Kids love partner yoga poses! Partner yoga poses help teach children the importance of teamwork and working together plus they are fun to do. They build trust and community with one another within the group. These partner poses can be done at home, school, camp, yoga class or anywhere you have kids ready to try something new and have fun.
I incorporate partner or group poses in every kids yoga class. It is a great team-building activity and gives everyone a common goal to work toward. I love the confidence built when mastered.
I kept this in mind when I created the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards, I purposely incorporated partner poses for some of the yoga challenge poses. The partner poses are built on progression and gives the children a goal to work toward.
Have kids partner up with those of similar size. All partner poses can be modified, but it is a good idea to start this way.
Have the partners get to know one another before practicing the poses. Take a moment for them to introduce themselves to one another and pose a few questions that they need to answer as something they are good at or a favorite game to play. I sometimes have the pair come up with a team name together. That builds community and teamwork for sure!
Have one pair of partners demonstrate the Partner Pose before everyone tries it. As the partner pair is demonstrating, this is a good time to talk about proper form and any safety concerns. Although yoga partner poses are safe and fun, it is still a good idea to remind kids to take it slow. They will naturally be excited to get right into the pose so this will help them remember.
After the partners have practiced the featured yoga pose for 1-2 minutes, have each group demonstrate their pose. Kids love to show off the poses with their partners.
See Saw Partner Pose
Kids Yoga Partner Class Lesson Plan
First, have the students get into pairs. It is helpful to have a partner of similar size, but not necessary. Modifications can be made for any of the partner poses.
Have the partner pair get to know one another (if they don’t already) and think up a Team Name. They love doing this. Refer to their team name throughout class. They LOVE this and it will absolutely motivate them.
Explain to the students that they will be working through a series of partner poses. Talk about how being safe is the number one priority and how they need to look out for their teammate.
l used the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards for this kids yoga class because these yoga cards include leveled partner poses. It is important to begin with the easier “one-starred” levels and work your way up to level 5. 5.
5. I began with See Saw Partner Pose and showed the students an example pose card. This Partner Pose is perfect to begin with because it warms up your legs and allows the children to work together. I invited a pair to come and demonstrate it to the group. I had them model how you begin slowly in a see-saw fashion. Legs can be made into a diamond shape or bent if you have some children that are taller or different heights.
6. I allowed a few moments for the children to practice this first partner pose before moving on to the next pose with the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards. Each time, have a pair model the partner pose as you explain to the students about how to safely get in and out of it. You could also use the Kids Yoga Challenge App for pose visuals, but keep in mind that the poses are randomized for fun with the app.
To ensure all the players are active and engaged, I like to put the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cardsor the accompanying caller card into a fun colorful gift bag to draw from.
After a card is drawn, the kids that have that yoga pose then mark it on their card.
The players then practice making that yoga pose. When someone gets Bingo, the winner shows the 4 winning yoga poses in a sequence, The kids love flowing their winning yoga poses.
It is so important to think not just about physical health, but also our emotional and mental health. This is true note only for adults, but especially the kids that we love and care about.
One easy and fun way to increase the well being of kids is through simple art and mindfulness art therapy.
In our newest book; Go Go Yoga for Kids: Yoga Games & Activities, we share our favorite kids yoga crafts and activities. These crafts and activities are perfect for home, school, camps and clubs.
This week The Kids Yoga Podcast is joined by Sara Weis, Founder of Go Go Yoga for Kids. They discuss how a running injury led Sara to yoga and how she became inspired to teach kids yoga and start her own company.
Our world is changing, and our kids face different challenges and commitments then they have in the past. There are many demands on kids’ time and pressure to do well at what they are involved in. This includes school, family, friends, sports, quickly changing technology, and other interests. That leaves us with kids who have a lot going on as they try to figure out a way to balance it all.
Not only that, but we know that our world has changed with the pandemic. It is important to continue to help continue to connect with one another (online or in person) as well as teaching them the yoga and mindfulness tools that can carry them into adulthood.
Kids need to learn how to responsibly handle the world we live in. Yoga and mindfulness are skill that can benefit all kids no matter what activities they are involved in or what their interests and abilities are. Yoga meets everyone at any stage and provides incredible extrinsic and intrinsic benefits. Discover the Super 7 Benefits of Yoga for Children here.
Kids that practice yoga are getting stronger mentally and physically. They are healthy, strong, and more confident. Not only this, but it can help them in school, in their extracurricular activities and absolutely in their day to day lives.
#2 It is Easier to Teach Yoga to Children Now More Than Ever
When I first started teaching yoga to children there were not a lot of resources available about the best ways to teach children yoga. Since children learn and respond differently than adults I knew yoga had to be taught differently than in adult classes. Discover 3 Things You Didn’t Know About Teaching Yoga to Children here.
Our growing and changing world has helped us rethink how to can best teach yoga and mindfulness to children.
I used my background in Early Childhood and my Master’s Degree in Education as I reviewed and researched child development and the best ways that children learn. I had to figure it out and spent hours and hours researching, writing kids yoga lesson plans, trying them out with kids, and modifying to know exactly what works for teaching yoga to children.
I wanted these kids yoga lesson plans and classes to be engaging, beneficial, and memorable for kids.
Go Go Yoga for Kids prides itself on making yoga for children doable and FUN for the kids AND you to teach. I want you to succeed in teaching yoga to children.
I am excited to share 20+ years of teaching kids compiled for you into our popular online Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Training. I spent years figuring out what works and what doesn’t work for teaching kids yoga. I researched, tried, and tested during hundreds of kids yoga classes until I figured out what really worked! Stop wasting your time trying to piece random things into something that works.
I want to make this easy for you. I want you to be able to completely go into any kids environment (studios, camps, clubs, classes, at home) and confidently introduce children to yoga. I know you can give those children quality and inspiring classes. It is so exciting and truly makes such a positive difference.
#3 It is About Making a Difference
There is nothing like seeing the kids faces full of contentment at the end of Savasana (Discover how to easily get children into Savasana here). It is also about watching the kids master a pose after working on it for weeks. It is about seeing a child take a few deep breaths before starting a test or before a soccer game. These kids are in tune with what their bodies need and that is so important. It is all about giving children the tools that they will have for life.
Our online Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Trainingwill help with this. You can make a difference. I will show you exactly how to do this every step of the way.
Want to learn more about how to develop age appropriate content and resources to teach yoga to children? Check out my Facebook Live Interview here with the step by step process!
The Kids Yoga Challenge App includes 40 yoga poses, partner poses, mindfulness affirmations, and games & activities.
