​Did you know that the first valentine's day was in year 496? 
While some people believe Valentine's day to be a very commercial day, it is rich with history and traditions. While the celebration has changed through the years, I think that the underlying theme of love has always been strong. When I think about love and Yoga, I think about Anahata - the fourth chakra. 

The fourth chakra acts as a bridge, connecting our outer relationships with our inner worlds, joining the physical and the spiritual. 

Choose one of these themes to focus your class around.​

• Friendship (partner poses, partner heart openers) 
• Self-love / Acceptance 
• Element of Air (heart chakra's element)   
• Heart Opening Poses
• Ho'oponopono - traditional Hawaiian practice of forgiveness and reconciliation
• Anahata / heart chakra
• Gratitude: Focus on being grateful for your relationships and all that you have.

Our breath is one of the key components to opening the heart chakra. Bring an awareness to the breath through out the class and give one of the below practices a try with your group.

• Equal part breathing (Inhale for the count of 4 seconds and exhale for the count of 4 seconds. Length of the breath can be adjusted but keep the inhale and the exhale the same length of time for this practice) 
• Dhirga breath - 3 part breath (better for ages 7 and up). Can find instructions for this one here) 

Heart meditation - Placing your hands together at the heart, closing the eyes or softening the gaze and taking a few moments just to breathe into your heart space. 

Ho'oponopono Meditation - I found one on Youtube here.

Meditate on the colour green - Use colourful props or a visual journey including green spring leaves

Metta Meditation - This loving kindness meditation is a wonderful one to end with. I remember practicing this around Christmas time with one of the schools I was visiting and one of the children thought I was saying "May you live with ears" Instead of "May you live with ease". You can find many scripts online for loving kindness meditations, I will definitely share more about this at a later time. 

No children's Yoga class is complete without a game or two! I like to play these games nearer the start of class or after our pose practice. 
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Love Tower - Write poses and actions on Jenga blocks. Play the game as normal but practicing the poses on the blocks as they get pulled out. 

The Hugging Game (great for Family Yoga classes) - Hugs have so many benefits! They can strengthen our immune system, balance the nervous system and are a great way to show your love and support. It is however especially important to ensure that the child wants to be hugged. Hugging is only beneficial if it feels safe and comfortable for both parties and consent should be practiced even if your child loves hugs with you usually.  
Choose someone to be the hugger. They then go to the other side of the room. They then run, skip, dance or move like and animal towards someone and gives them a big hug. They may like to stay here for about 10 seconds to allow that oxytocin to start pouring through. The person who got hugged then becomes the new hugger. This can be played with adults and their children or with children in the group. It could even be like a game of tag but with hugs!

My heart will go on - 
I got to play this game with a fantastic teacher during one of my trainings. I am not sure what the name of the game was originally, but I have called it ‘my heart will go on’ because we played this to a certain popular song.  This game is played in pairs. Choose a song (one that isn’t too long) and decide who will be the dancer and who will be the creator. The dancer must close their eyes while the creator moves the dancers’ body to the music. It may help to be the creator the first time you play this together and then swap. The creator moves one thing at a time such as a leg tapping up and down. The dancer must keep this momentum going. If the creator was to move the dancers' arms up and down, the dancer must keep that movement going – up and down, up and down, until the creator taps to stop or moves them into a different movement. The foot may be tapping as the creator then guides the dancers’ arm to go out and in. So multiple movements can take place but try to keep it quite simple. It can feel very free to get lost in the music and let your body be guided.  
When the song is over the same song is going to be replayed. The creator will step back, and the dancer will try to recreate the dance.   

Say to your group  “Do you remember the dance you just did? Try to practice it without your partner moving you” 
It can be so beautiful to watch this as the creator, seeing your dance really take on new life. Of course, it is going to look quite different, but it is fun to see how they remembered it in their own bodies.  
The dancer and creator can then choose a new song and switch! 
 

There is so much more you could do, you could add in some arty activities, scavenger hunts, affirmations - so many possibilities! 

Looking for more Inspiration or for a gift you can give your students after class? 
Check out my ultimate Valentines Day for Kids Pack on Etsy! It is at it's lowest price ever right now!

I hope these ideas will serve you well not just on Valentines Day but through out the Year - because Love is always a good theme.

Have a great day!

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Feeling overwhelmed, need some focus or just want to feel the peace of the moment? Check out these practices for children. Five minutes may not sound like much but it can make so much difference to your child's day. Choose one and give it a try today! 

