Mover Monday | Finding Their Own Movement

Hey MTDubberz! We're back for another Mover Monday! And it's another German one... get psyched. Today's post comes from Pia Brodtrager, a PeaceMover in Europe. Pia recently facilitated a kids' workshop and these are her thoughts! (There's an English translation after the cut for those of you who don't read German)

Obwohl der Workshop kürzer als geplant war, war es wunderschön den Workshop mit den Kindern zu gestalten und sofort zu erkennen wie sie unsere Botschaft erreicht. Die Kinder waren voller Enthusiasmus. Ich habe festgestellt, dass Kinder genau das selbe von mir erwarten was ich von ihnen erfrage. Bei der Endentspannung zum Beispiel war nichts zu machen, bis ich nicht selbst flach am Boden lag. Weiters durfte ich erkennen, dass es mehr bringt auf die Bewegungen der Kinder einzugehen, anstatt ihnen alles vorzumachen. Der Workshop mit den kiddies war interessant und spannend für mich, und ich freue mich schon auf mehr Einheiten mit den Kleinen.

Even though the workshop was shorter than normal, it was wonderful to do the workshop with the kids and immediately see what they like and understand. The kids were really enthusiastic, and we could see right away that they understood our message. I learned that I have to do exactly what I want the children to do, in order for them to be happy to follow me. For example, during relaxation at the end of the workshop, I lay down flat myself. I also realized that kids learn better when they find their own movement themselves, instead of keeping on repeating mine. The workshop and the whole experience were interesting and exciting for me, and I’m looking forward to facilitating more sessions with the youngest pupils.