You, your breath, and your yoga mat. Is that all you need for yoga?! Unlike other sports and activities, there are very few materials that your child really needs to practice and have fun with yoga.
Do kids really need kid yoga mats? Not necessarily, but they definitely do help kids feel like they are “officially doing yoga.”
Give Kids Their Own Space
It is, important to give kids their own space while practicing yoga
They thrive on having their own area to move, bend and explore.
Having their own space helps give them confidence in practicing their poses and gives them a perimeter in which to work in.
“Having their own space is” especially wonderful for younger ages or children with special needs.
Where to Find Kids Yoga Mats
You don’t need, to spend too much on yoga mats for kids and they definitely do not need the full adult-sized yoga mats. Those can be too big, bulky, and harder for kids to handle.
You can find discounted yoga mats online. My favorite place is YogaOutlet.com
Yoga Outlet has a Mat Roll if you are going to need several yoga mats for a yoga-themed party and for camps or classes.
A Mat Roll is an easy way to get several perfectly sized kid yoga mats!
Mat Rolls are wonderful because you can individually cut them into 15-18 kid-sized mats. Remember kids are smaller than adults so they do not have to be as long! You can also choose the thickness of the kid yoga mats.
Here we are having a little fun before cutting our yoga mat roll to create yoga mats for kids.
I have also had success with using beach towels for preschool classes, outdoor yoga classes, and birthday parties. Just be careful not to use those on slippery floor surfaces!
No matter what you use, it is fun to just be able to take your yoga to go- anywhere! It is fun to encourage them to take their mats on the go- outside in the backyard, park or to the beach! Just have fun with yoga!
The NEW Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards are now available here!
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Welcome to Go Go Yoga for Kids! You have found the place for creative yoga games, ideas, lesson plans and resources to introduce and teach yoga to kids.
We are here to make that easy for you! No kid yoga certification and additional training and research necessary.We have done that for you with our kid tried tested ideas!
Anyone who enjoys yoga and kids will be able to introduce and teach yoga to them through the creative ideas found with Go Go Yoga for Kids.
Go Go Yoga for Kids is a complete and creative guide for introducing kids to yoga through movement, mindfulness, fun, and games. By introducing yoga to kids you can empower them with lifelong skills that will help them physically and mentally throughout life. Yoga can be done in many places besides a yoga studio. It can easily be incorporated in the home, school, extracurricular activities, camps, clubs or anywhere you find kids who are ready to learn and have fun! Check back often for fun and easy ways to incorporate some yoga with the kids around you.
Three boys. That was the total number of participants for the very first kids yoga classes that I ever taught. I was fresh out the gate with my kids yoga training and was ready and eager to introduce kids to the fun and love of yoga.
After all, I loved yoga AND kids and was sure that I could get these three unsuspecting boys on board. After all, one was a fitness instructor’s son (who pretty much had to be there) and the other two were not native English speaking students. Their mom hoped they would pick up some more words and understanding by taking a yoga class.
I poured my heart into these boys for our first 8-week session. I spent hours researching and creating active yoga themes and games that I knew would get their bodies moving and their interests piqued. We were superheroes, jungle animals, warriors, and Lego enthusiasts. I wrote up informative parent notes for each session so the parents would know our theme and poses we worked on each week as well as yoga games we played and illustrations and tips so the students could work on poses at home.
I would try out my lessons and ideas on my own children before my kids yoga classes. If my kids weren’t available, I would sit on my living room floor and run through my lessons out loud. By myself. I know this may sound completely overboard, but I really wanted to be prepared, and I truly wanted to help them learn and grow. I wanted to give these boys the best yoga experience I could.
After my first session ended the boys all signed up for my next session as well as twelve other kids. This quadrupled my roster! I was ecstatic. I had learned so much that first go round and was complexly hooked on the combination of teaching, yoga and kids.
Now hundreds of kids, yoga lessons and games later, I feel like I truly know what works for introducing and
Go Go Yoga for Kids: A Complete Guide to Yoga With Kids
engaging kids through yoga. I am excited to share the knowledge I gained with you so you are able to empower the kids around you with all of the benefits and fun that yoga provides.