Focusing on the breath is a good way to ground your energy and be present with what is. It can help us go from feeling rushed, panicked or stressed into a more calm and relaxed state by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. A good place to start is with breathing in for the count of four seconds and then out for the count of four seconds. You can adjust the timing if needed but keep the inhale and the exhale the same length for this practice. 

Guided meditations are amazing to settle busy minds and help your child to settle into rest. Check out this Space adventure meditation available Free on my website: Space Adventure

Being in the present moment can either be the easiest thing in the world or the hardest! For children and adults alike! Children are great at being present as they play, or present as they stop at every stick on long walks but even children have days when their mind feels busy or they feel overwhelmed. Inviting children to just be, nothing else to do can be an important practice. This could be while on a walk, while laying on their Yoga mat or at any moment at all. If this feels like a struggle, it is okay to just notice that struggle. Pay attention to whatever comes up without judgement. Just letting it be. 

Gratitude is one of my favourite kinds of mindful practices. It can be as simple as naming three things you are grateful for each day. You can read more about gratitude and gratitude practices here >> 

Have an attitude of gratitude 
Drawing prompts for gratitude 
Gratitude scavenger hunt

Comment below!

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Children quite often don't come out and say 'hey, I'm feeling really anxious about going back to school'. Instead, it shows up when you're trying to get everyone ready to leave the house and your child is stressing out about their trousers being too tight and then too loose, one shirt is too itchy, the other is uncomfortable and where is their other coat and then they are screaming at you or their sibling about something that would otherwise not be a problem. For them it can feel like the walls are closing in and everything is so overwhelming and if we are not aware of what they are experiencing we may mistake this behaviour as being difficult or whining. 

Back to school anxiety or worry does not just happen on the morning itself, it can show up the night before and even weeks before on extended breaks when they know that the time is getting closer for them to go back to school.

When my child is experiencing this, part of me just wants to take them out of school, start home schooling and avoid what is triggering the anxiety. Currently that is just not an option, and I'm no phycologist but I'm not sure avoiding the trigger is the most helpful one in this scenario - in some cases it may be. I am only speaking from my experience with my family. 

Talking about anxiety and worry before it shows up can be really helpful. For us we have identified that anxiety shows up on Sunday nights or evenings before school starts after a break. Identifying any patterns and how it shows up can be really helpful for both you and your child. It also allows you to have a conversation about it while the child is in a relaxed state. When a person is feeling stressed or afraid, the amygdala (part of the brain) releases stress hormones that prepare the body to fight the threat or flee from danger. During this time it's like there is a staircase up to the logical side of the brain and there is a stairgate that is blocking the person from getting there. More can be read about this at The Amygdala and Anxiety | IntechOpen or I would highly recommend the book The Whole-Brain Child by Dr Daniel J. Siegel and Dr Tina Payne Bryson.
If you want to help you have to open the gate before you can talk to that logical side. 
We will talk about opening that gate in a moment but for this part let's just focus on what we can do before worry shows up.

If you have together, identified a pattern, it is best to address the worry than to hope it just disappears and wont be a problem anymore. 
Journaling can be a very helpful tool as can talking about it. The first thing to talk about is 
What will worry or anxiety try to do - what will it look like, what did it look like before.
Answers could be that it tried to give me a tummy ache, or made me feel really irritable, or I couldn't sleep. This is really a personal experience that changes from person to person. Practicing self-awareness around this can help to take the power away from the worry and back to your child. We use to have a worry monster teddy that would eat the worries that were written on paper, this allowed us to role play and quite visually take the power away from the worry.
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Play therapy or other specialised professional support may help your child in cases where they are experiencing high levels of anxiety. Yoga and mindfulness is a wonderful practice and can be really helpful but is not a substitute for medical and professional help. If you feel like they need extra support, I would highly recommend you seek someone out locally or online. You can then ask them if any of the practices I recommend would be beneficial alongside that treatment.  

 "Yoga is such an effective practice for children experiencing anxiety because it soothes their mind which, in turn, soothes the body’s stress response. Yoga can very quickly alleviate the feelings of anxiety and stress in the mind, which gives the body the signal to slow down all the physiological arousals. That means the calmed-down mind translates to a calmed-down breathing pattern, a slower heart rate and lower blood pressure."

