Are you ready for a positive and engaging challenge that will improve balance, flexibility, mindfulness and more?
The Yoga Pose Challenge is kid and adult friendly and fun for all ages.
The Kids Yoga Challenge
I have worked with children for over 20 years and know that kids love to have a challenge! They feel like they have a goal to work toward and something tangible to accomplish. When completed, they definitely feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.
A physical challenge that can easily be done with yoga poses and was the motivation behind the creation of The Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards.
You do not need to have the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards to participate in The Yoga Challenge, but it is helpful to understand how challenges can motivate kids intrinsically and extrinsically. Combine this with yoga poses which are so beneficial physically and mentally that it is a win-win all around!
The Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards challenge participants with balance, flexibility, mindfulness, and more. Our yoga card deck includes 40 poses. Each pose includes a starred level of difficulty.
How to Be Part of The Yoga Challenge
Each of the yoga poses are given a star rating for difficulty. For example starred Level 1 Poses would include Cat Pose or Mountain Pose while Level 2 Poses would be Horse Pose or a Partner Pose. Find some of our favorite Partner Poses that kids love to show off here. All of the Partner Poses are included in the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards.
It is important to use some kind of yoga pose visual when working with kids especially when working through the Yoga Challenge. You can find downloadable yoga pose posters, other pose cards, or our Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards Digital Deck. Simply assign a starred level rating to each pose for the kids to practice and work through progressively.
By practicing the yoga poses regularly, the Level 5Poses such as Crow Pose, Wheel Pose and Lotus Pose will become easier.
Go Slowly
It is important for children (and adults) to understand that they are not expected to master all of the Yoga Challenge immediately.
Yoga is a practice and not something that is ever perfected. By practicing a sequence of poses over time, they will become familiar in your body. This means that your body will become more fluid and flexible. The more challenging yoga poses will then come with greater ease.
Ease Up on the Alignment
Demonstrate the pose yourself or with yoga pose cards. But be aware that if you spend a majority of time making sure every child has a perfect complete 90 degrees with their leg in Warrior 1 or that their Plank Pose includes a perfectly flat back, you will lose the attention and enthusiasm of the kids.
Yoga is a continued practice. Children, like adults, will continue to learn and grow with the poses and their practice.
More YOGA CHALLENGE OPTIONS:
1. Balance Poses:
Select a single balance yoga pose for the children to work on. This could be Airplane Pose, Dancer Pose, Tree Pose or may others. We like to useThe Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cardsto help provide a visual. When placed on the floor, they also provide a wonderful focal point.
Kids love to work on balance in yoga class because it is fun and challenging. They often don’t realize that they are acquiring a skill that improves each time they practice. This is good news because studies have shown that our balance decreases as we age beginning at age 7. With practice, we can maintain this balance.
2. Inversions:
I understand that Inversions can sound scary to try…especially with kids. The great news is that Inversions do not need to be difficult to do and the benefits are enormous. Find out how to practice our favoriteKids Yoga Inversions here.
3. Partner Yoga Poses:
Kids love partner yoga poses! Partner yoga poses help teach children the importance of teamwork and working together plus they are fun to do and build trust and community with one another. Check out our all-time favoriteKids Yoga Partner Poses here.
4. Group Yoga Challenge:
This type of yoga challenges are some of my favorites. Do not overthink this, it can be anything from standing in a circle and passing a hula hoop without letting go of hands. It can also be a Group Tree Pose or a Down Dog Tunnel. The point is to get the children working together to achieve a goal while having fun!
Down Dog Tunnels are always a hit for The Yoga Challenge.
Conclusion:
No matter how you go about it, have fun with the Yoga Challenge! There are many variations to get children interested and engaged so have fun trying them all.
If you are interested in learning more about being a Kids Yoga Teacher, I would love to tell you more about our popular online Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Training.
Every Fall, there is a rite of passage for kids aged preschool through college which involves preparing to go back to school. Usually, this means gathering school supplies, going school clothes shopping, registering for sports and activities, Meet the Teacher Night or visiting the school before the start date. These are all part of the back to school transitions which help kids and parents physically and mentally prepare.
The worries and fear of the unknown are real and can lead to feelings of worry and uncertainty. While these feelings are normal there are things that can be done to help children emotionally prepare for a successful year!
Parents play an influential role in helping children cope, encouraging a positive back-to-school transition and helping to reduce children’s anxiety and worries. These mini yoga brain breaks can help.
Enjoy the Following Back to School Help and Tips
Have Honest Discussions
It is important to sit down and really talk to your child. It doesn’t matter their age. Spend some time talking about how things may be different. As them if there are are specific things they are worried or concerned about, and talk these through with them.
