Weekend Wonder: Little Flower Yoga

Have you noticed that your child loves movement?

I know you have. You just may be describing it differently: “so much energy,” “can’t sit still,” “needs to get to the playground/park/outside.” You also may be seeing it manifest in unexpected ways: frustration, resistance, boredom, energy imbalances due to this unmet need.

Your child loves movement.

It’s a characteristic of being human, and necessary for development.

Let’s honor these actualities and better support children. Especially young children - who are in fact in a sensitive period for movement.

Yet I’m not talking about sports classes - for young children, these are often an experience of disorganized and confused movement, without clear modeling or leadership. Open-ended, unstructured play also won’t truly fulfill this need.

I am thinking of consistent, short, engaging experiences that help your child to focus their attention and refine their motor skills and coordination. And we’ll share several types with you in the months ahead.

Today, I want to share one resource for movement that you can smoothly fit into your weekend: Little Flower Yoga.

Little Flower Yoga has a wonderful resource library of classes for you to choose from, with the inspiring Mayuri Gonzalez leading short classes for 3 - 6 year olds. Argos Gonzalez and Jennifer Cohen Harper lead classes for older children, which are fantastic for siblings.

Here’s a good game to consider if you have mixed ages at home.

These short videos are free to anyone, and if you enjoy them, LFW offers short courses by age as well.

I became certified with LFW eight years ago. My work with them has informed much of my experience with children. These practices are age-appropriate, backed by neuroscience, and genuinely appealing to young children - and adults, who also benefit from self-regulation tools.

Please do keep one foundational consideration in mind with these videos.

Your child will engage with more presence, understanding, and joy if you participate with them. As mentioned, movement is a human experience - and we often prefer for it to be a social one. Your child will integrate these learning experiences on a much deeper level with your modeling and collaboration.

Show your child that you delight in movement, as they do. Create shared fulfillment by engaging in purposeful movement, together.

I am guessing that you will both feel better when you do.

We hope you enjoy!