Read more here : The Power of Yoga for Children with Anxiety (anxietyfreechild.com)

Remember how I said we need to open that stairgate? Well, this is how we can do that. We can soother the mind and in turn, the body. There will be practices that really resonate with you and some that don't. Take what works for you and leave the rest. Note - this is not a quick fix and does not aim to 'cure' anything. It is simply a practice - and with practice comes repetition. This is how Yoga and mindfulness helps - we need to keep showing up and practice, practice, practice. This is why it is important to me to make these practices playful and fun, so that children will want to keep showing up, so that they can enjoy the practice and feel it's calming effects. 

What practice we do really depends on how my child is in that moment (or how I am if it is for myself) and also where and when this practice is taking place. 

Tracing hand breath - We practice this with a song as we trace our pointing finger up and down the opposite hand, breathing in to trace up and breathing out to trace down. Check out this song by Kira Willey - Peaceful and calm. We love practicing this every night to settle down for bed. 

Legs up the wall pose 

This is a wonderful restorative pose that helps your body to relax and restore. Start by sitting sideways against a wall and then swing your legs around so that you are laying on your back with your legs up the wall. Doing it this way will help you to get your bottom as close to the wall as you can. Straighten your legs, resting your heels on the wall. Your arms can rest beside you or bring them to your belly. Anytime you need a break during this pose you can bring your legs into a butterfly position by bending your knees and bringing the soles of your feet together. The more you practice this pose the longer you will be able to stay in it for. Try staying in this pose for at least two minutes or for as long as you feel you need to. We love this pose at bedtime. 

Cat/cow pose

Start in a tabletop position (knees below hips, wrists below shoulders). Inhale drop the belly down towards the mat as you look forward. Exhale round your spine, arching your back like a spooky Halloween cat and relax your head, looking towards your belly button. Inhale, move through back to your cow pose, lifting your heart, dropping the belly. Exhale back to your cat. Move with the breath here, repeating five to ten times. We love this practice in the morning, on the bed or on a Yoga mat. 

Brahmari / Bumblebee breath 

Brahmari is a form of Pranayama that includes Pratyahara - 2 of the other branches of Yoga that isn't asana (the poses).

How Brahmari works is that it vibrates the pineal gland and produces a calming effect. It helps to bring us back into the present moment in a big way. The vibration and physical sensation can be grounding and some people claim it reduces anxiety and panic.
Even small children love this one, but we often call it Bumblebee breath. Notice how the hum sounds a little Bumblebee like?

If covering the eyes or ears does not feel good for you, take a soft glance at a wall or the floor. Pratyahara is withdrawal of the senses which helps to limit outside distractions.

Practice this for 2 minutes or start with 5 or 6 repetitions. Notice how you feel after. Repeat this throughout the week if it has a calming effect on you to help bring balance and peace into yours and your child's day.  We like this one at time during the day or evening. 
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Squeeze and release 
Lay down on your yoga mat or on a blanket. You may like to close your eyes or take a soft gaze to the ceiling. Take three deep breaths. Bring your attention to your hands. Squeeze them in to fists and then with a big breath out release your hands and relax them. Now bring your attention to your feet and squeeze. On an exhale, release and relax. Now squeeze your hold body, and then relax on the exhale, sighing it all out. Feel yourself relax even more as you breath in and out. Take a minimum of two minutes here or longer if it feels good.  

I hope what I have shared here has been useful in someway and that you feel better prepared at helping your child with any worry, stress or anxiety that they have around going back to school. You are not alone in this. So many parents are reaching out to me wanting help when it comes to their child and anxiety. I hope these practices can help you as they do my own family. The aim here is not to get rid of anxiety, that is not my area if it is possible. All I am experienced in is meeting the anxiety, sitting with it, noticing it and using the breath, mindful awareness and movement to bring a bit of calm. 

I hope I have shared some of that calm with your family today.

The Family Yoga Challenge

Want more inspiration for practicing Yoga and Mindfulness at home with your Family? Check out this 5 day Family Yoga challenge!

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Otherwise known as bow pose
Sankrit name: Dhanurasana 
​Lie on your belly and bend your knees, reaching back to hold your ankles with your hands. Inhale and pull your legs with your hands and pull your hands with your legs,find that opposition. Bring your heels far from your bottom and lifting your head, chest, and thighs from the floor. 

If the ankles are out of reach, experiment with placing a strap around your ankles to extend your reach (If you don’t have a strap, you can instead use a belt, towel, or the rope from a dressing gown).

