repetitions,and slowly raise their number.
*Little kids use tire fast after several repetitions, and then they like to hide underneath us or climb on us.

4. Spread your toes as much as possible, and then tighten them as much as possible. It might feel weird at first or even might hurt a bit, but the improvement is fast and very enjoyable.
Twist the ankle joint both ways, pose in flex and point.

5.Spread your feet to the sides - as wide as you can without any exterior force, and remain in this position for 5-10 seconds.
Close your feet one above the other, hold for several seconds, and switch sides.
Place parts of your feet on the opposite ankle, and perform a "mini-massage" of the ankle/feet-arch to the feet's side.

6.Open and widen the space between your toes - it really opens up the movement and breathing space of the joints.

7. Flex your feet - forward, backwards, to the sides - very gently and while listening to what your body tells you it can do, and the movement range of the feet. smaller children might need some assistance.
*For flexibility from your age and massaging toddlers - please see the book "Loving Hands: The Traditional Art of Baby Massage" by Frederil Leboyer.

8. Stand on "Spaghetti" or a broom's-stick and shift your weight back and forth.

9."Spaghetti" walking  - requires work from the stabilizing muscles. You can also walk on any other wall. (For more examples please check our post about balance).

10. Spread different objects on the grass/floor/sand and collect them using only your toes, slip them on your feet, pick them up in collaboration with your partner/child/friend - only with your feet, no hands. 
You can pile all the objects you have raised to one big pile, or you can each have your own pile.
Suggested objects for this exercise: small hoops, pencils and pens, cotton balls, wrinkled papers etc.
It might be hard at first - do not despair!

11.Side position - lean on your hand/forearm - raise your upper leg up. This also works on you back muscles and abs.
Kids really love this one.
Attention - perform very little repetitions.  If you feel pain in your lower back - stop and do not force your body.

12. Try to walk barefoot as much as possible - at home, on the sand at the beach, on the grass in the park.

Health & Joy !






All the responsibility is on the parent and/ or educator
All the posts and materials belongs to togi let's play, and the writer ©

The importance of playing with our children, as parents and educators

As children and as adults, playing games develops our skills. Unfortunately, the free play in the Western world is constantly decreasing.
Studies show that the more the free-play time decreases, there is also a decrease in empathy, social, understanding each other (emotions and needs) etc., and an increase in anxiety and depression might be common.

In this post I would like to elaborate on the advantages of playing with your children - both your own kids and the kids you educate.
Playing a mutual game with the children entails lots of opportunities in it to get to know each other better, to develop intimacy, completing challenges together, learning from a role model, joint frustration and success' etc.
When an adult plays with children their connection, bond and attachment are better, and the place of the adult in the child life is bigger and more important, which eases the whole boundaries issue.  

Here are some general "rules":
 
1. Play, and a lot - box games, Imagination games, outside games (football, catch the ball etc.), road games while travelling and any other kind of game you like. You are invited to share with us what are your favorite games.

2. Find mutual activities from different areas such as reading, riding, cycling, running, hiking etc. (Allow your children to get to know your inner world, and try to learn some about their inner world).

3. Remember the joy of tickles and peek-a-boo games with babies and toddlers? Children seek contact, it varies according to their age, but you know your children: hug them, play with them, roll in the grass with them etc., as long as you all enjoy the activity and the contact.

4. Choice - Involve the children in the decision, present them with several options and let them choose. If there is a large number of children, it can be practiced as a democratic choice where the majority vote counts. It is highly advisable to vary the choice every few weeks.

5. Always remember that a game is a protected place, but it is also a place where one can learn to cope with rules - not to cheat, how to lose without having a fit, how not to frustrate your fellow players....
Adapt your level and and flexibility to the children's level, in order to create an harmonic atmosphere where all are equal - a true sense of realistic winning, along with a true sense of realistic losing. If you will always allow your child to win, he will turn into a sore loser while playing with friends, and will be more likely to throw a fit with any failure. Children need to also learn how to lose.

6. There is a constant rise in the game and the child abilities - At first, children love to cooperate. It's a great stage to show them how it's done properly, learn some team work etc.
Children love competition - don't rush it - it will come at their own pace. At the early stages it is more important to teach them how to win, how to lose, and how not to be insulted from any of the results.

7. Enjoy, really enjoy the game. If you play with a full heart and intentions and not just "go through the motions" your children will sense it, and will appreciate it more.

