via Big Think

One of the most fascinating things about creativity is that the most recent studies are showing that it’s not just one side of the brain or the other side of the brain that everybody will tell you. It really is the most creative people are using both sides of the brain together. So this is an important concept that the brain is subdivided into two major hemispheres. We have two of each structure. Almost all the structures of our brain are paired. So the idea is well one side of the brain is for certain things and the other side of the brain is important for other things. And the one thing we can say for sure is yes, language is on the left side of the brain. But for creativity it actually makes more sense to me that with a function so broad as that you would benefit from having the most cross talk possible between all parts of your brain. In fact that’s exactly what the neuroscience is showing. So then once we start to understand – we’re starting to understand a little bit about the brain circuits involved in creativity that involves a lot the prefrontal cortex as you might expect. Then the question is well how do I up my creativity? That’s what everybody is interested in.

Well there is exciting new evidence that one of the functions of the hippocampus, an area that we know is important for long-term memory is that it’s not only important for long-term memory but it’s critical for the function of imagination. So people have been testing people with other people, patients with damage to the hippocampi for long periods of time. No surprise they had memory impairments. They were amnesic. But one day an experimenter back in 2007 tested amnesic patients on tasks of imagination. And she asked them can you imagine a situation that you’ve never experienced before. In this case it was imagine a tropical beach. And she compared the responses to people age matched and education matched people without hippocampal damage. What she found was these hippocampal patients, these amnesic patients who had normal language abilities were unable to imagine a future scenario. They could say things like well, there’s blue ocean, there might be sand. But they couldn’t elaborate at all. Whereas control patients, or control subjects were able to talk all about, you know, what the beach looked like, the buildings on the beach, the boats going past them. And this led other researchers to image the brains of subjects, normal subjects as they were remembering things. And when they remembered things the hippocampus lit up. But then they asked well imagine something new. And in that situation the hippocampus lit up again. So there’s multiple modes of evidence suggesting the hippocampus is not only involved in memory but is also important for imagination. A key component of creativity. We know that exercise stimulates what we can neurogenesis or the birth of brand new brain cells in the hippocampus. But because of those brand new brain cells in my hippocampus I’m also enhancing my imagination. So the hypothesis that I’m working on in my lab is can exercise actually enhance creativity.


Mommy’s note:

Maybe I should give this a try with my girls. Bonding time with them.The issue is finding the time to do it together.

Via Preschool Inspiration: The Best Kids Yoga Videos

Kid Yoga videos are giving teachers and parents an incredible tool to help children learn to:

  • manage stress
  • build their concentration
  • increase their confidence
  • and even work on gross motor skills.

I must admit I was a bit skeptical to jump on the kid yoga bandwagon. Did it really work? We started doing family yoga, and my kids loved it. During turtle on the rock, I would crouch over, and my daughter would lie on her back, balancing on me. Soon, we started looking forward to our weekly yoga class. It was both a great way to bond and also a perfect workout and stress reliever.

Need some great Kid Yoga videos? These are perfect for kid yoga in the classroom or at home. Now you can get free yoga in the comfort of your own home.

One day as I was reading through Facebook, I noticed that a bunch of preschool teachers mentioned they had started using YouTube kid yoga videos for their classes, and they were seeing great results in behavior and all around mindfulness. I had to check it out! And wow, they were right! The kid yoga videos were incredible.

No longer do you need to go to a yoga instructor or pay for classes. You can get one right in your home or classroom — and it’s FREE! I especially love that the Cosmic Kids Yoga videos tell a story at the same time. Other yoga videos have songs, and some are even led by kids.

There are even great yoga books!

  • Good Morning Yoga
  • Good Night Yoga: A Pose by Pose Bedtime Story
  • You are a Lion and Other Fun Yoga Poses

We do a morning yoga video now, and my kids can’t wait to find a new and exciting video to follow along. Here are some of the absolute best kids yoga videos.

