Children's yoga in Hørsholm Municipality's day offer increases the well-being of children and adults

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In Hørsholm Municipality, children's yoga in the day offers has taken its place as a regular activity for children aged 0-6 years. The background is an attempt at early prevention in response to the suspicion that is a growing trend among children and young people. Children's yoga has not only become an enriching part of children's everyday lives, but has also been shown to have significant positive effects.

What's new?

In the day care offerings in Hørsholm Municipality, we have been working for many years to strengthen children's development and well-being. From 2022 until now, children's yoga has become a regular activity for the 0 - 6 year old children in the municipality. The individual day offers have had a free framework to implement children's yoga based on the conditions, needs and desires that exist in the individual houses. Common to all is that children's yoga is thought into everyday life in a more or less formal way. Some children participate in weekly yoga classes with their peers, while others find that adults incorporate breathing, relaxation or balance exercises into other activities during the day in the nursery or nursery.

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Several of the day offerings have fixed weekly children's yoga sessions. Some select specific age groups to participate, others put together groups of children that cater to children with special needs and some offer it widely to everyone. It is both nursery and kindergarten children who participate in children's yoga.

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Why was the effort set in motion?

The idea arose from a special interest of some employees and from there the effort took shape.

We generally see a trend in society in relation to distrust among children and young people. With children's yoga in all day offerings, it's an attempt at early prevention efforts.

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In addition to being intended as a preventive measure in the longer term, we also see that very young children are increasingly reacting to a busy everyday life, where everything is in high gear and with increasing pressure. The children's yoga is intended as a counterbalance to this.

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Which prerequisites are central?

It is essential that staff have an active desire to be part of the effort. Including that they are trained to be able to conduct the children's yoga sessions, as well as to implement the thinking in the houses.

In Hørsholm Municipality, 38 employees have been trained as children's yoga teachers, spread over our 11 day offers. The necessary equipment has been purchased in the form of mats, eye pads, books, pictures, etc.

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Preliminary results and side effects

Children's yoga empowers children to have a stronger connection to their inner selves and what their needs are. They are strengthened in being able to say on and off, and take care of themselves. In addition, they learn what can help them to find peace, attention and concentration through the relaxation and relaxation exercises of yoga, and they gain a strengthened sense of connection and community with the rest of the children and adults.

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In addition to the more formal yoga sessions, the children are guided in finding calm before a midday nap, as a transition between two activities or before lunch. The kids love it and demand it themselves during the day.

With children's yoga, we have the opportunity to make an extra effort for a child who is either at odds with the community or in distress.

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For the staff, there have been several good effects. They have been given the opportunity to immerse themselves in a field in which they have a special knowledge and interest. We see that they are delighted with the beneficial difference they can make for the individual child and the community. We also see that they find calm themselves and take important breaks during the day, either through formal or informal practices with the children, or when they themselves remember to take a little break focusing on contemplation and tranquility. They pass on their knowledge and experience to the rest of the staff group, and for example do small yoga exercises at staff meetings or educational days.

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All in all, we see good effects for the well-being of each child, for the community and for the staff.

Parents, children and employees all express great joy for children's yoga.

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