Kids love yoga games! Yoga games are often a favorite part of the class as children naturally love to play games. Games are also another great way to get kids moving, build strength, follow directions, work together and practice yoga poses in fun and engaging ways.
I also love how games help break the ice with new groups and allow kids to get to know one another. Games also lead to laughter and provide opportunities to maybe step outside a comfort while working together to achieve a goal.
I like to have a repertoire of yoga games that can be played and used in a variety of situations such as varying group sizes, ages, indoor, outdoor yoga games. I also like to include games with partners, quiet and mindful games, games that bring the energy level up and games that bring the energy down.
These games could be used during a yoga class, a school setting, camps, during other kid-related activities, or a home with your children.
I do recommend having a set of yoga pose cards to when playing the games. We loveThe Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards and they provide a great visual for when playing yoga games.
As you dive in deeper with some of our favorite kids yoga games, please feel free to adapt for varying age levels, setting, age appropriateness, and number of children. This can be done by making a few simple adjustments.
A huge tip is that you spend no longer than 10 minutes playing a yoga game. Keep the interest level and excitement high. Always end on a high note which leaves them wanting more
The goal of yoga games is to get kids excited about practicing many different yoga poses, while they gain strength, improve balance, experience teamwork and have fun!
Put the cards and caller card in a gift bag and have a player draw a card.
The player who drew the card calls out the pose to the other players.
Players who have the pose on their card mark it off.
The player who first gets bingo shows off their four winning poses in a sequence.
To make the game more challenging, you can:
Include variations of each pose
Have players hold the pose for a certain amount of time
Add bonus squares for completing a sequence of poses or holding a difficult pose
You can play yoga pose bingo at home, in a classroom, or at a yoga studio. It’s a fun way to teach kids yoga poses, practice new poses, and build community.
Directions on How to Play 8 Diverse Yoga Poses Multicultural & Diverse Downloadable for immediate play Perfect for school, home, camps, clubs, and parties.
Congratulations on taking the time to truly gain an understanding of why each part of a kids yoga class is important. By following our everything will easily fall into place for you and your students. A well-thought-out and organized lesson plan will create more opportunities for learning, engagement and create lasting memories.
The Welcome is the very first part of your kids yoga class and it is the first real class interaction you will have together. The Welcome helps set the tone for how your class will go and helps explain to your students what they will be doing and learning as well as what you expect of them.
When you establish and make a connection
with your students right from the start, it makes such a difference throughout
your class as you introduce and teach breathing exercises, yoga
poses, games, challenges, relaxation, and more.
I think about this in my school classroom as well. Children need to know that they are safe and cared for. When you have a connection and a trust established, then you can truly teach the content, relax, and have fun teaching.
In the beginning of my kids’ yoga classes, I like to gather the students in a circle and welcome them warmly while having them introduce themselves. This will help you get an overall sense of their mood and abilities from the start. It is also the ideal time to reinforce their names with their faces which comes in handy with the management of the class.
I like to have my students share their name
and answer a question.
For example:
Sharing something that they are good at
What do you already know about yoga?
Share why yoga is good for you
Demonstrate any yoga poses that they already know
Ask a theme-related question (in relation to the yoga theme of class) such as “Which superhero would you be and why?”
I also like to briefly go over my 3 No-Fail Rules at this time. You only need these three rules to keep your class running seamlessly which is a big deal for the success and involvement of your classes. These 3 No-Fail Rules and many classroom teaching videos are all included in our online Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Training course. Enroll now and work through at your own pace and time with our support throughout.
Remember, you only get one chance to make that first impression. The Welcome does not need to be long, but it is the best opportunity to let kids know how excited you are that they are there and to introduce them to the theme and format for the class.
You have made it through the Kids Yoga Lesson Planning 101 Teacher Training! I am proud of you! Now you know how to teach yoga to kids and carry out a memorable and engaging kids yoga class!
For those of you who may have missed a few weeks, no worries! Get all caught up below.
Kids Yoga Lesson Planning 101
The 9 Most Important Parts that Every Kids Yoga Class Should Include
These 9 Important Parts to a kids yoga less plan all include a different purpose for your students. When you combine them all together, it creates a complete, meaningful and engaging Kids Yoga Class–one that they will remember, keep them practicing at home, and making them want to come back for more.
When finished I hope you feel like this ofter your Kids Yoga Lesson Planning 101 Training!
“I just finished your Kids Yoga Lesson Planning 101 youtube videos! I enjoyed it very much! While I watched your videos I made my first lesson plan to use! I also completed not too long ago your online kids yoga teacher course also, so its game on! lol. I personally enjoyed learning the different ways of active movement, and the idea of getting the kids hearts pumping right before actually getting into yoga poses, and savasana will ALWAYS be a favorite for me to learn, teach, and do also lol! It is such a good way to soak up the benefits of the poses. I cant wait to connect with the kids in the way you say in your videos while performing and coming out of savasana, I obviously know what it feels like, and I’ve taught my own children, but to connect with kids that aren’t yours is truly magical and in this day and age, they need all the positive role models they can get. I’M SO EXCITED! Thank you so much for the videos!” Courtney S. Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Training Graduate
Get Caught up Below on The Most Important Parts That Every Kids Yoga Class Needs:
We have so much fun talking about how to plan kids yoga with the 9 Most Important Parts of Your Kids Yoga Class through our Kids Yoga Lesson Planning 101 Series.