Kid Yoga Videos

Frozen | A Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure!

Children’s Yoga Class with Ally Ford

KIDS YOGA | Crab Pose | Boketto Yoga 4 Kids

The Sun Dance Kids Yoga/Music Video by Bari Koral Family Rock Band

Kickapoo the Kangaroo | A Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure!

Yoga for Kids! By Yoga Today

YOGA FOR KIDS By We Heart Yoga

Parsnip The Cat | A Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure!

Yoga for Kids – Spring Yoga By Gaia

Tiny the T-Rex | A Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure!

Wake Up Routine – Yoga for Kids – Tiny Turtle Yoga

ZEN MEDITATION FOR KIDS | itsy-bitsy Boketto

5 Minute Yoga flow, for kids!! | Boketto Yoga

Mimi the Mermaid | A Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure!

Yoga for kids: Alphabet Yoga D V M & YOGA

The Very Hungry Caterpillar | A Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure!

Kids Yoga with Sheila Palmquist

Sport Yoga – Active Yoga for Kids Ages 3+ (Kick It)

4 Minute Yoga for Kids With Fightmaster Yoga

Lulu the Baby Lioness | A Cosmic Kids Yoga Adventure!

I’d love to hear what your favorite kid yoga video is!


Via Fatherly | 3 Simple Ways To Exercise With Your Kids

Often one of the first sacrifices new parents make is their bodies. Before the baby, trips to the gym were easy, eating healthy was simple, and pounding the pavement for a quick run required minimal planning. After the baby, just finding a few minutes to relax can seem impossible. But becoming a dad is no reason to let the pounds pile on. Plus, staying active sets a good example for your child.

According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, one of the best ways to help your kid avoid childhood obesity is to encourage them to be active for at least 60 minutes per day. By creating a daily workout that involves your little ones, you can teach them that staying active is important while also helping you shed that extra weight since your bundle of joy came along.

“There are tons of ways to exercise with your kids at home or outside the home. The most important thing is to spend that time bonding with your child and having fun.” says Anna Kaufman, herself a parent, and owner of The Little Gym in Westminster, Colorado. “By keeping it fun for both of you, it will help keep your child engaged in the activities.”

Here are a few tips to help you create a workout that both of you can enjoy.

Make It A Game

If there is one thing kids love most, it’s playing with their parents. It promotes bonding, gets them excited and, most importantly, can lead to a workout that both burns a few calories and creates infectious giggles. To exercise with your kids at home, get two stuffed animals and set them a few feet apart. Then jump between the two, over them, around them, mixing in lunges and squats as you go. Or do sets of pushups while your child rides on your back. “If you are having fun, a workout seems much easier,” says Kaufman. The key is to look around the house for ways to make every activity exciting.

Go Outside

In our increasingly digital world, one of the main casualties is outside playtime.“We don’t see nature time as critical, so it gets bumped from our kids’ increasingly packed schedules,” says Scott Sampson author of How To Raise a Wild Child. “Thus they are taught to shun the outdoors and get in front of a screen of some kind from an early age.” The easiest way to exercise with your kids outside is to go to your local playground. While pushing your kid on the swing, mix in burpees between every other push (just make sure you do them off to the side so you don’t get clocked in the face). Use an empty swing to do a hanging plank. Play pirate ship on the play sets and alternate who chases whom. Once junior can ride a bike, have him try to beat you when you go jogging. While you’re sweating it out, your child is learning that outdoor activities can be fun.

Join a Class

Most gyms now have programs that help you exercise with your kids — all moderated by professionals, so that you can focus on having fun. “Helping your child build balance coordination and basic motor skills while you both stay in shape can be one of the most rewarding activities for parents,” says Kaufman. “We find once parents come to our gym they are motivated to keep coming back, making a commitment seems to provide motivation to keep committed to working out.”

If you don’t want to go to a gym, there are plenty of sports teams that you can join or help coach. Teaching a pack of three-year-olds how to kick a soccer ball will wear anyone out.

