Does your child have trouble falling asleep because of fear, worry, or anxiety?
A few minutes of Tai Chi for Kids, followed by the calming audio from my new book, helps children relax, feel safe, and gently drift off to sleep with soothing music and peaceful guided imagery.
Tai Chi for Kids can change bedtime for all the family!
at Harvard Medical School
I was happy to be there with 370 doctors, teachers and practitioners. |
| We learned about hundreds of scientific studies showing that Tai Chi and Qigong give tremendous benefits for flexibility, balance, energy flow, healing from cancer (it is taught in many cancer hospitals now!), for Parkinson’s, for heart conditions, healthy organs, headaches, digestive issues etc. That is good news. More and more doctors are prescribing it to their patients.
We also saw that 10-15 minutes of Tai Chi per day is extremely effective. It is even better than one hour a week. It keeps the chi energy flowing. |
| I presented the program I developed called Tai Chi for Kids©. I wish you had been there to do THE TREE with us. It was quiet and peaceful. I imagine a world where we all do a little Tai Chi everyday and children are calm, focused, happy and sleep well at night. Where we don’t feel we need prescription drugs to treat anxiety and depression for elementary school kids. Please join me! |
I have been teaching Tai Chi for Kids for 25 years. I always believed that 10 minute a day in the classroom could improve the atmosphere of learning, the focus and cooperation of the kids, as well as an atmosphere of peace and relaxation.
I saw this in classes every day. It is nice to now have the scientific proof that 10 minutes is just right. It makes things better. I hope you will try it, too.
I’m excited to share this interview about my journey with Tai Chi from ‘discovering’ it in China in 1991 to creating Tai Chi for Kids©, a program I taught to kids around the world for over 25 years. In today’s stressful world it is so important to help kids feel calm and focused and to increase their self-esteem. Tai Chi for Kids not only changes the atmosphere in the classroom – but it makes bedtime and morning wake up more peaceful at home.
Sometimes it is hard to get up ready for the day or even to fall asleep at night. Tai Chi helps us calm down, breathe, focus and feel our self-control It makes everything else easier. It helps us feel peaceful. It works for little kids and big kids and adults. It works for parents and grandparents.
It helps us feel patient, thoughtful and happy inside.
And it is fun to do. I hope you will try it. You will see the difference.
Last month I had the most beautiful walk in the forest. It was in a very dense rain forest in Patagonia. The feeling of peace, fresh air, health and connection to the earth was wonderful Just like when I do Tai Chi. When you don’t have time for a walk in the forest try Tai Chi .
Tai Chi for Kids and the Adults Who Love Them.
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Across the world, more and more children are struggling with anxiety, stress, and sleeplessness. At the same time, there is a growing recognition that mindful practices like Tai Chi and Qigong can help.
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This spring, I’m honored to speak at Harvard Medical School’s 2026 conference,
“The Science of Tai Chi and Qigong as Whole Person Health.”
I am on a panel dedicated to Tai Chi & Qigong for Children.
(https://oshercenter.org/conferences/)
After 25 years of teaching Tai Chi for Kids, I’ve seen its impact again and again. A 16-year-old once stopped me on a New York street to say,
“The day we did Tai Chi with you at my school was the best day of the year.”
Moments like this remind me why this work matters.
I wrote Tai Chi for Kids and the Adults Who Love Them to make Tai Chi simple, joyful, and easy to teach—whether to a classroom or a single child, at home or at school. It works whether the kids are 4 or 104. We are all kids at heart!
By sharing Tai Chi and Qigong with the next generation, we can help them feel calmer,
stronger, and more connected—starting now.
Let’s work on this together.
Thanks
Imagine a class of agitated kids, squirming, fidgeting, ignoring calls for silence. 
Imagine those same kids after sessions of Tai Chi for Kids with the ability to root like a tree, focus on their work, and control outbursts.
A study at the Kennedy Krieger Institute funded by the NIH showed a remarkable difference.
“And because there is tremendous brain plasticity in childhood, which decreases in adolescence,” Dr. Clark adds, “practicing tai chi now could make a huge difference in these kids’ lives.”
Tai Chi for Kids literally makes the brain grow. Mindful movement, like Tai Chi for Kids, increases the number of neurons in the brain. And 90% of the brain development happens in the first 5 years of life. Let’s start early!
