How to Use Yoga Balls in the Classroom
Originally used in treatment programs for newborns and infants, the yoga ball, interchangeably called the exercise or "Swiss" ball, was developed in 1963 by Aquilino Cosani. Today, these balls are found everywhere from yoga studios to gymnasiums and fitness centers, and a number of studies have proven them to be effective for toning the abdominal and back muscle groups. Recently, elementary and primary schools in Europe and North America have begun exploring the benefits of integrating these balls in a classroom setting.
Instructions
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Hand out yoga balls so that each child has a ball, and introduce your class to its function and purpose. There will be a good deal of initial excitement, as the ball greatly resembles a toy and is generally fun for the kids to use, but it is important to stress to them the reason they are using the balls. Establish rules, such as "two feet always on the ground."
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Begin by having your kids sit on the ball in place of a classroom chair. Though the tendency will be to bounce on the ball at first, as well as fall off it in as many funny ways as they can imagine, maintain the class focus on the proper muscles needed to sit on the ball. Maintaining an upright position on the ball requires constant engagement from the abdominal, leg and back muscles to maintain a proper balance, therefore creating a healthy body structure. Believe it or not, the attention required to keep the ball upright actually improves classroom concentration.
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Have your class attempt to "slouch" on the ball as they would in their chair. They will quickly find themselves falling off the ball and discover that they must use all the muscles in their back to avoid falling on the floor. In this way, the yoga ball promotes good posture in a way that traditional chairs and desk units cannot match.
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Give your students permission to use the ball in a way that lets them move or "fidget" in small amounts that their bodies may require. According to a study performed by the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, students with attention problems such as Attention Deficit Disorder focus better when they use exercise balls for chairs. The ball's quiet nature allowed for them to move without making noise and disturbing others, and allows the children that require extra moment to do so silently.
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Incorporate fitness exercises and games with the yoga ball to help burn off the excess energy that often becomes a deterrent to concentration. One method is to lay on the ball with your feet extended, lowering and raising your upper body like a push-up. Another technique, the Reverse Trunk Coil, has a student lay on his back with his legs resting on top of the ball, then grip the ball with the backs of his legs and, with the strength of his knees, raise and lower it back to the ground. One elementary school in Hamilton, Ontario, only allows students to bounce their balls during certain times. This is an excellent method for counteracting the diminishing recess times that schools are increasingly forced to impose.
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