The key is making healthy choices that keep your family active. Once you start, it will be tough to stop. You will feel better and, most important, your child will associate working out with playtime.

How to Exercise with Your Kids: A Cheat Sheet

  • Make exercising a game — a little roughhousing and play with push-ups.
  • Take advantage of the playground. It’s your kids’ favorite place to exercise, and a great spot for parents to join in.
  • Find a class that focuses on exercises for kids and parents.

Via Lora Green: Could Children’s Yoga Classes Help Your Kids Education?

Education comes in all guises. We naturally assume the true experience of education is through schooling with the books and endless tests that are thrust upon our children. Some children rise to this sort of challenge and thrive while others get left behind, sink and struggle with this kind of one-size fits all system and this can knock their confidence for a lifetime. Could Children’s Yoga Classes support your child’s education?
We are seeing a huge rise in the popularity of kids yoga classes as a means of supporting our children’s development and informal education. Yoga helps children to explore and learn life skills in a non-competitive way as one of the true wonders of yoga is that it really does suit all. Southampton based Kids Yoga Teacher, Sally Webber, explains exactly how one of our Children’s Yoga Classes in Southampton could support your kid’s education.

How Yoga Helps Your Kids Education?

1) Children’s Yoga Classes provide a platform that nourish and educate both the mind and body together. Formal education tends to disconnect these two with a curriculum for physical education and a separate curriculum for academic studies and so the path is set for an ongoing divide of the two. A good mind body connection is essential for mental health; problems such as insomnia, anxiety and eating disorders stem from a mind body disconnect.

2) Yoga for Kids helps in the development of emotional intelligence as through a yoga practise children are encouraged to explore a wide spectrum of thoughts and feelings as they relate to themselves and others. Even more so children learn how to control emotions such as anger, frustration and nervousness through yoga breathing techniques.

3) Yoga develops creative intelligence as children’s imagination is enhanced by exploring creativity through movement – a physical theatre for children to learn in a fun and inspiring way during a Kids Yoga Class in Southampton.

4) We all have an understanding of how to exercise the body, but yoga exercises and strengthens the mind as well. Through willpower alone children (and adults) can’t sustain focus, our ability to focus and concentrate is like a brain muscle that can be trained. With the meditation techniques and yoga breathing exercises that are taught in our Children’s Yoga Classes in Southampton you’ll see how it improves overall concentration and calmness.

5) Yoga is about connection and unity. It teaches that everyone is the same whilst also being totally unique. In a Kids Yoga Class, children get to explore and develop their true personality, free of peer pressure and social media – they get to celebrate who they are!


Via Lifeopedia: Six Tips for Teaching Sports to Kids

The Benefits of Sports Activities for Children

Sports provide many benefits to children. The games teach children teamwork
and help them develop a commitment to something bigger than themselves. However, you want to ensure that you introduce sports to your child or children in a positive and life-affirming way. That way, you can make the sporting event a pleasant experience for everyone.

Six Tips for Teaching Sports to Kids

Different sports require different skills. However, there are certain steps you should always take when introducing kids to the world of sports play. These steps include the following:

1. Plan your sessions in advance.

It is helpful to introduce the sport slowly rather than just jumping into a game. For example, if you are teaching a child to play baseball, then you might want to start with learning the fundamentals of catching, hitting and pitching before you delve into all of the rules and regulations of the game. You should introduce the skills slowly and have short sessions where kids can practice fundamentals. Plan these sessions in advance so you know what activities you will be covering and what information you want to impart.

2. Get the necessary equipment.

While you don’t want to spend a ton of money on equipment until you are certain that your children will enjoy the sport, you do need to ensure that you have the basic equipment needed to participate in the sport. You can often buy used sporting equipment inexpensively online, in local classifieds or resale stores.

3. Teach safety first.

One of the first lessons that should be taught to kids is how to participate in a sport safely. Explain the basic rules of the game and the fundamentals of safety when participating in sports. Be sure to explain the importance of any safety equipment or pads that may need to be warn during play.

4. Start teaching the basics.

At each sporting session, you can spend a little bit of time on the basics of the game. You want to ensure that the kids have a good time and do not get bored by mundane practice drills. This means you will typically want to have several different activities at each session, focusing on a different aspect of game play. For example, you may plan a four minute warm-up, followed by four minutes of throwing and four minutes of catching. You can then try a catch and run activity. Both explain how to do the essential tasks of the game and illustrate the essential skills by showing the kids what they need to do. Then, give the children lots of time to practice each skill, gently offering suggestions on how to improve their technique.

5. Work up to game play.

Once the children understand the basics of how to play a game, introduce playing in a low-pressure way. You typically do not want to keep score right away. Be sure that every child on the team has a chance to play and to enjoy the sports experience.

6. Sportsmanship.

Focus on being a good winner and a good loser. Kids need to know that not everyone is going to be great at sports, and that they cannot win every game. It is important to teach kids how to be gracious whether they play well or play badly.

Keep in mind that while adults tend to be competitive in nature, unlike winning being at the top for most adults, children are playing for fun (depending on the age). For most children, fun is listed as the top reason for participating in sports. The goals of sport participation at a young age is to stay active, stay fit, learn new skills and valuable lessons such as good sportsmanship and establish a healthy competitive nature.


Via Today: ‘What does your child do?’: What to consider when choosing activities for kids

“What does your child do?” Do? Ummm, he plays a little, sleeps not enough, smiles at me, and has a lot of bodily functions that I’d rather not discuss here in line at the grocery store. What in the world did this mom-acquaintance mean what did my 9 month old “do?”

I hadn’t been living in a cave… well, I had actually, the call room at the hospital where I was a third year medical resident was underground and pretty dark. In any case, I just didn’t realize that there was such pressure to enrich babies! That was thirteen years ago, and I’ve learned a bit since then. There are a million “classes” in which even babies can be enrolled.

Signing kids up for activities is a great idea, but also can be overwhelming for many parents. So, how do you know what to pick and when? These three questions will help you in the process.

1. How old is your child?

  • Up to age 2 or 3 most kids do best in a grown-up-and-them class.
  • If it’s a solo experience for your child, don’t expect them to love the idea right away.
  • Buddies help in the preschool years, and beyond
  • Involve your elementary school and older kids in the plan. Give them experience figuring out how much and what they can do.

2. What’s the schedule?

  • Don’t overbook your kiddo! “Downtime” is great for kids — they do their best learning during unstructured time, at every age. A lot of good comes out of relaxing, finding your own fun, having the freedom to join a game in the building or the neighborhood or just learning how to bust boredom.
  • Pay attention to your child’s routine. No matter how great the class is, if it falls during nap or mealtime there’s a good chance it will be an epic failure.
  • Put your family’s priorities first. It’s great to protect dinnertime, or to make sure that everyone is around for family movie night.
  • Think about homework. I wish kids under high school didn’t get homework, but they do — so don’t set your child (and you) up for stress by taking away all the time she needs to get it done and still get to relax a little.

3. Which activity should you pick?

This is the hardest — and most fun — question you’ll face!

  • Try not to force it. Most of the time, there is nothing to be gained by signing a child up for something they don’t want to do. Learning happens best when kids feel optimistic and engaged. So make sure you pick from a list of activities your child at least thinks she wants to try!
  • Consider your values. Having seen a family at football practice who didn’t believe in violent contact sports, it’s clear that a child’s desire to try something shouldn’t become more important than what the parents believe is right or wrong. Just practically speaking, if your kiddo falls in love with an activity that you think is damaging, that’s not going to be a successful experience for anyone!
  • Think about the life lessons. Will a particular activity teach your child perseverance? Teamwork? Flexibility? Problem-solving? Patience? Music appreciation?

And one last piece of advice: Aim for average!

Parents experience a lot of pressure to get kids “on the right path” if we want them to excel at something. There is no way to know, and no reason to care.We look at three year old bodies and minds, trying to figure out if this is a dancer, a ball player, a violinist, a linguist… We listen to our friends’ kids successes and think “My child should already be doing THAT!”

Most of our children will never be Olympians or stars. Let’s choose activities based on what they can do for our child, not what our child can do in that activity. When you look at a class or team or club, ask yourself…

“What if he was never great at this? Would it still be worthwhile?”

If the answer is yes, and he’s interested, sign him up!


Via Active: How to Make Exercise Fun for Kids

When President Obama declared September Childhood Obesity Awareness Month last year, he stated that nearly one in every three children in America is overweight or obese.

How can we help children become healthier? By setting a great example for them: Join them for well-balanced meals and show them how much fun daily physical activity can be.

Use these tips to help children become and stay healthy:

Be a Team Player

Ask your child what activity he or she would like to learn and then sign them up. Some children enjoy competitive team sports including T-ball, softball, football, tennis, basketball, hockey or even Frisbee. Other children are more comfortable with non-competitive activities such as dancing, ice or roller skating, swimming, gymnastics or even yoga for kids.

Take a Class

Kids enjoy exercise classes for the same reasons adults do: the camaraderie of friends and the fun of following an instructor. Exercise classes for kids are wonderful ways for children to be exposed to both fitness and dance at once in a happy, non-competitive environment.

Neighborhood Fun

Encourage your children to play outdoors with kids who live nearby. A basic game of tag requires no equipment. In warm weather, let your children and their friends run through your sprinklers.

Indoor Fun

On rainy or snowy days, or for less athletically-inclined children, get their — and your — circulation going while indoors. Try a game of Twister, hold indoor ping pong tournaments or play hide and seek.;

Photo Credit: Health Save Blog

Use Technology

If your child seems more excited about texting friends than moving his or her body, lure them into exercise with technology. Try the Wii, which can be played indoors while requiring the body to simulate the motions of tennis, baseball, golf, bowling and boxing. Let your children invite their friends over for Wii’s “Just Dance Summer Party.”

Respect Their Level

Some children are natural athletes while others enjoy more relaxed physical pursuits. Respect your child’s level and work within it, only gradually increasing the intensity. As with adults, all children progress at a different pace. If walking around the neighborhood or a park is what your child enjoys, begin there. Then slowly add other activities such as tossing a ball. Walking might lead to hiking a more challenging mountain trail.

Cheerlead

Whatever physical activity your child chooses, be sure to encourage them. If they enjoy what they’re doing, they’ll do more of it. Just like adults, right?


When adults think about exercise, we usually imagine the gym, running or a treadmill, or lifting weights. It is important you know that for kids, exercise is being physically active and having fun. So how will you teach the children about exercise? Let’s find out!

Teaching kids about exercise

Teach Them the Benefits of Exercise

Here are some of the benefits of exercise that kids need to know about. When teaching kids about exercise, tell them that they will have:

  • Won’t be overweight
  • Won’t be at a risk of developing diabetes
  • Will live a better life
  • Will have low cholesterol and blood pressure
  • Will have a leaner body and minimum body fat
  • Strong bones and muscles
  • Will sleep better


Elements of Fitness

If you want the kids to learn more about exercise, you need to teach them about all the small details. The three elements of fitness are:

  • Strength
  • Flexibility
  • Endurance

 

Now the main question is how can you develop all these elements when teaching kids about exercise? Here is how:

 

Endurance

The kids will develop endurance when they will do aerobics that will increase their heart rate and will deliver oxygen to all the cells of the body. Here are some sports that they can practice:

  • walking
  • tennis
  • swimming
  • soccer
  • running
  • jogging
  • inline skating
  • ice skating
  • bicycling
  • basketball

KIDS EXERCISE

Strength

Strength doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to lift heavy weights. Lifting weights is great, but it should only be done under the supervision of an adult. Kids don’t need to lift heavy weights in order to be strong, because at their age it is all about eating a healthy diet and doing some regular exercise. The kids can do the following exercises to strengthen their muscles:

  • stomach crunches
  • Push-ups
  •  pull-ups

Flexibility

Flexibility is improved with the help of stretching exercises. When you stretch to your maximum potential, the joints and the muscles bend and you get a full range of motion. Encourage your kids to stretch every day, even if it only for five minutes.

Sedentary Lifestyle Is a Problem

One of the main problems that we are facing today is that our lifestyle is sedentary, which means that we are not moving as much as we used to, and the same goes for the kids. Kids these days watch TV for over seven hours, which means that they are not getting the right amount of exercise. When teaching kids about exercise, make sure that you encourage the kids to exercise and limit their TV time to maximum two hours per day.

Why Exercise Is Important

The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) has provided the following guideline:

Age Minimum Daily Activity Comments
Infant No requirements Helps With motor Development
Toddler 1.5 hours Half an hour of planned activity and one hour of unplanned physical activity
Preschooler 2 hours One hour of planned activity and one hour of unplanned physical activity
School age More than 1 hour With a break after every 15 minutes

In order to promote fitness in kids, we need to make sure that they are getting ample physical exercise because it helps in building strength and confidence. It is very easy for school going children to be physically active, as they have the chance of participating in a number of activities and sports. You simply need to encourage the child, to find something that suits their interest, age, and personality. Lot of parents wonder, how much exercise their kid should be getting every day. Here is the fitness guideline that is recommended for school going to children:

• More than one hour of vigorous physical exercise that can be incorporated in p-lay and games
• Different bouts of physical activity for at least 15 minutes
• Avoiding inactivity for more than 2 hours, unless of course they are sleeping

Health and Fitness Activities for Kids

Practicing Fitness at Home

Fitness in Kids

If you are thinking about fitness, you can get your kids to think about sports. Here are some of health and fitness activities for kids to keep them moving inside the home:

• Make sure that physical activity is a part of their daily routine. You can ask them to run errands for you or can ask them to help you with every day chores.

• You should allow them ample time to play with their friends and siblings. Kids burn a lot of calories when they are left on their own. Some fun activities that every child loves include riding bicycle, playing tag, and building snowman during the winters.

• Make sure that they have all the proper equipment for the sports. You don’t have to buy expensive stuff to promote fitness or to plan health and fitness activities for kids; instead, you can get them jumping ropes, hula hopes, balls, and even a bicycle.

• Make sure that being active is something that everyone in the family practicing. You can’t expect your child to do something that you aren’t doing yourself.

• Limit all the sedentary activities to at least two hours and this includes watching TV, playing video games, and using gadgets.

If you feel that your child is very active, you can take them to the playground, because this is a great way for them to meet and play with other children.

Why Fitness Is Important

Fitness in kids is important because it helps them to learn about healthy completion, meeting challenges, learning about their true potential, learning about teamwork, and teaches them about the value of patience.

Exercise That Promote Fitness

Here are some of the exercises that will promote fitness in kids: 

  • Wrestling
  • Wheelbarrow, crab and bear-walk races
  • Tickle tag
  • Temper tantrum
  •  Sock skating 
  • Scavenger hunt
  • Pushover Parents
  • Popcorn pushups
  • Pillow fight
  • Parachute
  • Obstacle course
  • Jumping jacks
  • Jump rope
  • Hopscotch
  • Headstands
  • Hallway bowling
  • Freeze dance
  • Follow the leader
  • Dance party
  • Clean-up race
  • Carnival
  • Bubble wrap attackBubble bashing
  • Balloon ball
  • Animal races

These are just some of the health and fitness activities for kids that you can plan to keep them fit and healthy.