As the holidays are upon us, I just wanted to offer two quick activities you can do with your kids: one is a Christmas activity and the second is for Hanukkah.

Decorating the Christmas Tree:

Have the kids break up into pairs. One will stand in tree pose (Vrksasana) with arms outstretched and palms facing up. The other will have a stack of blocks. Any kind of blocks will do…toy blocks, yoga blocks, even bean bags or beanie babies would work. Have the child who is not in tree, “decorate the tree” by stacking and balancing the blocks on his or her hands, arms, etc. See how many blocks can be balanced and how long the pose can be held without knocking over the stacks or falling. You can also have some sort of star (cardboard, stuffed, etc) balancing on the tree’s head. Or, even harder, have the builder keep a star balanced on his or her head as s/he builds.

Lighting the Hanukkah Candles:

Have all the children lie down in plow position (Halasana). Walk around the room and as you tap a child’s feet, s/he will “light the candle” by lifting his or her feet into the air into shoulder stand (Salamba Sarvangasana, also known aptly as candle pose). Once all the candles are lit, you can have them very slowly “melt” back into plow and then (just as slowly) all the way down to savasana.