Go Go Yoga for Kids is on the move! Stick around, I am so thankful for you being a part of it!
Yoga for kids is on the rise! According to a recent study by NBC NEWS, more adults and children are practicing yoga and meditation. That is good news for our future in so many ways. Read about the benefits of yoga for kids.
1. Increases Flexibility and Strength
Picture a toddler and all of the flexibility they have to bend, squat, and move in all sorts of positions that adults suddenly sometimes find themselves unable to do. Children are naturally flexible, but somewhere around ages of 6 or 7, their flexibility begins to diminish. The good news is that practicing yoga will help you maintain flexibility. Yoga also builds strength as muscles are worked in new ways. Whether a pose is done standing, sitting, or lying down each pose has its own benefits and can challenge various muscle groups. Being flexible also allows fewer and less severe injuries. That is good news for kids involved in many activities outside of school.
2. Improves Balance
Similar to flexibility, balance is another skill that decreases as we age. Everything from navigating icy sidewalks in winter to holding a tree pose benefits balance skills. Balance can be improved with practice and many yoga poses and postures incorporate different elements of balance. Your body’s balance naturally improves while practicing yoga without realizing it. As children work to improve their balance in poses, they are filled with self-confidence and can almost feel their bodies getting stronger as they hold these poses.
3. Enhances Concentration and Focus
Kids are part of a rapidly changing world with young minds easily overstimulated with technology and electronics. They are used to getting immediate feedback with their video games, tablets, and phones. This can make it very difficult for children to actually sit, focus, and complete a task in school. Yoga helps children to practice concentration and self-control which then enhances their focus and awareness.
4. Practice Being Present and Mindful
As parents and kids rush from activity to activity, it is difficult to be still and appreciate the moment that we are in. It doesn’t start like this for kids — think of a preschooler noticing the shape of a leaf or color of the sky as they dawdle home from the park.
Sadly many kids become accustomed to a faster pace lifestyle until they suddenly do not know any different way. There is much benefit to slowing down, unplugging, and being away from it all for a bit. Good kids yoga classes can provide that. They begin with 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. Learn more about the proven benefits of yoga for adults and children.
What is one of my favorite things about teaching yoga for kids? There are so many fun and creative ways to introduce poses! Beachball Yoga is one of my favorite games to use with all ages of children… especially in the summer.
Buy an inexpensive blow-up beach ball. I got mine from the Dollar Store. With different colored permanent markers write a variety of yoga poses on the beachball. I like to make my poses summer and ocean theme related.
Pose Examples to Write on the Beach Ball:
Shark (Shark Pose)
Iguana (Plank)
Swimmer (Superman Pose)
Dolphin (Dolphin Pose)
Mermaid (up dog)
Sunflower (bend at waist, hold opposite elbow, and circle up and around while holding elbows)
Beach chair (Chair Pose)
Crab (Crab walks)
Sand castle (Down Dog)
Palm tree (Tree Pose)
Surfer (Warrior 2)
Fish (Fish Pose)
Jellyfish (bend at waist and let arms hang down)
Turtle (Turtle Pose)
Starfish (Savasana)
How to Play
Toss the beach ball around the circle. When a child catches it, have them read the pose nearest their thumb. Introduce that pose to the class and everyone can practice it. Then have the ball be tossed again to another student and go again. This is such a fun way to learn lots of different poses!
Three boys. That was the total number of participants for the very first kids yoga classes that I ever taught. I was fresh out the gate with my kids yoga training and was ready and eager to introduce kids to the fun and love of yoga.
Kids are part of a rapidly changing world with young minds easily overstimulated with technology and electronics. They are used to getting immediate feedback with their video games, tablets, and phones. This can make it very difficult for children to actually sit, focus, and complete a task in school. Yoga helps children to practice concentration and self-control which then enhances their focus and awareness.
What is one of my favorite things about teaching yoga for kids? There are so many fun and creative ways to introduce poses! Beachball Yoga is one of my favorite games to use with all ages of children… especially in the summer.
