Sensory Movement
In this time of change, young children may not be able to tell us how they are feeling. Movement is a way to support communication and develop stamina and resilience in a time when they are needing to adapt.
Try singing the following song and encourage your little one to practice the movements and breathing alongside each animal actions!
Encourage nice deep breaths when moving through the activities. Not only will this help your child to regulate their emotions, it will also help your child to activate their diaphragm and other core muscles.
Old MacDonald
Old MacDonald
Old MacDonald had a farm Ee i ee i o
And on his farm, he had some cows Ee i ee i oh
With a moo-moo here and a moo-moo there, here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo-moo
Old MacDonald had a farm Ee i ee i o
Now try:
And on his farm, he had a sheep/dog/pig
Cow Pose
To pose like a cow, come down on all fours and push the bottom up, keeping the chin and head up but the tummy low.
Encourage them to chew like a cow, stretching their mouth wide open.
Sheep Pose
To pose like a sheep, come down to the ground on all fours, then encourage your child to round their back and push up from their arms.
Tuck the chin in and ask them to ‘Baa’ like a sheep by taking a deep breath and making the sound as long as they can!
Dog Pose
To pose like a dog, encourage your child to place their hands on the floor with their fingers slightly apart to help keep balance. Ask them to push up on all fours and push their bottom up in the air, keeping the head down.
Can they wiggle their bottom like a dog?
Pig Pose
To pose like a pig, ask your child to lie on their back and tuck their chin into the chest, wrapping their arms around the knees and pulling the legs tight to the chest.
Ask them to roll first to one side and then to the other, just like a pig in mud!
