There are several ways to practice breath and being mindful with your kids, but the main goal is to make children aware of how they are feeling while slowing down their bodies and noticing their calming breath. Does their breath become short, shallow and fast when they are getting worked up or nervous about something?
The following is a simple sequence that allows children to practice becoming aware of their breath and it helps them focus and calm their nerves before a test, presentation, game, recital or anything that they are feeling anxiety or stress over.
How to do Calming Breath (and Teach Your Kids)
Find a seated position comfortably with your hands resting open on your lap.
Sit up tall, close your eyes.
Breathe in for a count of five and out for a count of three through your nose.
Repeat for five to seven rounds.
Open your eyes and see how you feel. More peaceful and ready to take on the world?!
Help your kids practice this simple calming breath technique and it will become a tool that they will always have with them to use and find success with.
I love how yoga is something that you can actually dowith your child as opposed to being a spectator to. Sports and activities such as soccer games, dance competitions, piano recitals are all fun to be an audience to, but I love how easy it is to do a few yoga children poses with your kids.
Yoga can be done anywhere. Take it outside, try it on the trampoline, or in the rain! Just use your imagination. Laugh and have fun. Enthusiasm is contagious. This is something that they will definitely remember doing together with you.
8 Ways to Do Yoga At Home With Your Kids
1. Use Props
No need for formal yoga mats. Grab some beach towels to lay out and sit on. Kids love having their own space and gives them a great nonverbal boundary. Include your child’s favorite stuffed animal and have it participate in balance exercises and to snuggle with during savasana. We love playing Toega with pom pom balls.
Using the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards at home gives your kids the opportunity to choose poses they want to practice and provides a good visual. Let them pick 5-10 yoga pose cards and then practice them with games and challenges.
4. Use a Story:
This is one of my favorite ways to practice yoga with kids. I love reading aloud to my kids anyway so this is two birds with one stone; the benefits of reading aloud AND practicing yoga. Animal stories work well. When you get to a part about a particular animal such as snake, cat, horse, or bug then pause to do the corresponding yoga children poses. This is so much fun! See some of our favorite read-aloud books.
5. Just Breathe:
Doing yoga at home doesn’t need to be a full-blown class with all yoga poses and balance. During a stressful or frustrating time, remind your child to use their breath. Children become more aware of their breath as they practice. Do not expect them to breathe deeply with focus during the first few times. This will come with practice and time. Here are some favorite breathing and exercises that really work with kids.
6. Keep it Simple:
It can be fun to use a theme and choose poses that correspond but it is not required. You can choose a certain skill to practice such as balance or mindfulness. A few moments a day can go a long way in making a difference. Find out more Secrets to Teaching Yoga to Children.
Have Fun:
Your child should feel like yoga is play and not work. Get down on the floor with them and be playful. Be in the moment! They will love it! Kids yoga is very different from adult yoga so understand they will not have the same attention span.
We tell kids to pay attention, but do they really even know how?
Mindfulness is described as paying attention on purpose. This is a skill that is important to help model and practice with children.
Being present and practicing mindfulness are buzz words that are becoming more and more common in the media and among education leaders right now. There is something to be said for appreciating the moment you are in right now, but in our fast-paced society and lives it is becoming more and more difficult.
Kids nowadays are busy. There are commitments for them from the moment they get out of school and spill over into the weekend. No wonder it can be difficult for kids to just be. It doesn’t start out like that for kids, picture a preschooler noticing the shape of a leaf or color of the sky and many times dwadaling along.
Sadly many kids slowly become accustomed our faster pace lifestyle and they need to be reminded that it doesn’t always need to be that way.
A good kids yoga classes can provide that. They begin with a settling into the moment and focusing on their breath and body. Kids can practice engaging poses with games and end with a savasana or quiet time. The end of class usually becomes the students’ favorite part while they lie still and “do nothing.” They know they worked their body hard and this is a time to give back, be still, and reap the benefits of strengthening their body. Being involved in a yoga class keeps the kids present, aware, and in the moment — a valuable skill to practice throughout life.
Spring is here and with that comes the beautiful power of a rainstorm. I love a good rainstorm as it washes away the dirt, and leaves behind beauty, green, and a fresh start.
I love to create a thunderstorm with my students in my yoga class toward the end of class. The perfect time to do this is during the Community Building portion of the class which is right before settling into Savasana. If you are unsure of the correct sequence and important parts of a kids yoga lesson plan, then please check out our bestselling book, Go Go Yoga for Kids: A Complete Guide to Yoga with Kids. It breaks down the complete step by step to put together an engaging and memorable kids yoga class.
Creating a thunderstorm with kids completely quiets the class, mesmerizes them and they feel empowered as they are the ones that created it. This activity also utilizes many of your five senses which is wonderful in helping you feel aware and present.
How to Create a Thunderstorm:
Sit in a close circle with the lights off. Start with step one and the child on your right does what you are doing. Continue around the circle with each student adding to it. After the sound has made it around, continue onto step 2. I like this progression as it shows how the storm ebbs and flows.
Snap your fingers (the sound of light rain falling)
Clap your hands together
Slap your hands on your legs (at this time a student can flick a light switch on and off to represent lightning). They love this part!
Stomp your feet
Slap your hands on your legs and stomp your feet (this represents the strength of the storm lessening)
Stomp your feet
Slap your hands on your legs
Clap your hands together
Snap your fingers
Rub your hands together (the wind)
Open your palms (all is quiet)
This is definitely a fun activity to do with a Kids Yoga Springtime or a Jungle Adventure Theme. Have fun with it. This is something that your kids yoga classes can do over and over again and still be amazed by it.
I just love this little cartoon. Check out the poor donut’s expression. Panic? Worry? Self-Consciousness? Yoga looks differently for everybody and that is just one of the many different things I love about yoga.
Walk into any group of kids practicing yoga and most often you will find kids that are uninhibited to try new things, taking risks and being a little different.
Let’s all embrace our inner child when it comes to yoga and to life. Smile. Be Free. Be the first to try something new and step out of your comfort zone. Try it out. See how freeing it feels!
Take Yoga on the Go with the Kids Yoga Challenge App
The Kids Yoga Challenge App Includes:
40 progressive yoga poses including partner poses
Empowering pose mantras for beginners and meditation
Perfect for all levels
Poses rated from 1-5 stars based on difficulty
Easy to follow illustrated and colorful yoga poses
Tested and proven yoga poses to achieve mental and physical benefits
Takes only minutes each day to gain lifelong skills and health benefits
There are several ways to practice breath and being mindful with your kids, but the main goal is to make children aware of how they are feeling while slowing down their bodies and noticing their calming breath. Does their breath become short, shallow and fast when they are getting worked up or nervous about something?
frustrating time, remind your child to use their breath. Children become more aware of their breath as they practice. Do not expect them to breathe deeply with focus during the first few times. This will come with practice and time. 
moment! They will love it! Kids yoga is very different from adult yoga so understand they will not have the same attention span.
We tell kids to pay attention, but do they really even know how?
Spring is here and with that comes the beautiful power of a rainstorm. I love a good rainstorm as it washes away the dirt, and leaves behind beauty, green, and a fresh start.
