Are you looking for a fun easy kids yoga game?! Yoga Shapes is easy to play and the kids LOVE it! All you need is a dry erase marker and a markerboard.
How to Play Yoga Shapes:
Begin by telling the children that they will need to make the shape with their own body on markerboard as quickly and quietly as possible. There is no right or wrong answer.
Draw one shape on the markerboard. When I turn the markerboard around the children will see a shape (examples: 0 , 1, L, S) Keep it simple at first. After the children make the shape with their body, then I erase it and draw another.
After a few rounds, then have the students pair up and make shapes such as T, and V. Remind them to do this quickly and without talking. It is amazing to see the pairs make the shapes differently. Finally, if you are up for a big challenge, have all of the students work together to make the final shape. I have done a smiley face, star or Y for yoga. This is a great team effort and because they aren’t able to talk it is neat to see the nonverbal communication.
Let’s get started with yoga games! I’m going to tell you about the Top 10 Yoga Games and we’ll also learn why games are important with kids yoga.
Kids remember the poses when they play games with them. They are also a great way to practice the poses with games. Kids love games. They’re a great way to get kids moving, practice poses, and working together. I also love taking my favorite familiar childhood games and turning them into yoga games for kids. Some of these games need materials but the majority do not.
Top 10 Yoga Games for Kids:
First is Yogi Says which is similar to Simon Says where you will have a leader. The leader will say different things such as “Yogi Says hop on one foot,” “Yogi Says jump up and down,” “Yogi Says do Tree Pose.” You can incorporate action movements as well as yoga poses.
2. Next, you can turn on some music with freeze dance. When you stop the music everyone can hold a favorite pose the best they can.
3. For Animal Pick you can fill a bag with all stuffed animals or toys and kids can take turns drawing out an animal and thinking about what yoga pose the animal might do. For example, a stuffed dog could be down dog.
4. A few more yoga games is Yoga Stories. I’ve got a lot of good books that I recommend with this. Any story that includes animals in it. You can pause as you’re reading the story and see if kids can come up with a yoga pose for the animal.
5. Musical mats is just like musical chairs. It’s another fun yoga game. Put your mats in a circle and turn on some music. When the music stops make a yoga pose right there on the mat hold it.
6. The Yoga Obstacle course is another favorite of kids. You can use anything – couch cushions, hula hoops, jump ropes. Place them all in a circular formation along with some yoga pose cards or different poses that kids can do. Then the kids can move around the room with the obstacle course, also stopping at variable points and holding their yoga pose.
7. Yoga Shapes is also a favorite one. You can write a shape down, like a triangle or square, on a piece of paper and kids can try to make that with their body.
8. Yoga Jenga I created by just taking the familiar Jenga game and writing down names of poses on the blocks. You play with normal Jenga rules with pulling out the blocks and learning each pose as you pull it out and then placing it on top.
9. Yoga Says is also fun for the kids. Have them pick 3 to 4 poses that they’ve learned and they are center stage and their job with the yoga show is to show the poses and kind of transition in between them so that it flows pretty seamlessly.
10. Another great game for younger ages is Follow the Leader where you can lead or the kids can take turns leading movements and yoga poses and everyone does what the leader is doing.
I am honored to be included in this list of amazing yoga teachers on youtube. I truly love introducing the lifelong benefits and yoga to children. Find more here for the latest kids yoga ideas, events, and resources from Go Go Yoga for Kids.
Go Go Yoga for Kids You Tube Includes:
Benefits of yoga for children
Secrets to teaching yoga to children
Breathing exercises that can help kids become calm and relaxed
Over 150 fun and creative yoga games, activities, and challenges for all ages
Kids yoga lesson planning guides and templates
Ready-to-use unique yoga lesson plans that engage kids from the start
The best yoga props and how to easily use them with children
Ways to build mindfulness through meditation and mantras
Yoga pose illustrations
Suggestions of read-aloud books and ways to incorporate yoga and movement
Quick and Easy No-Time-To-Plan Kids Yoga Lesson Plans
Downloadable yoga bingo cards and other kids yoga games
Now you are able to easily download your Go Go Yoga for Kids books on any device. This means your iphone, computer, tablet, kindle, ipad. Any of these places!
You can also easily transfer your Go Go Yoga for Kids books from device to device.
This is also extra exciting because you are able to easily print out sections that are important to you. You know how much I love writing and putting together kids yoga lesson plans. Now you can easily find which lesson plan you want to use and print it out for your personal use. This is also true for our lesson plan templates, guides and games that are found in our books!
