My daughter's school offers yoga for kids, is it a good idea? She is slightly less than 5. Thanks.

Does she WANT to do this?

She really does not know what it is yet, but she probably would like it – so far I heard nothing she does not like in school – she is pretty active across the board…lol

sure if you want her to become a satanist ~

Nothing wrong with it – kids all over the place start yoga even younger – it’s great for their balance, stamina, etc, just as it is for adults.

Um, I would send my child to a playground to be boisterous and have fun, but if yoga works for you…

@ragingloli What is wrong with you?

@boxing If she wants to do it, let her try it.

@jbfletcherfan
I was being sarcastic.

As long as you don;t overload her with after school activities and she wants to try it, there should be no problems.

I did yoga with my mom as a very young child. I did not become a satanist.~
I think it is good to introduce her to different methods of relaxation, exercise, meditation, etc. at a young age.

I’m with @PacificToast.

I think it’s a fantastic idea. From what I can remember about being a kid, I was anxious a lot of the time, and I still am. I started yoga about a year ago because I needed to have a time scheduled into my week where I was forced to simply focus on my own well-being. I wish I had had that throughout my entire childhood. Not to mention the physical benefits.

@ragingloli sorry :-/

I would let her try it. Anything with body control at that age is good; it would be no different than a dance class or gymnastics, except that there’s no residual costs or competitiveness. Children’s joints are still pretty pliable at that age, so I would check to make sure that the movements are appropriate for a child’s physiology.

Completely agree with PandoraBoxx.

I did it with my family from 5–8yrs and thought it a horrible bore but there are so many styles, your kid might love it.

I’m with @PacificToast as well.
Yoga is more effective when it’s taken seriously, and I can’t see it as being a great benefit for children. Because, honestly, they just want to run around and have fun, and that’s what you should be encouraging. They don’t really have the focus required for yoga, and when they’re that young they don’t really need any kind of “meditation”. All they need is some warm milk and a bedtime story to relax.

They have boundless energy. So that’s why something like dance is a better outlet for small children, and it doesn’t have to be competitive at all.

I did dance for years as a kid, and now that I’m older I do yoga. Sorry, but I just can’t see children doing yoga. It seems a bit odd.

There’s no harm in letting her try it. If she finds it boring, she doesn’t have to continue.

Why don’t we turn off the X-Boxes, Playstations, and TV’s and kick thier butts outside to play all day? None of us kids were unhealthy, nor did we need yoga. You stretch to the next branch to climb a tree, bicycles and trampolines are brilliant cardio workouts, swimming works every major muscle group, skateboarding is a hell of a workout….geez. Getting back to the basics of childhood is free, which lowers your carbon footprint, too, because you’re not driving them to all this specialized crap. Stop buying into the hype.

@phillis, that would be a great idea if all kids had backyards, and got home to have outdoor playtime during daylight.

Exactly! It isn’t that hard to get done. Thank you!

Thank you so much for the responses – you all have valid points…

It is a program during school hours, so we don’t have to do anything extra, except, it is a paid program. I guess it is never a bad thing to let her try it out. She is already very active in other school activities and we go outdoors often.

She would tell me how she feels and we would listen…

It’s a scam.

We had a video when the kids were young, and they liked doing some of the children’s yoga. My son, at age 10, still likes it.

I think if your child wants to do it, and if the kind of yoga is not the difficult kind but the very basic type of yoga (elementary yoga for beginners like basic stretches, deep breathing, and simple poses), then I see nothing wrong with that. My daughter was 5 last year when we enrolled her in Chinese classical dance, and that involves a lot of flexibility and rather complicated moves, and she had no problem with it. Just be sure the instructor has the qualifications and that he/she doesn’t exert the children too hard. However, if some of the moves appear too difficult or risky for your child, I would not let her do it.

I think she’s too young. She should be romping and playing without worrying about exercise and weight.

I think it is a great idea. My wife is a preschool science teacher. One of the teachers at her school did yoga as a class activity for her kids and they loved it. She has since moved on to open a children’s yoga center (Called “Ohm on the Range”) and is apparently having good success.

Of course, it doesn’t take the place of running around on the playground with reckless abandon, but it is a great way to introduce the concept of mind/body harmony.