Engaging kids in physical activity is always important and it has been made more challenging in the current Covid-19 environment. Happ:y Wellness developed a fun and easy system to help kids and the adults in their life understand basic yoga concepts. Born out of playing a game of yoga twister during a research study with the Deaf and hard of hearing community, we created our initial product line. The Happ:y System includes the Happ:y Mat with visual markings, instruction cards, foam hands and feet and a video library. Our products are great for therapist, parents, grandparents, teachers and of course: KIDS! The Kids love it because it is a clear and playful way to learn and understand yoga. The adult is the room like it because it is a simple tool to practice and share yoga activity with the kids they love. We have over 100 beta-users, including Easter seals of Central California. Testimonials from Happy Users illustrate how engaged the kids really are, like the one mom who shared her 4-year-old son now uses our system to teach yoga to his stuffed animal.

Our idea is simple: introducing kids to yoga basics using the Happ:y Mat System. The Happ:y Yoga Activity Starter Kit combines all our system in one place and includes the latest version of our Happ:y Mat for kids, a baker’s dozen of Happ:y Instruction Cards, access to the Happ:y Video Library for those activities, a set of movable hands and feet and basic user instructions. The Happ:y Mat for Kids is black with white printed animals, shapes, and other markings. This heightened contrast makes it accessible for visually impaired and cognitively challenged individuals.

To enhance understanding, we created a set of Happ:y Activity Instructional Cards designed to address multiple learning modes. Each activity card shows an illustration of the pose on the Happ:y Mat on the front. On the back of the card, you will see steps for doing the pose, a diagram of the mat with hand and/or foot placement, and a QR code that links to animated instructions in our online library. The cards are also color-coded as categories of activity to help focus the yoga practice. These include Strength, Balance, Stillness, Flexibility, and Movement.

The library provides animations that show how to do the yoga poses and activities displayed on the instructional cards. This Happ:y Action Figure demonstrates the activities along with recorded instructions. Directions for performing activities will include options for standing and seated in a chair. For added play, we have our Happ:y Hands and Feet. These are great tools to help in directing foot and hand placement and can also be used to play games with your kiddos. Made of eighth-inch thick, non-skid foam these Hands and Feet can be cleaned with soap and water. Since we want to help parents, teachers and therapists keep their kiddos engaged with playful activities, we thought it would be a good idea to continue the fun throughout the year. We will be offer a 3 or 6-month subscription service to a Happ:y Activity of the Week Club. With the power of this digital content, we want to encourage kids to continue playing and having fun with the Happ:y Yoga Activity Starter Kit.

Watch the Happ:y Yoga Activity Starter Kit video.