Another great reason to purchase your e-books directly from the author is that it does help me out. You know how kids yoga is my passion and I love being able to get resources and ideas straight to you. When you purchase directly from the author this allows a great connection and helps small businesses such as Go Go Yoga for Kids.
Part of the fun of introducing children to yoga is teaching classes and leading events. I do both of these on a regular basis and understand that while they are both important, they are both completely different in terms of how to teach kids yoga.
I am the type of person that likes to try to be prepared in all that I do. When I plan for my kids yoga classes that I teach regularly, I already know the ages and number of children ahead of time. This allows me to select age appropriate themes, yoga poses, props, and prepare an engaging lesson plan.
When leading those one time (medium or large sized) kids yoga events such as at bookstores, stores, parks,schools, libraries, and expos, there are different ways to go about planning and preparing. To see where Go Go Yoga for Kids has been recently, check out the links above.
Embrace the Unknown
There is definitely an element of the unknown to consider. How many kids will actually show up at the event? Will there be that large of an age range for children there? How to teach kids yoga? What other distractions and varying surroundings are there to think about such as the weather, other people, and surrounding noises?
All of these unknowns can make planning difficult, but I have come up with a few guidelines that help make these large group kids yoga events go smoothly.
Over Pack and Plan
I know my children and husband would agree that this is one of my biggest talents (or burdens as they usually help lug all of my props and materials). Every class I teach I bring extra mats for kids that don’t have one. I also bring seasonal or theme related props such as beachballs, snowballs, Easter Eggs, etc). See some of my favorite props here. These props are also great for attention-getting in a busy setting. I also have a lesson plan in mind that I want to use with 1-2 additional activities such as related partner poses, marker board, or read aloud books for just in case.
Arrive Early
This is a biggie. No matter how early I arrive at an event, the time always flies before the class starts. Allow yourself time to check in with the organizer and thank them for inviting you, check the sound system/speaker for your music, and set up/organize any materials and resources. I also like to welcome the kids and help get the mats or beach towels appropriately. I like to have my classes begin in a circle and is helpful for you to help lay down the first couple of mats so others will get the idea.
Keep It Moving
My recommenced class time frame for an event is for 30-40 minutes. Since you are unsure of the actual numbers and ages of children that will show up, it is better to have your class time be filled with movement, poses, and games and Stillness and Savasana at the end. Your job is to introduce children to yoga. Of course safety is a priority, but during an event is not the time to be sure that every child’s leg is in a perfect 90-degree angle in Warrior 2.
Be Thankful
At the end, be sure to thank the kids (and adults who brought them) for coming and give them any additional ideas and resources for continuing to practice yoga at home. Many times, this may be a child’s first interaction with yoga so be proud that you helped introduce them to this practice and the life long skills and benefits that accompany yoga.
Check out our fun Kids Yoga in the Park event here.
Spring has finally arrived! It was a perfect day to celebrate with Kids Yoga in the Park with Go Go Yoga for Kids and Des Moines Parent. Over 50 kids, parents, and caregivers joined in the outdoor yoga fun.
First, we warmed up our bodies with Sunrise and Sunset Salutations followed by some Sunflower exercises. Next, we selected surprise poses from the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards. We practiced and perfected our yoga poses by showing how strong we were with our Warrior 2 jumps, rowing in our Boat Pose, Down Dog kick ups, and the Tree Pose balance challenge.
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We practiced our poses with a fun Musical Mats game and completed the class with a very peaceful and relaxing Stillness and Savasana while listening to the sounds of nature all around.
Check out our Kids Yoga in the Park preview below. It was a windy (but sunny!) day. The audio isn’t perfect and we were able to get just a little glimpse of this fun class with video, but will give an idea of the fun we had!
Want to learn more about How to Plan a Kids Yoga Event and Class Like a Pro? See our best tips and article here. No it does not include fully charging your video camera 😉 These tips are very hands-on and practical.
of children ahead of time. This allows me to select age appropriate themes, yoga poses, props, and prepare an engaging lesson plan.
Embrace the Unknown
n event, the time always flies before the class starts. Allow yourself time to check in with the organizer and thank them for inviting you, check the sound system/speaker for your music, and set up/organize any materials and resources. I also like to welcome the kids and help get the mats or beach towels appropriately. I like to have my classes begin in a circle and is helpful for you to help lay down the first couple of mats so others will get the idea.
minutes. Since you are unsure of the actual numbers and ages of children that will show up, it is better to have your class time be filled with movement, poses, and games and Stillness and Savasana at the end. Your job is to introduce children to yoga. Of course safety is a priority, but during an event is not the time to be sure that every child’s leg is in a perfect 90-degree angle in Warrior 2.
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