8. Talk with them after the game - how did they feel, how was it, did they enjoy, what didn't they like....don't forget to share your feelings too. A mutual open conversation is much more productive and teaching to the children than any theory of - "it's important to tell us everything" "no secrets" etc.

9. The game level should be appropriate to the children age - you can always make some adaptions, such as:
a. the "Picolino" game is for children from the age of 4+, but eliminating the the crying clowns cards allows children from the age of 3+ to play it.
b.Playing catch - the older the child the bigger the distance, at first you start by rolling on the ground, then throwing in the air etc.

10. Turn off your cell phones while playing. Thank you :)

Enjoy , and if you have good tips- share them with us :)

Thank you

you can read more:

Ken Robinson - out of our minds, chapter 9.

Peter Gray.

All the posts and materials belongs to togi let's play, and the writer ©

Balance games, and yes, it's extremely important

Balance, homeostasis, equilibrium- so many words used to describe many contexts- physical, emotional, cognitive & educational, biological and more.
Balance starts to  develope during infancy and has a crucial role in any physical- motor aspect- walking, running, balancing, standing on one leg, playing with friends etc.

A lack of balance sense may cause difficulties in - integrating in a play, motor difficulties, a sense of separation from the peer group, anxiety and lack of self- confidence, and some children will have problems in learning- reading, concentrate, sitting and more.

Balance is affected by physiological factors (the vastibular system that connects the kinesthetic system and the vision system) and from body experiences on different developmental stages, from infantry and onwards.

Because balance is a major element in the motor functioning that influences the self esteem, comfortable movement and the learning abilities, it is worthwhile playing games that improve it, and mainly add confidence, for example:

1. rolling forward and backward (pay attention to the position of the head- chin to to chest).
2. sitting on a ball- medium size or fit-ball (well inflated)- lifting one leg, lifting two legs, lifting hands- up & down, rolling on the ball.

3. walking on short walls- in the beginning with hand, and later on without.
4. walking on trees roots.

5. paste a path from a tape on the floor, and walking on it while staying balanced.
6. jumping on one leg, two legs- forward, to the sides, backwards.
7. rolling to the side, keeping the body straight.
8. standing on one leg for 10 sec. prolonging the time after a week.

9. climbing on the high facilities in the playground (safely).

10. drawing with chalk or with tape squares and jumping from one to another.

11. walking on a rope- on the ground.

12. riding bikes, scooters etc.

13. walking barefoot on the tiptoes.

14. swing.

ENJOY :)

 All the exercises in this film are professional recommendations.  However, the implementations are under  parents and/ or educators responsibility.
* If you see no improvement, or have multiple challenges consult a professional.

                              All the posts and materials belongs to togi let's play, and the writer © 

Improving Concentration and Attentiveness while playing

I am fascinated with the subject of how children with attention deficit disorder (for various reasons) cope with the class' life - from the mutual aspect of teacher-pupil relationship, the learning experience, the social experiences, their sense of self-esteem and abilities, and off course the emotional experience.

I believe that a lot of flexibility is required from the teacher, a flexibility which is also derived from offering the children with tools and coping strategies.

I recently read a nice article about children with attention deficit disorder which claimed, among other things, that ordering them in a manner of imperative mood - sit! listen! etc. takes up a huge energy from them - they are concentrating on the sitting itself, instead of the learning tasks which they face. This has made it clear to me that such children should be approached in a manner of movement to increase their listening abilities, while combining learning tasks.

In this post I would like to present to you with 4 simple movement games, that can be practices in every kindergarten/classroom/home/playground. They work on listening, focus of attentiveness, and combining working with active learning attentiveness:

1. Knowledge in Movement - 

a game of "balloons in the air". Each child gets a balloon and they must keep it up in the air with using various body parts.

It is not allowed to touch the other players' balloons - not to "help" them and not to snatch them.

The teacher ask questions or gives assignment during the balloons game. For example: 

X - how much is 30+3?

Y - What is the capitol of China?

Z+P+U - bounce the balloons only with the help of your knees.

The purpose is to determine a specific play-time with specific rules, and thus create the need to listen and simultaneously perform an action/calculation/answer etc., and detect when does the teacher change the instructions.

The level of the teaching/questions/calculations etc. must be adapted to the pupil's level.

When dealing with a child who has an attention deficit disorder we will start with changing our instructions, and with time and level of progress will ask for general knowledge/calculation questions.

2. An obstacle course with a prolonged mission - 

Building a confused phrase or assembles pictures to a story, or build a story with separate phrases, while each educational mission builds gradually.

