We focus on the holistic wellbeing of every child and teach the importance of a balanced diet, with a focus on yoga.
Healthy Early Years London (HEYL) is an awards scheme funded by the Mayor of London which supports and recognises achievements in child health, wellbeing and development in early years settings.
Building on the success of Healthy Schools London, HEYL will help to reduce health inequalities by supporting a healthy start to life across themes that include healthy eating, oral and physical health and early cognitive development. Tuffkid is a sugar-free nursery.
HEYL complements and enhances the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework, adding to the focus on children, families and staff health and wellbeing.
The 4 levels of Awards – HEYL First Steps, Bronze, Silver and Gold – can be used to improve and support practice in all Early Years settings.
Tuffkid has achieved a Bronze Award for Healthy eating, a Silver Award for Oral Health, and a Gold award for Physical Development. Tuffkid is the first setting in Barnet to achieve this award.
Yoga
At Tuffkid, we have incorporated yoga into the children’s afternoon routine. Modern yoga is based on Swedish gymnastics and research has shown it benefits our bodies and minds.
Yoga is natural and calming and can help children listen to and understand their bodies, supporting them to manage their behaviour according to the situations they find themselves in.
Yoga helps flexibility and coordination, strengthening balance and core stability. Through our yoga sessions, the children have been learning about spatial awareness, respecting their friends, turn-taking and general safety. Yoga teaches children to control their breathing, calming their bodies and minds, which helps to increase concentration and to maintain focus. Doing yoga in bare feet, with different textured materials underfoot, and natural sounds enhances the way children respond to sensory input.
Yoga promotes creativity and poses that mimic nature such as trees, flowers, and animals help the children to connect to the natural world. This also allows children to represent ideas in their own way, which fits in with our Froebelian ethos. We also combine favourite nursery rhymes and stories with a range of yoga poses from challenging to soothing. Throughout the academic year, our yoga sessions celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Succos, Pesach and other festivals, supporting and consolidating the children’s Jewish learning. They play movement games with a Jewish theme, such as ‘taking a tour around Hashem’s beautiful world’.
Most importantly, yoga is a fun way for children to learn and to express themselves, and their views on the world around them.
