Bubbles!!!! How and Why to Include Them Into Your Classes

Written by: Christine Ireland

Bubbles are an amazing tool you can use in your classroom that are not only fun, but also promote growth and cognition. Let's go over the benefits of bubbles and how you can include them into practice...

photo credit @ kiddipedia

Watching Bubbles Helps Engage Children's Visual Tracking Skills

Babies are developing their visual tracking skills from birth, which means they are able to move their eyes from side to side, up and down; or follow an object across their visual field.

Watching bubbles provides for effortless tracking practice because they move so slowly, helping to cement neural pathways. So why is it so important to practice visual tracking? Well, it is a necessary foundation for many practical things, like, reading,writing, math, coordination and balance.

Catching Bubbles Enhances Proprioception and Spatial Awareness

Proprioception is the body's ability to sense its position, movement, and orientation in space, often referred to as the "sixth sense". It's a constant feedback loop within the nervous system, telling the brain what position you are in and what forces are acting upon your body. Now if you have ever spent time with a toddler or young kid, you have probably seen their lack of proprioception. For example, when a child seems to be tripping over their own limbs, that is them lacking understanding of the position and weight of their body. Or when they suddenly walk into a door, that's a lack of solid spatial awareness.

Interacting with floating bubbles allows children to practice sensing how close they are in relation to the bubble (spatial awareness) and how much effort it takes to pop it (proprioception).

photo credit @ Breathing Space

Blowing Bubbles Can Teach Breath Control

Using the breath is a vital part of yoga. Whether it is breathing through a mediation or through a posture, harnessing your breath is essential. We create space within ourselves when we breathe.

Having a breathing practice which utilizes our control over our breath, helps us regulate our nervous system and our emotions as they rise up.

How to Include Bubbles Into Your Practice

We love to include bubbles during class and have a few different ways of doing that, some even without actual bubbles!

1. Bubble Savasana : This is definitely a crowd favorite and great way to provide incentive throughout the class, with the goal of earning that glorious and relaxing Bubble Savasana at the end of class. All you need is a bubble wand/stick/gun/machine, once the kids are laying down on their mats you simply blow the bubbles over them as they rest. We recommend encouraging the students to stay flat on their mats and let the bubbles come to them, that way they can really enjoy the sensory benefits the bubbles provide.

2. Blowing Bubbles

   If you have the space and resources to provide each student with a bubble wand you can simply experiment with how different types of breath affect the bubbles shape and size. A large breath makes more or bigger bubbles than a small breath. Blowing too slow/gentle or too fast/hard can also affect the bubbles. Feel free to explore the breath mindfully, with or without movement, and see how their wonder grows!

3. Bubbles Breaths

   The great thing about bubble breaths is that they do not require actual bubbles. There are a couple ways you can practice this, one way is to begin in crisscross apple sauce with your arms by your side, then take a deep breath in as you lift your arms up above head in a circular shape, hold breath at the top, and then pop your bubble as you release your breath. The second way is to blow imaginary bubbles using your hands. You can do this by either, placing your hands together to form a bubble or circle, or by holding an imaginary bubble wand and then taking a deep breath in and the blowing it out into your hand or wand.

   
   

Let us know if and how you incorporate bubbles into your practice, email us at shaktikidsyoga@gmail.com. And have fun out there!