I love creating new games to use in my Yoga Kids classes. Kids naturally love to play games, it gets them moving and leads to laughter and fun which helps build community. Games are also the perfect way to practice all of the fun yoga poses that the kids have been learning.
Yoga Obstacle Course: Kids LOVE this game and is one of my favorite ways to get kids moving! Use whatever objects you have available to make an obstacle course.
How to Create a Kids Yoga Obstacle Course:
Kids LOVE obstacle courses and this is one of my favorite ways to get kids moving in healthy and good ways. This is exactly what kids need as their school days involve a lot of sitting as well as the national increase of video games and screens.
Every kids yoga class that I teach follows the Go Go Yoga for Kids Lesson Plan Format. This lesson plan framework ensures that kids are getting exactly what they need with breathing exercises, poses, movement, teamwork, mindfulness and more.
Select 4-5 poses that you want to introduce to children. I use the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards as visuals for the poses. I will place the selected cards into a colorful gift bag and allow the students one at a time to draw out a pose to learn. After the yoga poses have been introduced and practiced, it is the perfect time to begin The Yoga Obstacle Course!
Be creative with this! Please do not go out and buy anything. Use whatever objects you have available to make an obstacle course.
Obstacle Course Prop Examples
- Hula hoops laid on the ground to do high knees through
- Jump ropes laid parallel so kids can jump across them like a river
- Cones to jump over or hop to
- Yoga blocks for stepping stones
- Yoga mats placed end to end for bear walks, log rolls, frog hops, etc.
The ideas are endless for using creating different obstacles and I do like to change it up to keep things fresh and fun.
Place the objects in a large circle. Between each obstacle I place a yoga mat and a Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Card.
The ideas are endless for using creating different obstacles. Place the objects in a large circle with a yoga mat and pose cards after each obstacle. The kids move around the obstacle course and perform the yoga poses that are shown on cards and hold for 5 breaths or 30 seconds. This is also fun to do to music.