Talk to them about what they can do to stay safe such as hand washing, using hand-santizer, keeping their distance from others avoid touching their face.
Get a Routine in Place
This is very important for children! Kids thrive on routines in place because they know what to expect and they feel like they have control.
Have your children wake up at the same time and follow a morning routine such as eating breakfast, brushing teeth and getting dressed for the day. Packing lunch the night before also helps minimize morning decisions and chaos.
Plan on certain places to keep masks easily accessible such as on hooks by the door. Have children help prepare the night before with homework completed and packed into a backpack, lunch prepared and in the fridge, and school clothes laid out. These simple steps will save so much time in the morning and really help with building a routine.
Children ages 3 and older are also old enough to have chores and to contribute positively to the family. Chores such as putting away dishes from the dishwasher, watering plants, walking the dog, taking garbage out, all help build responsibility and community within a family.
It’s important to acknowledge children’s worries, but parents also need to encourage their children to focus on the things that are positive and they are forward to.
Before school starts, you can ask, “What are you looking forward to about school school?” or “What have you missed about school?” Once school starts, you can ask, “What was something great that happened today?”
At dinner, we like to take turns sharing something positive about our day. With so much negativity going on, it is important to truly be intentional about looking for the positive.
Be a Role Model
Children are watching and looking to us. They are noticing how we are responding to the changes and new challenges. Children even pick up on the nonverbal with our facial expressions.
It’s OK for us to feel uncertain and worried. However, as much as possible, try to model calm and confident attitudes about returning to school for your child and use cheerful, positive messages.
Please take the time to care for your own well-being and mental health. Be kind to yourself and one another. Seek out help if you needed. You are not alone. Make time for what makes you happy.
Conclusion:
While this year’s back to school is different, we can help children feel optimistic by listening to their worries, helping them feel confident by establishing routines and coping strategies. Our kids need us to lead the way for a successful back-to-school transition and to develop the lifelong skills they will need in the future.
Learn how to easily incorporate fun and beneficial yoga poses as well as mindfulness exercises for some family fun and together time! This free mini Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Masterclass will include the most beneficial yoga poses for these young growing bodies as well as fun yoga games to practice these poses.
You will also learn the top mindfulness exercises that can help calm children and set them up for success and a growth mindset. This mini master class is perfect for parents, educators and caregivers.
Discover in this Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Masterclass:
How adult yoga is different than kids yoga
What ages can children begin yoga
The benefits for children who practice yoga
How to easily & effectively teach yoga to children
Family fun yoga games that all ages will enjoy
How to easily help children relax and reduce anxiety in minutes
What teens & tweens really need with yoga & mindfulness exercises
How to easily implement mindfulness at home with your family in small moments
Ideas for fun yoga poses and breathing and calming exercises to begin doing right away.
Join Go Go Yoga for Kidsand Des Moines Parent for fun home adventures for kids! With all the changes around our world, we are excited to provide a new, fun summer yoga camp experience for families this summer.
Your kids will get a taste of many subjects and activities all in one week! Camp Des Moines Parent will provide fun lessons from instructors and businesses, a private community, fun goodies, and more.
This virtual camp is open to families all over!
How to Enroll:
Select a camp you would like to attend below. Camps are aimed for children 5 to 11 years. Please note that some activities may require a parent’s assistance.
One week prior to your camp start date you will receive a fun packet filled with items you may need for your week of camp, bios of your instructors for the week, and other fun goodies. Most daily lessons will include things you will have at home.
You will be delivered your video each day during the camp week, which will be good for TWO weeks. This means you have two weeks to carve out time, have fun, and experience the lesson.
Interaction and fun are important during camp! You will be included in a Private Facebook Group that is ONLY for the specific week of registrants. All of you will be doing the same fun activities, will be able to share your experiences and make friends. We will also sprinkle in some other fun during the week.
What is included with your admission to camp?
An intro packet filled with instructions, supplies list, instructor bios, and other fun goodies.
(5) Daily videos delivered straight to your inbox with a TWO week access period. Videos are taught by local, Des Moines instructors, and/or business owners. Video lessons may differ but may include art, STEM lesson, themed yoga, nature lesson, and more.
Membership into a Private Facebook Group so you can interact and connect with other families participating in the same week of camp as you!