Another prop that may be used is a rolled-up blanket or towel under the thighs or chest. 

If the grown up is confident in this pose and has no back pain (we never want pain in our yoga practice!) then the child can sit inside the 'present'. Any excuse to climb on us while practicing Yoga right ;) 

Not Christmas at the time of reading this or just don't want the Christmas theme? Stick to calling this by its proper name (mentioned above) or maybe it's a shopping basket..... or even a turtle, maybe it's a spaceship!

Can you move side to side in this pose? How about forward and back? Can you hold it still for three breaths? How does the pose feel in your body?

Don't go practicing this after your Christmas dinner unless you want to be seeing it again! This one does not feel good after eating, stay clear. 
This pose is also not recommended for anyone with migraine, diarrhoea, who is pregnant, has low or high blood pressure or who has any kind of low back or neck pain. 
Always speak to a doctor before starting nay physical practice if you are unsure.  

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Pose of the week: Santa's sleigh

Three games that you can play with your children while laying down

Attitude of Gratitude
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Have some Christmas fun with this pose! One person makes the sleigh by coming into Navasana (Boat Pose). The other person then places pom poms or teddies in the sleigh by balancing them anywhere on their Yoga partner. How long can you hold this pose? Remember to breathe! 

As mentioned above you can practice this pose together by taking it in turns to fill the sleigh with 'presents'. This is a great way to explore the pose, practice the pose and hold it for longer durations but most of all, it is a great way to play with it and have fun together. 

Other ways you can practice this pose together are by making a double sleigh - joining the feet together or having a reindeer pull the sleigh, what would that look like? 

You can find more ways to play yoga together in my Free Guide! Sign up via the home page or click here

For more Christmas Yoga, check out my book 'Christmas Yoga for children and their adult' available now on Amazon.

Setting up Yoga sessions is a great way to do something a little bit different in class. A good way to keep children's attention in class is to change things up. While we learn best from repetition, it's also nice to practice in new ways from time to time. Creating Yoga stations is a great way to practice a range of different activities in a small amount of time. It also means children can move around more freely and explore. As a teacher, it is a good way to check in with different students individually too, having these stations set up means that you are able to move from person to person or group to group easier. 

So, what is a Yoga station?

A yoga station is a mat that has a different activity on it. I am going to be sharing with you 11 fun ideas that you can use to create your different stations. You place the mats around the room with space between and then let the children spend time at each station practicing that activity. 

We enter the space together; I think this is important so, if possible, wait outside your classroom so you can all go in together. The children are going to want to start exploring straight away but you need to ask them to hold off for a moment so you can explain each station to them. The younger groups usually move around on their own and at their own pace but for my older classes I divide the time up so that they will get a chance to go to ever station - for example if I have 60 minutes and 9 stations, I give them 5 minutes at each station (and then there is time for a group relaxation at the end). At the end of the 5 minutes, I ring the singing bowl and they change station. The older group go through the stations with a partner (or as a three if odd numbers). When they are on their last station, I'll usually start tidying up what I can and setting up a circle so that they can all join together to close the class with a nice relaxation or meditation practice. 
With the younger group, you really need to go with the class and encourage them to try all the different activities by practicing with them. 
​We usually end up all together at our book station to close class. 

There are so many ways you can use this. You can use this to showcase what you do for events (with maybe 3 or 4 stations or a helper), you can use it in your regular classes for something fun and different, you can use it as a nice way to end a term, you can use it for family yoga classes - focusing on being together, you can use it for birthday yoga parties and so much more!

Maybe you even try creating something like this at home with the kids in your life! 

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Here are 11 idea that you may like to play with. Remember, you don't need to do all of these ideas and you can create multiple stations with the same theme but different props. In my classes I have multiple pose stations with different cards for example. You may also like to work with a theme - The Winter Olympics / Summer Olympics, Christmas, Beach, Nature etc

This could be picture books, touch and feel books, Yoga books, Books that fit your theme!

I like to put one sheet of large paper here with some crayons and have everyone add what they want to it but you could also use colouring in sheets, separate pages etc. What I like about keeping it as one sheet is the children don't feel the need to 'finish'. It is a group effort, and everyone is adding something of their own to it. 

There are so many ways you can use this station so feel free to create multiple ones. They can practice the poses on the mat, they can create their own sequence using the cards, they can play mirror my body (where partners face each other, and one leads, and one copies). You can put props on the mat for them to use and explore poses. Keep it simple. 

Just like the pose station but this time put some ideas down for partner poses (either Yoga cards or stick figure drawings).

For the 'create your own pose' station, I usually just put two blocks and give no other instruction. It is always great to see what the children come up with!

This could be anything that you have game wise. As you can see in this picture, I have pom poms and a tub for Toega and some Story Cubes (story cubes are great for creating your own story together, maybe they can add in some poses for each part of the story!). 

You could have Yoga Jenga here, a memory game - anything!

On this station I put lots of fun props we can use for practicing our breathwork. This is another one that could be multiple stations easily. What I have shown here are some breathing cards where you trace the picture and breathe, some pom poms to blow across the mat maybe even using a paper straw to do so (pom pom race anyone?), a breathing ball, feathers, and a scarf. 

There are so many fun ways to practice balance, you could even use the wall as a prop here or a chair. You could use a Yoga strap and play walk the line or make a mini obstacle course. What I have done on this station is set up a ring toss game, except instead of throwing the rings, we stand on one leg and use our feet to put the hoops on the cones. 

Set up a place to get cosey. This could be putting bolsters and blankets down or setting up for a certain restorative Yoga pose. 

Facepainting is fun and it doesn't need to be perfect! Let the kids get creative by facepainting each other's faces. You may want to check in with the adults that this is okay to do beforehand and remember not all kids will want to (and that's okay too!). This station works best at events or family yoga. 

There you have it! 11 ideas for your yoga station class! Remember you do not have to set them all up! You could work with as little or as many as you would like to, changing the ideas to work for you. Think about what props you already have. How could you utilise them? What themes or activities are you already practicing in your classes? How could you use them?

Here are a few bonus ideas

• Hula hoop station
• Drink station
• Mindful eating - chocolate (would have to supervise and get permissions/ check allergies etc)
• Sun salutation Station (practice x times)
• Teddy bear station
• Unicorn station
• Candle gazing station (fake candle)
• Upside down station (inversions)
• Chair Yoga station 

As you can see the possibilities are endless! Use your imagination and have fun with it!

Let me know in the comments if you found this helpful and if you'll be trying any of these ideas!
Maybe you just thought of a fun station, let us know below!

Criss Cross Apple Sauce, or otherwise known as easy seat or Sukhasana is one that is often used by children in schools and at home. Traditionally this posture is one used quite often for meditation. Even though it is referred to as easy seat, it is not always easy. The hips need to be open and the back strong and alert. While some can find comfort in this pose, it is important to explore use of props to support this pose, especially if we expect to be there a while (for example during a meditation). 

There are many ways that we can help children find support in this pose. We could offer a block, or a folder blanket to sit on. We could practice against a wall. We could put blocks underneath the knees and blankets under the ankles. This could even be done sitting up on a chair. 

Try this pose (your variation) while seated back-to-back with your child. Can you match each other's breathing? Keep breathing in and out, focusing your awareness on your breath and the connection between you both. 
Time 1 or 2 minutes.

Crocodile pose is a nice one to practice, it can fit into so many themes or can be practiced on its own. This is a great pose to teach diaphragmatic breathing. Benefits include calming the nervous system, reducing stress and tension and it can stimulate digestion. 

To practice this pose, your child comes down to lay on their belly and they rest their head on their folded arms. It can help to wiggle from side to side before finding stillness. 
Laying on the belly in this way helps bring the feeling of the breath into the back and sides of the body. Guide your child to take a long slow breath, feeling their belly expand like a balloon. As they breathe in, ask them to notice if they can feel their breath in the back of their body. Let them take a few breaths here and then see if they can take their breath to the sides of their body. Invite them just to notice where their breath is going as they breathe in and out. 

Want more support in this pose? Try adding a firm pillow lengthways to support the torso while keeping the head and shoulders on the floor.


Comment with SNAP if you're going to be giving this a go with your little ones this week! 

Want more inspiration? Check out this pose from last week >> Supported Fish 

Did you know this pose can help calm the nervous system, support the immune system and expand and open lungs, which helps with breathing?
It was the perfect choice for today when energy was low and little man wanted to join me in some Yoga practice

To get into the pose:

1.) Take a bolster or rolled up blanket (sausage shape) and lay it lengthways on your mat.
Sit down with the bolster (or blanket) in the small of your back.

