Teaching Dharma to Kids

Daily Activities

Morning and Evening Rituals: Show simple actions like folding hands in Namaskar Mudra and/or singing ‘baba nam kevalam kiirtan’ or other ‘blessings’ before eating, lighting a candle, or greeting the day with respect for the earth. Children follow these habits by watching you do them first.
Serving the World: Helping with tasks around the house/school, caring for animals and things, the air, the water, the earth, and watering plants are activities kids’ participation where children feel they belong and contribute to the household.
Sing songs or chant endearing messages about kinship with all, mother earth, father sun, sister moon, brother wind, how to care for others, what important things can students of all ages can help with. How and why we honor all’ entities’.

Talk about the Divine

Decide upon some words that define The Great that parallels the understanding of your family or school. Incorporate daily discussions and/or activities that reflect our relationship with the Divine, the Supreme, Mother Nature, Love, etc.

Use Stories and Play

Share or compose stories that highlight kindness, honesty, and other aspects of yoga ethics. Act these out as a groups together in yoga asana class. Add props. Add sound.

Practice Slow Breathing Games

~ Big Bird Breath – Children are standing. On the inflowing breath the wingtip fingers and arms are lifted high above our heads. On the out-flowing breath dive/bend forward and touch the wingtips to the earth.

~ Chopping Wood Breath – Stand with the feet hip width apart or wider and join your hands together as if holding an ax. On the inhalation, raise the ax up high overhead. Stop for a moment. On the exhalation, swing the arms downward, holding the ax, with an exhale open mouth “ha” sound. Knees can be straight or bent as the ax descends. On the inhalation, swing the ax high overhead once again. (The ax can transform into a hammer if they do not understand what an ax is).

~ Balloon Breath – Standing, sitting, or lying down. Take a breath. Place your hands on your belly button. When you breathe, breathe all the way down to your fingers. Feel your tummy expand like a balloon on the inhale. … And then on the exhale, the balloon gets smaller and flat. Breathe into your balloon…and then let it go. Perform this 3-4 times. (If standing – Then on the exhale, squat down as low as you can. On the inhale, float the body up into a standing position. Exhale and float down. Repeat.) What color is your balloons? Make your balloon belly big.

Try Art

Have the kids draw pictures about animals and/or other natural beings that they do not care for. Read books, sing songs, perform dramas about all of the good things that these animals do for us and strategies for overcoming fear.

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