These 9 Important Parts all include a different purpose for your students. When you combine them all together, it creates a complete, meaningful and engaging Kids Yoga Class–one that they will remember, keep them practicing at home, and making them want to come back for more.
The Most Important Parts of a Kids Yoga Class. Which is your favorite? Listen and Win!
Are you ready to level up your Kids Yoga Teaching? We would love to have you be a part of our online Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Training. This training will completely prepare you to confidently and effectively teach yoga to children ages 3-14.
Welcome to our Go Go Yoga for Kids: Kids Yoga Lesson Planning 101 Free Training! Throughout this training, we have learned how to put together engaging, successful, fun, and memorable kids yoga classes. Now we will answer what is savasana.
Video 8:Building Community comes toward the end of your kids yoga class. Everyone has had fun, learned a lot, and now it is time to bring the energy level down a little.
Stillness & Savasana
Miss Sara, I can’t wait to do the “sleeping pose” again!” That is what I hear time and time again at the end of our Kids Yoga Classes.
The children begin class so eager, excited, and full of energy. After moving and working their bodies in such good and healthy ways, they are truly ready for rest and relaxation. I tell my students that their bodies deserve this rest and that taking this time helps them repair and build the muscles they just worked.
Please do not get the idea that I simply call out, “Everyone get into Savasana,” and that the kids readily roll onto their backs, shut their eyes, as they go into deep stillness. Instead, slowly get kids into Savasana.
Savasana comes at the end of your class after you have practiced breathing exercises, learned yoga poses, played yoga games, practiced balance, built community with one another, and are now ready for a bit of stillness, relaxation, and time for some mindfulness.
Yoga is about movement and poses and postures but it is also about being still and quiet and mindful in savasana. This is such an important skill to learn in our busy lives and especially a wonderful one to model with children
Here are a few ways to help promote stillness and mindfulness with kids.
Change the Mood
I like to begin to speak in quieter tones and if possible turn the lights down lower. It’s also easy to play calming music or nature sounds. This change in their surroundings signals to children that a change is coming. As you build this into the class flow, children begin to recognize the signs and signals leading to Savasana.
Be a Melting Ice Cube
As Stillness & Savasna follows our Building Community component of class we are already seated in a circle. I like to challenge the kids to lie down as slowly as they can as if they are an ice cube melting into the ground. When they get down to the ground have them stretch out as long as they can with their toes pointed and their arms up overhead. See how long they can get by taking deep breaths.
Squeeze and Relax
While kids are lying down on their yoga mats preparing for savasana, I’ll sometimes have them squeeze a body part as hard as they can. Let’s say they squeeze their hands for a few seconds and then they relax it. Or also squeeze their shoulders up by their ears and then relax it. They’re actually able to physically feel the difference their body makes from holding it so tight and then relaxing.
Use Memorable Phrases
I challenge the children to stretch as “long as a pencil” or have them be “as still as a statue” or “as quiet as a mouse.” This gives the children a mental picture of how to pose and act.
Be Comfortable
I allow the children to lay however they feel comfortable. It could be on their backs, on their stomachs, curled up into a ball, but have a realistic expectation for how long the kids can lie still. 15 to 30 seconds is good for the preschool ages while older children can stay longer. The more they get used to Stillness and Savasana at the end of class, the longer they can stay still.
Bring Them Out Slowly
When it’s time to come out of this relaxation, I like to ask them to roll over on their side and use their arm as a pillow. Then they sit up and you can quietly lead them through a couple of big, deep, cleansing breaths while bringing arms up overhead, breathing in, and breathing out and placing your hands at heart center. We’ll do that a couple of times.
Be Encouraging
I like to give a few positive closing words that unite the class and set their path for the remainder of the day or the week. I also like to thank them for coming to yoga, taking care of their bodies, working together, and having fun.
Welcome to our Kids Yoga Lesson Planning 101 Free Training! Throughout this training we have learned how to put together engaging, successful, fun, and memorable kids yoga classes. Now we will learn how to build community.
Get all caught up here with the Most Important Parts Every Kids Yoga Class Needs:
Building Community comes toward the end of your kids yoga class. Everyone has had fun, learned a lot, and now it is time to bring the energy level down a little.
How to Build Trust and Community in Your Kids Yoga Classes: Building Community
As a teacher, I know that it can be tempting to skip or rush this portion of class if you are feeling short on time. I encourage you to really make time for this building community portion of class. It is a very important part for your students as well as for you, their teacher.
As you begin to bring your yoga class to a close, it is important
and beneficial to reflect on all that you have learned and accomplished during
class. It makes the students feel stronger and more united as a class.
This is personally one of my favorite parts of class as it ties everything
together. The children share what they have learned and what they have enjoyed.
I love hearing about their favorite parts and often times I am surprised. Many
times it is not what I think such as mastering a difficult pose, but instead it
might be how they felt or how they connected with another student and maybe
made a new friend.
Here are a few of our favorite ways to Build Community in your Kids Yoga Classes. Give them a try. They love it and it truly begins to bring your class to a close.