2.) Lay your torso and head on the bolster so that they are supported. We also used a small blanket here under the head for added comfort.

3.) Bring your pointing finger and thumb together and gently tap around the heart area. This is said to help immunity. Alternatively, just let the arms relax down by the sides.

4.) Ask your child "how does that feel?"

This pose is a great one after being at school, reading, drawing or hunching over playing video games or practice before bed.

Comment below with your favourite smiley face emoji if you're going to give this pose a go!

Come back next week for the next pose in this series!

Remembering names for multiple classes can be challenging. It sucks because you really care about these children and want to create strong class bonds, you don't mean to forget their name! The good news is this is about to change! With these fun games you'll be able to remember names so much better but also help the class remember each other's names - one of the first steps in a lasting friendship.

Friendship is always a big part of my children's Yoga classes and if that is important to you too, check out these fun games. I have few tips at the end of this blog post so don't miss them!

This is probably my classes favourite, but I only really do this one for ages 7+.
Everyone stands in a circle except for one person who stands in the middle (this could be you to start). The person in the middle has to say another person's name three times. The people in the circle must stay alert and focused because if their name is called, they must quickly interrupt by saying the person in the middles name only once. If the person in the middle is successful, they can switch places, if they were interrupted before they could finish then they remain in the middle and try again. This game involves quick thinking and also helps to build that memory of the names of those in your group through the repetition. 

This is a simple go to game where we pass a ball or prop around and share our name and then one thing that relates to the theme of today's class - favourite animal, something they are grateful for, favourite pose, one thing they hope to learn this term etc. This is a good one to practice as a re-cap, or when you have one new person joining and want to introduce everyone again, but it can also work at the beginning of a new term. It is a really good one for the younger classes too. You can make this more fun by passing the ball with your feet or having to blow a pom pom to the next person, not being able to choose the person next to you or including movement such as poses etc.

This is a great partner activity. Everyone goes into pairs, and they are going to share 3 things each with each other plus their name. After learning these 3 things we meet back in our circle and then we go round the circle introducing our partner. This is fun on its own but if you want to add a little to it with the older students then ask them to exaggerate everything! So, if their partner says they have a dog, they will tell the group "They love dogs so much that they have 5 of them!". If they tell their partner, they like chocolate then they could tell the group "They love chocolate so much, they can't go a day without it!". The more dramatic and exaggerated the funnier. This version works best with teen classes. 

In your circle, one by one everyone introduces themselves and shows one yoga pose or movement. For example - Hello my name is Natasha *stands in tree pose*. Everyone says Hello Natasha and then they stand in tree pose. You can say hello again on the other side to balance out any poses that may need both sides practiced. 
This carries on with everyone getting a turn. It may be helpful to put out some Yoga cards for inspiration. 

This game is much like the previous game. We stand in our circle and introduce ourselves with a pose. The difference is that instead of just saying hello back to that one person we create a chain. For example

Hello my name is Natasha *tree pose*
Hello Natasha *All Stand in tree pose* 

Hello my name is Sam *Warrior pose* 
Hello Sam *All stand in Warrior pose*, Hello Natasha *all stand in tree pose*

Hello my name is Hattie *Happy baby pose*
Hello Hattie *all come down into happy baby pose*, Hello Sam *warrior pose*, Hello Natasha *tree pose*

This carries on for everyone in the group so it's a real test of memory, not just remembering names but the poses they selected too. Luckily you all have each other to help each other to remember. This only works if the group is not too big, or it could take a very long time! If you do want to play it in a large group I would suggest, starting again after 8 to 10 people. 
To balance out the poses that can be practiced on two sides, you could go through it all again on the other side or pause and do both each time. 

This one is much like Name and Share where everyone takes turns to introduce themselves and something about the chosen topic, but they do it while laughing. The laugh can be completely fake but by the end it usually ends up very real. This one is good for any age group; the older ones can meet it with some resistance at first which makes it all the funnier when the laughing becomes real.

Will you be adding any of these games into your classes? Comment below!
And if you have any other games or tips you would like to share, I'd love to hear them! 

Here are a few other tips to end with that may help with remembering students' names:

1. Repeat the name back to them on meeting them. Making sure that you are pronouncing it correctly.
2. Have a sign in sheet for each class with your students' names so that you can glance at it before class starts each time. 
3. Don't just play the name games at the start of term but throughout.
4. Join in the games yourself, it's important not to just observe but to get in there and play too!

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