What is better than kids yoga? Partner Yoga Poses for kids! Join Go Go Yoga for Kids at Athleta for a peek inside our fun partner kids yoga class. First, the children warmed up their bodies with some sun salutations and exercises. Then they got into pairs to determine a team name which was so much fun to see what they came up with.
Kids Yog Challenge Pose Cards
I used the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards to unveil the 5 different leveled partner poses. We started off nice and easy with See Saw Partner Pose. First I showed the partner pose card example and then had a partner pair demonstrate the pose. We also talked about being safe and careful with our partners.
Next we were ready to move into the Level 2 Partner Pose which is Raindrop, followed by Double Boat and Double Down Dog. To celebrate our success we played a fun group yoga game with Down Dog Tunnels which was so much fun. No kids yoga class is complete with Stillness and
Savasana and the children settled right into it.
A Partner yoga Poses themed class is a lot of fun for kids as they love working together and teamwork.
It is time to celebrate our freedom! Try some of these fun 4th of July kids yoga poses.
They are perfect to help recognize our freedom while having fun making their bodies healthier and stronger.
Eagle Pose: There is no other symbol of our freedom than that of the American Eagle! Try Eagle Pose with your kids. It is wonderful for balance, core strength and detoxing as you hold this twisty tricky pose.
Make Some Fireworks: There is so much creativity involved with this! How can you or a partner(s) make the best firework display you can? This reminds me of growing up and creating 4th of July kids cheerleading stunts with my friends. Get creative and take on the challenge. It can be wonderful for utilizing all sorts of muscles in your body.
Hot Dog: Roll your child up in a blanket or yoga mats. I guarantee that they will remember this! Of course, they will need to get their giggles out first. There is something about that snug and secure feeling that will remind them of being swaddled when they were babies. After relaxing for a moment, let them wrap you up!
If You Liked These 4th of July Kids Yoga Poses, Check Out:
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.
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.
It is no secret that kids need yoga now more than ever.In our technology and screen-focused world, yoga provides many benefits that kids might have difficulty receiving elsewhere.Physically, yoga enhances flexibility, strength, coordination, and body awareness.Mentally, it improves the sense of calmness, concentration, and relaxation. Introducing yoga poses for kids at an early age can help them learn healthy lifestyle habits and set the foundation for a fit future.
The following three yoga poses were selected for their physical and mental health benefits in young growing bodies.These poses are also wonderful for getting kids fit, flexible, and focused.Keep in mind that these are also adult yoga poses, so some of them may already be familiar to you.This is all the more reason to do them together with your children!You do not need to have a lot of space to practice these poses, and they only take minutes a day to generate results.
Read the rest of the article here from our guest post at Des Moines Parent to learn more yoga poses for kids.
Affirmations and mantras can be an important tool to help children develop positive foundations on which to grow. A positive self-belief system built in childhood will hopefully stay with a person throughout their life. While attending the National Kids Yoga Conference, I got the pleasure of meeting Erin Hurley, an elementary school guidance counselor from Virginia. Erin was also named “School Counselor of the Year” for her school district.
She is the kind of guidance counselor that any of you would love to have your children work with and learn from. Erin has a kind and creative spirit and truly cares about children. Plus she definitely understands the importance of introducing yoga and mindfulness to children so they will have these skills for life.
Erin shared with me how she uses the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards when she works with students in her elementary classrooms. She has loved using these pose cards with her students as they are visual, age-appropriate, and include simple yet memorable mantras.
Each yoga pose card has a corresponding empowering mantras for success such as “I am strong” or “I am fair and equal.” This ensures that the students are not only receiving the health benefits of each pose, but also the mental and mindfulness benefits as well.
Erin shared with me one incredible activity and lesson plan that she did with her students that I wanted to pass along. This lesson could be done anytime throughout the school year, but would tie in nicely with the beginning of the school year, Thanksgiving or a kindness theme.
Mantras and Mindfulness Kids Yoga Lesson Plan
This lesson would work well with children ages 5-11.
First, brainstorm with the students about positive qualities that they see in themselves. For example being kind, honest, hardworking, caring, strong, etc. Write these qualities on the board.
Next, the students took the “hand template” and wrote qualities that described themselves. They did this by writing around the hand template.
Finally, the students were able to put the yoga poses and mantras for success together to practice and perform. This absolutely made the lesson even more memorable as it ties together so many different types of student learning such as visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning.