Stretching and Yoga are some of the most beneficial movements you can add to your PE program. Not every student is comfortable with these types of movements. Check out a few ways to help students with their balance, flexibility, and coordination while keeping them engaged and interested.
1. Build It Into a Routine for Every Class
As teachers, our daily lessons reflect what we want our students to learn and be able to do. If we add stretching/yoga to our daily routines, students will get more comfortable and confident in these movements. A perfect time to add this is during your fitness time after the students are nice and warmed up. It’s always better to stretch warm muscles.
2. Keep it Interesting!
Students naturally want to just reach and then be done with stretching. Try counting different ways to help them hold their stretches longer as well as engage their brain at the same time:
- Count in different languages.
- Practice math facts while counting by multiples (to 100 by 10s, to 50 by 5s)
- Count forwards and then challenge kids to count backward.
3. Build Student Confidence and Expand
Start with stretches that everyone knows to help with comfortability and confidence. Each week, add a new yoga pose. Then at the end of the month, show students how to connect and move smoothly between each pose (a yoga flow).
What tips do you use to help students with stretching and yoga? Continue the conversation and share your ideas in the comment section below!
Related Articles:
– Engaging Yoga Games & Activities in Physical Education by Jessica Shawley
– Yoga in PE: Tips for Activity Progressions & Lesson Planning by Jessica Shawley
– Yoga in PE: Teaching Tips to Get Started by Jessica Shawley
Yoga and Stretching Equipment:
