The official start of summer is with the arrival of the summer solstice on June 21st. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this marks the longest day of the year. This is the moment when the Sun reaches the Tropic of Cancer, which is its highest point. For those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the shortest day of the year and the arrival of winter. The solstice happens at the same moment for everyone, everywhere on Earth.
What makes this day even more special is that June 21st is also International Yoga Day which is recognized around the world since its inception in 2015.
What better way then to recognize both of these celebrations than with some family-friendly outdoor yoga?! Check out some of our favorite yoga poses and games!
Do you love yoga and kids? Keep the fun of International Yoga Day going all year long! Introduce the joy and fun of yoga to children while instilling the benefits they will have for life. Enrollment is now open for our Kids Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher Training! Find out more here.
How amazing would it be if we all did one small act of kindness each day? What better day to start than on National Random Acts of Kindness Day on February 17th?
This day has grown in popularity over the years and what a game changer it could be if everyone participated.
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
Aesop
We tell kids all the time to share, play nicely and be kind to others. It is one thing to say, but we all know how actions mean more than words.
Often random acts of kindness can go a long way to brighten our day more than we would ever imagine.
Celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week with the Go Go Yoga for Kids Kindness Bingo Game
Yoga Bingo is a fun and active game for all ages. This game is an engaging and easy way to introduce and teach children a variety of yoga poses. Plus a fun way to help kids practice a wide variety of poses. Yoga Bingo is perfect for large and small groups. Downloadable for immediate play!
Your Complete Kids Yoga Pose Bingo Game Includes:
10 Unique Full full-sized yoga Bingo Cards
Directions on How to Play
40 Different Yoga Poses
Multicultural & Diverse
1 Caller Card
Downloadable for immediate play
Perfect for school, home, camps, clubs, and parties. Ages 3-Adult
Congratulations! You have made it to the main part of your yoga class where you can introduce and teach poses to your students. Kids enjoy learning new yoga poses and often get excited about adding new ones to their repertoire.
How to Teach Yoga Poses to Kids
When teaching yoga poses to kids, I have found it helpful to group the yoga poses together by a theme. It is also helpful to only introduce 4-6 yoga poses per class. This really gives children the opportunity to practice the yoga poses and remember them outside of class.
I have found that concentrating on fewer poses in class allows the children to truly focus, pay more attention to correct form and achieve success. They will feel themselves getting stronger, longer and more flexible as they become more comfortable with the poses. Your theme-related yoga poses are also a great way to differentiate and accommodate for the varying needs of your class.
How to Introduce the Yoga Poses
When introducing the yoga poses, it is important to be excited about the poses and build anticipation. This is a great technique and you will have the kids in the palm of your hand and so excited to learn what the next pose will be.
Gather the children in a circle
Have some sort of seasonal bag or prop (colorful gift bag, basket, stocking cap, sand pail) that you have placed the 4-5 pose card visuals. I use The Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards.
Call on a child to come and “draw out” the next pose.
Everyone practices the pose. Discuss what parts of your body you feel working and getting stronger.
Call on another child to draw out the next pose and practice.
Continue in this format until all of the poses have been drawn.
I like to give the students a “test.” Since I am a teacher they find this highly interesting and engaging. I call out a pose that we have learned and the students must get into it as quickly as they can. For younger ages, it is fine to show the Kids Yoga Pose Card to help them find success.
How to Teach Yoga Poses to School-Aged, Tweens, and Teens
After learning and practicing the yoga poses with older students, we will flow the poses together. Our yoga mats are already placed in a circle and I then place the yoga pose cards (that we just learned) in the center in the center in the circle and also order that we will flow. The children really enjoy this and they feel very grown-up.
They are definitely not too grown-up, however, when the Yoga Flow ends and it is time to practice the poses with a Yoga Game! Kids never ever want to pass up a yoga game!
Stay tuned for our favorite Kids Yoga Games in our Kids Yoga Lesson Planning 101 coming up next!
Want more Spring Family Yoga fun? Let’s celebrate Spring and our Earth with our fun Family Spring Yoga Sequence. This is a sequence of Spring yoga poses that will help get us ready for Spring and all of the changes happening outside!
How to Teach our Spring Sequence to Kids:
What is happening outside right now? The grass is getting green. Trees and flowers are growing and sprouting their leaves. Baby birds are hatching and animals are coming out of hibernation. There are many plants and animals that are changing by the day at this time of year! It is very, very exciting with all of the things that are happening with our Earth during Spring.
This Spring Yoga Sequence can be done with kids of any age. You can also practice this yoga sequence by yourself. It just feels good in your body for sure and a fun way to celebrate Earth.
You do not need any materials or resources just a place to move your body! I will be using our Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards that have yoga pose visuals for the poses we will be practicing. It is always good to have visuals when practicing yoga with kids.
The Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards will challenge you and children with balance, flexibility, mindfulness, and more. This card deck includes 40 poses including partner poses, confidence-building pose mantras, and fun games to play together using these cards.
The Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards include:
40 progressive yoga poses including partner poses
Empowering pose mantras for beginners and meditation
Poses rated from 1-5 stars based on difficulty
Easy to follow poses to create many original yoga flows
15 Bonus Games to play using these pose cards
Tested and proven yoga poses to bring most mental and physical benefit
Takes only minutes each day to gain lifelong skills and health benefits
Celebrate the Spring Equinox with this Free Spring Mandala. Download your kid and adult Spring Mandala, take it outside and enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of this wonderful season.
Next practice these Spring Kids Yoga Poses. I love this yoga sequence as it helps show the transformation that is happening all around us.
Caterpillar to Butterfly Yoga Sequence
Begin in Cobra Pose. Pretend to be a hungry caterpillar, lifting your head to munch on a leaf as you raise in Cobra Pose.
Move into Plank Pose. This is the caterpillar on a branch, getting ready to form a cocoon.
Lower into child’s pose and become a safe little cocoon. Be still. Breathe deeply and get ready for an exciting change to happen!
Finally become butterflies! Practice Butterfly Pose and flutter your wings. Talk with the children about what color of wings their butterflies have and where they would fly to. How fast or slow can they flap their wings?
Egg to Tadpole to Frog Yoga Sequence
Begin in child’s pose as that represents the tiny egg.
Slowly inch onto your stomach and “swim” while moving your arms and leg up and down to be the tadpole.
Then take Frog Pose (Malasana), with your feet on the floor and your legs in a deep squat. See if you can try out your new frog legs with frog hops on your mat.
Seed to Flower Yoga Sequence
Begin in Child’s Pose and pretend to be a tiny seed in the ground.
Lift one arm as you imagine a tiny stem beginning to poke through the Earth.
Sit up straight and tall inn Lotus (flower) Pose with your legs crossed. Raise your arms up into a flower shape toward the sun. Can you sway in the breeze?
Have fun with these spring yoga kid ideas. See if your children can come up with any other changes that happen in the spring such as weather, animals or plants. The possibilities are endless and putting these springtime changes into yoga postures makes them all the more memorable.