fbpx
8 Easy Ways to Do Yoga at Home With Your Kids

8 Easy Ways to Do Yoga at Home With Your Kids

I love how yoga is something that you can actually do with your child as opposed to being a spectator to.  Sports and activities such as soccer games, dance competitions, piano recitals are all fun to be an audience to, but I love how easy it is to do a few yoga children poses with your kids.
cobra yoga pose

Yoga can be done anywhere. Take it outside, try it on the trampoline, or in the rain! Just use your imagination. Laugh and have fun. Enthusiasm is contagious. This is something that they will definitely remember doing together with you.

8 Ways to Do Yoga At Home With Your Kids

1. Use Props

toega yoga game for kids

No need for formal yoga mats. Grab some beach towels to lay out and sit on.  Kids love having their own space and gives them a great nonverbal boundary. Include your child’s favorite stuffed animal and have it participate in balance exercises and to snuggle with during savasana. We love playing Toega with pom pom balls.

Here are a few more Kids Yoga Teacher Favorite Props to use with kids.

2. Partner Up:

There are many yoga poses that be done with adults and children.  Some of my favorite parent-child poses are partner tree and see-saw. See more all-time favorite partner poses here.

3. Pick a Card:yoga pose app

Using the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards at home gives your kids the opportunity to choose poses they want to practice and provides a good visual. Let them pick 5-10 yoga pose cards and then practice them with games and challenges.

4. Use a Story:

This is one of my favorite ways to practice yoga with kids. I love reading aloud to my kids anyway so this is two birds with one stone; the benefits of reading aloud AND practicing yoga. Animal stories work well. When you get to a part about a particular animal such as snake, cat, horse, or bug then pause to do the corresponding yoga children poses. This is so much fun! See some of our favorite read-aloud books.

5. Just Breathe:

Doing yoga at home doesn’t need to be a full-blown class with all yoga poses and balance. During a stressful or breathing exercisesfrustrating time, remind your child to use their breath. Children become more aware of their breath as they practice. Do not expect them to breathe deeply with focus during the first few times. This will come with practice and time. Here are some favorite breathing and exercises that really work with kids.

6. Keep it Simple:

It can be fun to use a theme and choose poses that correspond but it is not required.  You can choose a certain skill to practice such as balance or mindfulness. A few moments a day can go a long way in making a difference. Find out more Secrets to Teaching Yoga to Children.

Have Fun:

Your child should feel like yoga is play and not work. Get down on the floor with them and be playful. Be in the moment! They will love it! Kids yoga is very different from adult yoga so understand they will not have the same attention span.

You may also like:

Yoga and Mindfulness Tips for Your Family

3 Subtle Ways to Do Yoga With Kids

Favorite Yoga Props to Use With Kids

Be Present and Mindful

Be Present and Mindful

Mindfulness is described as paying attention on purpose. This is a skill that is important to help model and practice with children.We tell kids to pay attention, but do they really even know how?

Mindfulness is described as paying attention on purpose. This is a skill that is important to help model and practice with children.

Being present and practicing mindfulness are buzz words that are becoming more and more common in the media and among education leaders right now. There is something to be said for appreciating the moment you are in right now, but in our fast-paced society and lives it is becoming more and more difficult.

Kids nowadays are busy. There are commitments for them from the moment they get out of school and spill over into the weekend. No wonder it can be difficult for kids to just be.  It doesn’t start out like that for kids, picture a preschooler noticing the shape of a leaf or color of the sky and many times dwadaling along.

Sadly many kids slowly become accustomed our faster pace lifestyle and they need to be reminded that it doesn’t always need to be that way.

A good kids yoga classes can provide that. They begin with a settling into the moment and focusing on their breath and body. Kids can practice engaging poses with games and end with a savasana or quiet time. The end of class usually becomes the students’ favorite part while they lie still and “do nothing.” They know they worked their body hard and this is a time to give back, be still, and reap the benefits of strengthening their body. Being involved in a yoga class keeps the kids present, aware, and in the moment — a valuable skill to practice throughout life.