Sara is an elementary teacher and just celebrated her 20th year of teaching for West Des Moines Schools! Her passions are kids, teaching, and yoga. She holds a master’s degree in education as well as certifications in teaching adult and kids yoga. She is the creator of Go Go Yoga for Kids which includes kids yoga books, lesson plans, resources, apps, and teacher training. She regularly teaches kids yoga classes for a nationally-known health and fitness club and enjoys visiting schools to help inspire children to be an author as well as the fun and benefits that yoga can bring! She lives in Iowa with her husband, three kids, and Bichon Poodle Pup, Rocky.
Get kids fit, flexible, focused, and having fun with yoga! Go Go Yoga for Kids is the resource for all things related to how to easily and effectively teach yoga to children while having fun! All of our resources have been tested and kid-approved with our
Go Go Yoga for Kids provides complete resources that detail everything you will need to successfully teach yoga to kids of all ages and to inspire then in life-long healthy ways.
Welcome to our Spring Easter Family Yoga Class. Together we are going to learn and practice some fun Spring yoga for kids poses and games that can be done at any time and are fun for all ages!
This Kids Yoga Class is geared toward children ages 3-10. I have my helpers and I know that they are little older, but they still love to have fun with yoga.
1. What words or things do you know about Spring? What happens outside and with the animals? Discuss with the children. This helps activate their prior knowledge and sets the tone and theme of the class.
2. Move into Child’s Pose. Pretend to be a little seed in the ground. Feel the warm sun on your back and slowly begin to grow. What are you going to grow into? A flower? A tree? Something in your garden?
Pretend to be a seed in the ground. Feel the warm sun on your back. What will you grow into?
3. Now let’s practiceBunny Breathing. Breathing exercises can help calm anxiety and regulate emotions. Take one long inhale through your nose and then exhale with 3 short sniffs. Like a bunny!
4. Now let’s warm up the whole body with some Egg Rolls. It is important for your body and mind to participate in some Active Movement every day. This gets your heart pumping and happy!
5. Now it is time learn and practice our Spring Easter Yoga Poses! Draw out a plastic egg and inside will have a pose for us to practice! Find a full list of yoga poses here. We have practiced Flower Pose, Butterfly Pose and Tree Pose.
6. Now we have worked warmed up our body, practiced Bunny Breath and Yoga Poses, it is time to work on some balance! Balance is very important in yoga because as you get older, you lose your sense of balance. The good news is that it can be maintained by practicing some yoga poses. We are going to use our plastic eggs for balance! You can use whatever you have at home.
Easter Egg Balance: Remember this is not a race! Your goal is to go slowly and mindfully and to not let your Easter Egg fall!
First, let’s practice balancing the egg on your outstretched hand. Remember to switch hands when you get across the room.
Now let’s practice on your shoulder, under your chin, or top of your head! Where else can you think to balance your egg?
7. Finally, we are going to end our yoga class with a little mindfulness practice! Mindfulness is paying attention on mindfulness on purpose. Let’s shake these Easter Eggs one by one, listen carefully, and see if you can guess what is inside! This is a good practice of slowing down and being mindful.
“Yoga makes you feel good inside and out and it is also fun! It is form of active movement and exercise that really works with kids.” Sara J. Weis of Go Go Yoga for Kids
What are the best practices in teaching yoga to children? How has teaching yoga to children changed over the years? These are just a few questions and more that are answered. I was honored to be interviewed by Catharine Hannay of Mindful Teachers.
In this Mindful Teachers Q+A, Sara discusses what she’s learned from the coronavirus crisis, as well as from her 20+ years teaching kids.
Surprisingly, Stillness & Savasana often becomes a favorite part of their kids yoga class. Learn more about how to plan engaging, fun, and memorable kids yoga classes in our free Kids Yoga Lesson Planning 101 Training.
We are in time of such uncertainty and change. It is important for kids and parents to recognize their feelings and understand that it is ok to not always be ok. Take a moment and recognize those undesirable feelings of fear, anxiety, anger, and depression and then move on.
Here are some easy ways to do that with your family:
Establish and build a new routines and schedules as quickly as possible. Our schedules are so now different now and even though the days feel the same, they are not. This can cause additional anxiety.
Have children go to bed and wake up at the same time.
Create established learning/school time; and
Build in time for physical activity. Include simple mindfulness times, for example through a mindfulness game.
My family does this every night at dinner. We share what we are thankful for and why. This is simple, but effective, and takes the focus off our ourselves and our uncertainties.
Find out more here about my thoughts on some controversy of using the word Namaste and practicing yoga in schools as well as easy to make adaptations for children with mental and physical disabilities.
cards. But be aware that if you spend a majority of time making sure every child has a perfect complete 90 degrees with their leg in Warrior 1 or that their Plank Pose includes a perfectly flat back, you will lose the attention and enthusiasm of the kids.
