One of my favorite props to use with my preschoolers is my Meddy Teddy. They are fascinated by his ability to bend and stay in a yoga pose longer than most stuffed animals. He gives me the opportunity to connect with my students that may take a little bit longer to warm up to the idea of a yoga class. I will offer them an opportunity to play with him and very few children can resist. This week, I used him to play a fun game that allowed me to understand each of my preschool classes’ abilities.
One of the first poses I introduce when I start a series or with new students is child’s pose. I offer it as our resting pose in class – and encourage children to do it whenever they need a break. I also sometimes call it during class to gauge who is listening and paying attention. This week, I used it during class to remind my students what the pose is and when we use it. I demonstrated the pose and then we played the following listening and attention game with Meddy.
Move like Meddy Teddy!
The goal of this game is to assess my students and their various levels of abilities. It helps me understand their ability to listen and follow directions. I also can understand their physical capabilities as I observe how quickly they can get into the poses. I can assess either they can listen and move their body into the pose or if I need to demonstrate and give auditory cues.
The rules of the game are simple – every time “child’s pose” is called – the children rest in child’s pose. No peeking! Their forehead should be resting on their mats.
While the children are resting, I will move Meddy Teddy into a new yoga position and when it is time for them to get up from child’s pose I will ask the students, “Who can do what Meddy Teddy is doing?” The children quickly scramble to try and mimic the pose. I encourage the students to try and hold the pose as long as they can by breathing in and out. Some of the children are quick to get into the pose and I challenge them with taking more breaths. This gives me more time to help other students that may need a little bit more guidance.
This week, Meddy practiced tabletop, cat/cow, downward facing dog, donkey kicks and starfish in the 30 minutes we played together. Meddy Teddy was a fun prop to use this week in class and I heard my students went home and talked about class with their parents! How do you use Meddy in your yoga classes? I’d love to hear your ideas!