Tai Chi for Kids for:
During mindful meditation, the brain undergoes structural and functional changes, including increased gray matter in areas related to learning, memory, and emotional regulation. It also enhances neural connectivity, which can improve cognitive functions and emotional stability.
We should all try it. Maybe you can connect to a tree. It is very peaceful.
Find the details of the study here.
The Sopris Sun, Thursday, September 11, 2025
Tai chi has been part of Chinese culture for thousands of years. According to the Tai Chi for Health Institute, tai chi is about “the natural balance in all things and the need for living in spiritual and physical accord with the patterns of nature.” Shurman said “chi” is energy that elevates the human spirit and helps us balance; it can be found everywhere, especially while flowing through the forms.
While there are a number of styles, Shurman has chosen to adapt tai chi specifically for children. She presents each form with a playful, meditative guide so children can imagine the movement. They become a flying crane to achieve inner balance and flexibility or visualize shooting a bow and arrow for concentration, focus and even digestive support.
“The power of imagination for children is fantastic,” Shurman said. “I never correct kids when they do tai chi because if that is what they are visualizing, then that is right at that moment.”
In her book, Shurman included eight forms — “Embrace a Tree,” “The Energy Ball” and “The Lion Sleeps,” for example. Each form features a poem, illustrations by Shurman and audio guides (available via scanning a QR code) to help readers settle into their practice. The book also explains each form’s purpose, tai chi’s origins and reviews from notable figures such as Kathy Hegberg, founder of Focused Kids, and Peter Wayne, author of “The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi.”
“My intention and hope is that this is something children can do with their caregivers,” Shurman said. “They get to sit together, maybe arms around each other, while reading the poem and guide. Then they get up and do it together.”
Shurman added that 10 minutes a day can have extraordinary health benefits. According to medical studies conducted by reputable sources like the World Health Organization, Harvard Medical School and Mass General Hospital, tai chi can reduce hypertension, manage chronic pain and increase overall organ health. Interestingly, “a study at the University of Miami, Touch Research Institute found that adolescents with ADHD showed improved behavior, less daydreaming and hyperactivity after just 10 sessions of tai chi,” according to research compiled on Shurman’s website.
Shurman — a lifelong educator — was initially captivated by tai chi when she witnessed a refreshing scene while visiting her daughter in China: hundreds of high school students gracefully flowing as one in the school’s courtyard. She was struck by their ability to smoothly transition and carry inner peace throughout the daily school rhythm.
“I didn’t really know what tai chi was, but when I saw 70 kids in a class, learning in total silence with five minute breaks, I knew I had to learn it. I had never seen a class work like that,” she said.
Upon returning to the United States, Shurman studied tai chi and eventually brought it to her students. The effects were immediate. Students started using tai chi to alleviate stress and build confidence despite the pressures of school or unstable home lives. While working in the New York City public schools system, Shurman experienced students staying late on Fridays to continue practicing, asking to form their own clubs and stopping her on the street to share their gratitude. These early teachings culminated in the development of her highly sought after training programs, packages for various ages and “Tai Chi for Kids.”
“I realized kids were looking for something … they love tai chi so much,” she said. “It’s amazing, when you do tai chi everything relaxes, the pain goes away and you can look at life in a healthier way … Love is what we need and this is all about love — loving yourself, each other and the earth.”
The book is available at Amazon and Bookshop.org. Also at White River Books in Carbondale, CO and Carl’s Pharmacy in Aspen CO
WHERE CAN WE DO TAI CHI?
You can do Tai Chi in a beautiful field, with the warm sun shining down.
or in the dessert and feel strong and firm
like a rock.
You can do Tai Chi on top of a mountain at sun rise and feel the rising energy.
Or in the gym with 250 students – all are 
focused, silent and calm.
You can even do Tai Chi standing alone by a tree.
You can do Tai Chi for Kids anywhere. Would you like some help to get started?
Try my new book Tai Chi for Kids and the Adults Who Love Them. There are pictures, poems and audio guides for 8 moves that are easy to do, very beneficial and fun. It is ideal for kids of all ages. Even kids as old as me! The links to purchase are above on the home page.