You give the child one part of the puzzle/pictures/structure etc., and every time he finishes a part of the course or the entire course you take or being given the next part.

If you cannot build an obstacle lane you can give the children a props - basketball/hoop/rope etc. - and give them an assignment - to dribble the basketball, walk and dribble/ turn it around etc. When the teacher calls for the first part, everybody must run and get it. The winner is whoever finishes first the puzzle/assignment/phrase etc.

This game requires persistence and organization alongside to attentiveness.

3. Keeping balance - 

Maintaining a balance demands concentration, coordination, a physical fitness and self-esteem. Combining an educational assignment while performing balance exercises forces the brain to coordinate between it's different parts and cells.

I recommend to use what's available in your environment for practice - walking on a bench/beam, jumping using only one foot, walk on a rope which is spread in different shapes, walk only on or between  taped marks (prepared in advance) on the floor.

While the pupils exercise their balance, the teachers starts to ask questions, riddles etc. Take notes to yourself who manages to answer fast without losing their balance. This pupils can be challenged with higher levels - collect balls/balloons - and then continue with the task.

This activity encourages and develops a listening sequence, better pose and balance, while cooperating in your own space without bothering your fellow pupils space.

4. A Quick observation game - to which we have already dedicated an entire post in our blog:

http://togiplaytogether.blogspot.co.il/2015/04/a-quick-observation-game.html

Enjoy :)

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All the posts and materials belongs to togi let's play, and the writer © 

Gender equality in schools - the motor aspect in the first grade

The discourse on gender equality is complex and when you enter it into the schools it's even stronger in regard to the representation of boys/girls; man/woman roles in the learning materials; the figures we learn about; the language we use in class, the local culture and more.
I've noticed that even in the beginning of first grade the girls (mainly) were unsuccessful in skills that I usually perceive as critical for plays, and it lessened their self confidence. On the same time some of the boys, and fewer girls were embarrassed, yes! In first grade, to dance, to sing and to move with their body, while simultaneously they felt that they are missing out on the fun. But the embarrassment was stronger than them.

In my class I'm a huge believer in equality and the education for equality- in opportunities, success, experiencing, behavioral. I express my education for equality through my language (Hebrew is a gender based language), by braking cultural rules, in complex discussions and more.
In this post I want to present to you five skills, that in my opinion are important to establish the class' culture of tolerance, peer learning and gender equality and influence on:

1. The individual's conducts in class- self esteem, involvement, stand up, discourse culture, listening and group work.
2. Social interactions.
3. The class' self value- as a group.

The skills are:

1. Running- it seems that everybody can run, but it's quite a wonder that girls run slower and get tired faster, not because they can't but because they are not used to it. Most of them don’t "run like boys".
   I think it is caused by the environmental feed backs, and I'm working hard to create a free fun running space and games.
2. Throw and catch a ball (in different sizes) is a weak skill for some of the children, mainly- girls, but not only.  The question is why?
   
   • Not enough opportunities.
   • Fear from the ball (various reasons).
   • Problems with regulating power.
   The lack of this skill affects their ability to play, to catch and to feel equal. it's very easy to change it- playing a lot of catch games, learning different opening strikes (volleyball, net ball, basketball etc.).
3. Climbing and jumping- I combine this two actions together, although they require different skills, because they improve our strength, jump abilities, improvisation and creativity, while at the same time they build confidence and posture.
   In our school we have a playground, and we are playing there once a week with various challenge and obstacle course games.
4. Dancing, creative movement- the age of embarrassment is decreasing every year, and children who even once heard a remark on this subject, or someone has "fixed" their dance, or think by themselves they don’t know how to dance look at their friends with anticipation. The solution is to expose them to a vast variety of improvisations, drumming games, rhythm and music games, while simultaneously giving them reinforcements so they will participate and dance.
   Boys are usually more embarrassed, but when the environment is welcoming and open, the division to boys/ girls territories diminishes.
5. Willingness to try/explore- some will say that a willingness to try and the opposite- abstaining are character traits; I believe that a big part behind willingness play former opportunities and small/ large successes.
   Success is an interesting thing. Personally I believe  that in the aspect of movement trying and doing for themselves are to be considered as a success.
   As teachers and parents we need to provide the children with a sense of confidence and acknowledgment that their choices are interesting no matter what, and that the different movement ways are the right way.

while working on the movement aspects we need to establish equal space and expectations that will make the children engaged and motivated.


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:)

written by Sharon Michaeli Ramon

All the posts and materials belongs to togi let's play, and the writer ©