On this episode Charlotte Marsh discuss her new book Susie Sloth
Pilates for Children – an untapped opportunity…
Here’s why; it’s widely accepted that the pandemic has had a
significant impact on children’s mental health, resulting in increased rates of
anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions. Stark statistics reveal
that 1 in 8 in UK, 1 in 5 in USand1 in 3 kids in Japan are suffering.
Anxiety is now affectingover 30% of adolescentsand kids are struggling
to focus, attention span has dropped down to 47 seconds!(NIMH&Dr Gloria
Mark Uni California). The two most
successful interventions for anxiety,even more so than talk therapy,are
connecting with nature and moving your body!
(Dr Vanessa LaPointe)Except that you’re in the business of teaching Pilates to earn a
living, right? Don’t worry, this is not purely an altruistic suggestion. It can be an excellent source of reliable
revenue too. As well as being a
fantastic way to boost your own happiness from the sheer joy that kids can bring!
Kids don’t tend to bring the weight of the world into class like
some adult clients tend to. Kids minds are always keen to play, as one Pilates
teacher said, “The kids are so genuinely happy to see me, it’s the fun part of
their day.” Another teacher added, “I love their unbridled enthusiasm and
appreciation for me, it’s contagious!” Plus, kids say the funniest of things, like
a pupil asking;“Why am I leaking?” and teacherhad to explain that bodies sweat!
If you’ve not studied childhood development, one of the biggest
discoveries is how the 5 pillars of their progress are all interdependent. So, if a child works on their core strength
it directly correlates to their speech & language development. If a child improves gross motor skills it
directly enhances their fine motor skills e.g. holding a pencil. If a child
learns to play well with others improving their social skills, this also
develops their cognitive abilities. So,
doing Pilates doesn’t just improve their ability to do Pilates but it builds
ability andskills in every pillar of their development.
To “pin down” a thought there must be movement, in older
children this can happen by taking notes or by using their voice to explain it
to others. In younger kids, moving as they make a playful shape to remember a
breathing practice is equally effective. If children are encouraged to move
more, they learn more or as Einstein said “Learning is experience. Everything
else is just information’.
Pilates is not a team sport - many kids detest the competitive
nature of school activities - but a personal movement practice that can also help
children learn self-regulation techniques. They aren’t born being able to self-regulate,
we have to show them how to co-regulate with others in order for them to build
this skill. It can also, help children to understand their amazing body and to release that it requires maintenance.
Pilates relates so easily to animal movements for young kids and
lends itself well to complementing other sports and posture awareness for
teens. Given the propensity of screentime and hunched up bodies, the sooner we
can start to influence, the better.Overstimulation from TV and screens causes a
child’s eyes to stare (ocular lock) and as a defence the brain goes into lower
alpha brain wave activity, where active thought and reasoning can’t occur (Carla
https://twitter.com/better_breathin/status/1672621534442053636?s=46&t=hwCtvMlgmpDFuZDLl4OhqA
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