I love creating new games to use in my kids yoga classes. Kids naturally love to play games and they are a good way to get them moving. Games also lead to laughter and fun which helps build community and friendships. Yoga Games such as the Kids Yoga Obstacle Course are also the perfect way to practice all of the fun yoga poses that the kids have been learning.
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.
Get Ready to Go!
First, I demonstrate how to go through the obstacle course. I make a big show out of hopping through the “rings of fire,” (hula hoops) or carefully crossing over the “icy river on blocks of ice” (yoga blocks).
Kids are completely mesmorized as they watch you carefully navigate through the obstacle course. Be sure to pause after each obstacle to hold the pose on the yoga pose card.
Next, I put on some fun music and it is the kids turn to move around the obstacle course and perform the yoga poses that are shown on cards. They love this and would do it forever if allowed. I recommend not letting the obstacle course go on “forever” as you want to keep things fresh and fun. Learn more Secrets to Teaching Yoga to Children here.
Kids love to go camping! Try our free Let’s Go Camping Yoga lesson plan with kids. It has everything you need minus the bugs! It will be an adventure for sure!
Included in our Let’s Go Camping Kids Yoga Lesson Plan:
Practice Smore Breath
Sunrise to Sunset Salutations
Go on a Bear Hunt
Learn Yoga Poses such as Tent, Canoe, Fire, and Compass
Play the fun Bears in the Forest Yoga Game
“Create a Campground” group challenge pose
Make a Campfire with yoga mats
Rest and restore on your yoga mat sleeping bag
Included are step by step directions on what to do and how to play. Enjoy your yoga camping adventure with your friends and family!
One of my favorite things to do is to visit schools and introduce yoga to the students. Recently I was invited to a nearby city’s elementary school for their Literacy Night. This included the students coming back to school in the evening, with their parents and in their pj’s. How cute and fun!
The kids got to visit an author in different stations, learn about their books, and do an activity. Go Go Yoga for Kids was thrilled to be a part of Literacy Night! It includes three of my favorite things; kids, books and yoga!
I had six different groups come through of all varying sizes and ages. I had planned for this so knew that my yoga activities would be good for large sized groups and for varying ages.
Spring had just sprouted in our area and the children were excited about the upcoming Easter Holiday so I made sure that our yoga poses and games were theme related.
First I read aloud one of my favorite bunny books, The Very Bad Bunny. Children are memorized with this story of a bunny that tries to be good, but makes some mistakes. His family is upset with him until they realized what a bad bunny truly is.
Spring Poses That We Learned and Practiced:
Tree Pose
Bunny (Chair Pose)
Flower (Lotus Pose)
Bird (Warrior 3)\
Boat Pose
Raindrop Pose (Partner Poses)
I had each of these pose names placed in an Easter Egg. I called on individual children to draw out the egg and read the pose. I then showed the pose visual using The Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards and we practiced the pose.
Each session lasted about 20 minutes which was just the right amount of time to introduce yoga to children in some fun and engaging ways.
Summer is here! Let’s celebrate! One of my favorite things to do is teach yoga to children. I enjoy taking the yoga poses that we know and practice as adults and making them kid friendly with yoga games to play, learn, and have fun with yoga.
Yoga games are a favorite part of class because kids naturally love to play games. Games are also another great way to get kids moving, which is important for growth and health. I love taking favorite childhood games I played as a kid and recreating them into yoga games.
Summer provides the perfect opportunity to get kids up and moving while getting fit, flexible and having fun with yoga. Here are some of my favorite games that work well for summertime fun!
Yoga Beach Ball
Yoga Beach Ball is all time favorite game of kids! There is something so memorizing and fun about a beach ball. This game also provides the opportunity to work together and practice many different yoga poses. Find out how to play Yoga Beach Ball.
Yoga Beach Ball
Yoga Triangle Tag
Tag is always a favorite game of kids and they love this twist with Triangle Pose. Begin by practicing Triangle Pose with the children.
Begin standing with legs spread more than hip distance apart. Turn one foot so it is pointing to the side.
Keep your arms straight and bend through your hips over your foot with your toes pointed out.
Rest your lower hand on your ankle or shin while your other hand points toward the sky.
Hold this pose for a couple of breaths and lower hands to your side.
This yoga game is a wonderful mental and physical challenge for kids. It also promotes creativity and teamwork. No worries about knowing the actual yoga pose names. It is much more fun to think outside the box. The Opposite Yoga Pose Game is best suited for ages 7+.
Tag is one of the classic yoga games for kids and often a favorite. They love playing with this twist by using Triangle Pose. First, learn how to safely teach Triangle Pose to the children and practice this pose with them.
Once everyone has practiced Triangle Pose then you are ready to play Triangle Tag!
How to Play Triangle Tag:
Ages: 5+
Players: 8+
Materials: None, but sometimes when playing tag with children I recommend using these “pool noodles” as they help with tagging and any accidental pushing. I cut the pool noodles to around 12 inches which provides the perfect size to whoever is “It” to safely tag the other children.
Determine out of bounds lines dependent on the size of the group. Select one person to be “It.” The person who is “It” chases the other kids and tries to tag them.
When she successfully tags a player, the player must freeze in Triangle Pose.
Triangle Pose creates a tunnel which another player must crawl through to unfreeze them.
If a player is tagged while trying to unfreeze another, they must stand in front of the person and do Triangle Pose as well. This creates a double tunnel for someone else to crawl through.
The game continues until all runners have been frozen, and then a new person becomes “It.”
