Fun and simple yoga activities for tense toddlers

Since International Yoga Day is Monday, June 21st, we thought we’d offer an unconventional way to use yoga techniques in your parenting. Many people don’t realize that, although the appropriate age for kids to begin participating in yoga programs is around 4 years, toddlers can also be directed toward play that will help them learn yoga fundamentals. Use these yoga activities to help calm toddler tantrums, or just for some fun and quality time with your toddler!

1. Monkey See, Monkey Do

If you practice yoga, allow your toddler to get involved! Toddlers will naturally try to mimic movements they see on others, so incorporate some toddler-friendly poses into your practice and invite your little one to join you. Obviously, most poses will be suitable for a toddler’s hyper-elastic, still-developing muscles. Some poses, however, come naturally to toddlers. Among these are the aptly named child’s pose and happy baby. Child’s pose is an excellent grounding pose for feeling the flow of breath in and out of the body. It can help to stabilize your toddler’s mood and give them an occasionally needed sensory escape. Happy baby pose isn’t too unfamiliar for your toddler: Just a short time ago they were exploring the world on their backs. This position offers up a change of perspective that will fascinate your toddler and remind them of their own happy baby times! Speaking of change of perspective, teaching your child to invert themselves (i.e., touch their toes) at a young age has a myriad of benefits. Try some gentle forward folds with generously bent knees together. Your child will be fascinated by their new ability to turn the world upside-down! Just remember, if you choose to do yoga with your toddler, put down some pillows, cushions, mats, and bolsters so you’ll feel safe and secure should they lose their balance in a new position. Keep a close watch on them, because they are bound to get adventurous and try a few things outside their wheelhouse.

2. Balloon Breaths and More

Teaching your toddler a deep breathing practice can not only help to calm meltdowns but provides a foundation for tranquility that you can build on during their entire development. Breathing techniques are a staple of all yoga practices and consist of way more than just “breathing deeply”. Try teaching your child these fun breathing exercises when they are calm, so you can refer back to them in a sticky situation.

1. Belly Breaths, or Balloon Breaths- Tell your child to imagine their stomach is a big balloon. When they breathe in through their nose, they are filling up the balloon with air, and when they exhale from their mouths, they are letting the air out of the balloon.

2. Dragon Breaths- Have your child breathe in through their nose and then stick out their tongue long and open their eyes wide to make a “dragon face” as they exhale (breathe fire) through their mouths. This is a particularly good breath for releasing tension and anger.

3. Cooling Breaths- Tell your child to suck in air through pursed lips as though they were using a straw or sippy cup. Then have them release it through their nose. This is an excellent breath for cooling down on a hot day or after a lot of running around!

If these yoga recommendations for toddlers work for you, and your child starts to develop the breathing and mobility skills to practice yoga in early childhood, why not consider enrolling them in an age-appropriate yoga program? Yoga is becoming more and more fashionable for younger and younger children, and with good reason: It has a myriad of benefits to physical and emotional health. However, make sure you keep in touch with your pediatrician on what movement activities are healthy and safe for your child.