What to Expect in Children’s Yoga: Birth - 1 Year
Before you teach children’s yoga, it’s important to have a clear understanding of the developmental milestones of the age group you are serving. In this series, we explore common developmental milestones and how they guide the content, format, and flow of yoga classes.
For infants, we recommend parents/caretakers attend classes with their little one, both for safety and practicality. Infants are not technically children yet, but many families with toddlers will also have infants at home, and it is a good practice to be familiar with this age set as you embark on professional practice.
By 6 months, a baby typically:
Smiles and laughs
Cries
Makes eye contact
Recognizes the face and voice of primary caretakers
Responds to other people’s facial expressions
Enjoys positive touch: cuddling, hugging, and possibly swaddling
Can feel happy, excited, relaxed, and upset
Responds to sounds, like their name and common words such as “no”
Enjoys both quiet and play
Begins to make sounds and babbles
By 12 months, a baby typically:
Cries when primary caretakers leave the room; behaves avoidantly with strangers
Shakes head to show likes and dislikes
Looks when their name is called
Responds to “no” and other one-word directions
Tries different ways to get attnetion
Enjoys playing alone and having attention
Can feel happy, sad, angry, scared, and upset
Starts to understand that objects “do” different things (i.e. keys are for opening doors)
Explores their own body through touch
Imitates sounds, actions, and facial expressions of others
Prefers certain people and toys over others
Babbles sounds like “mama” and “dada”
How to encourage developmental progress in your yoga classes:
Talk, read, explore books, laugh, dance, sing, and play! As you do, explain what you are doing or seeing.
When infants cry, encourage caretakers to attend to their needs — this makes infants feel safe, not spoiled
Encourage tender, loving touch between caretakers and infants
Create safe opportunities to explore the world: child-proof the classroom and ensure all practice spaces are clear of anything that might be unsafe, such as choking hazards, climbing hazards, or exposed electrical outlets
Encourage caretakers to stay close to their infants during class — this is not your time to bond, it’s theirs!
Stick to a predictable routine in class
Speak in a strong but soothing voice — you do not need to use “baby talk”
Support social-emotional development by connecting feelings to physical sensations, such as facial expressions (i.e. scrunched up eyebrows) and body language (i.e. stomping feet)
Lead class on the floor with caretakers and their young (and make sure the floor is clean!)
If you plan to introduce toys, props, or manipulatives, ensure there is one for each infant — they do not know how to share yet
Redirect or distract unwanted behaviors (a firm “NO” is for safety concerns — at the start of class, norm this with caretakers)
Explore the five senses
For older infants, invite them to make choices throughout class
Create opportunities for caretakers to express their love and care for their child
Suggested class duration and flow:
Classes should be about 30 minutes or fewer
Class should have a soft format guided by rituals, for example:
Opening welcome song (learn more: 10 Early Childhood Skills Learned Through Song) (5 minutes)
Short storytime with a simple board book (5 minutes)
Explore manipulatives, toys or instruments (5-10 minutes)
Encourage gross motor function with guided movement, or (for toddlers) walking or marching in circles (5-10 minutes)
Goodbye song or ritual (5 minutes)
If you have additional questions about developmental stages, please reference our source material.