by sara | May 27, 2016 | Games, Kids Yoga Lesson Plan
GROUP YOGA CHALLENGE:
Beach ball pass with a twist! This is a great teamwork effort, core workout and fun for the kids as well! Sit in a circle and pass the beach ball with your feet. See if the ball can be passed with feet without using hands in the circle. Time the students and see if they can beat their record. Try not to let the ball touch the ground!
Need a beach ball? You can find one here.
How to Play Beach Ball Yoga
First: Blow up an inexpensive beach ball.
Then: With a permanent marker write down summer yoga poses such as shark, boat, mermaid, sunflower, starfish etc. Get your list of “beach themed” yoga poses below.
Next: Assemble all willing and excited participants in a seated circle. I like to start out seated because it gives an opportunity to time how fast we can pass the beach ball in a circle. This also eliminates frustration from the child that is having a hard time focusing on the game because they “have not gotten to touch the beach ball yet.”
Finally: Stand up and toss the beach ball across the circle. The person catches it and looks to see what pose their right thumb is near. Everyone practices the summer yoga poses. Play continues until every pose has been introduced and practiced.
Find the Best Kids Yoga Summer Yoga Poses here.
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by sara | May 16, 2016 | Games, Kids Yoga Lesson Plan
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!
Check out our recommended kids yoga resources.
Need more Beach Ball Yoga ideas?
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by sara | May 12, 2016 | Games, Kids Yoga Lesson Plan, Yoga Poses
Kids love partner poses! They are fun to do and equally impressive to watch. Partner yoga poses for kids and working together as a group to accomplish a goal is fun and rewarding. It builds trust and community while building confidence. It is helpful to have someone near similar size for some of the partner poses, but partner poses can definitely be modified.
Fun partner yoga poses for kids that can be done anywhere and anytime:
Double Boat: This partner pose looks absolutely stunning and impressive when done correctly. Have each partner sit facing each other, knees bent and touching toes. Have them hold hands and lift legs. The bottoms of their feet should be touching as this helps with balance. Then the partners, if able, straighten their legs and lean back slightly as if in a “V” shape.
Raindrop: Each partner lays on their back 
with their heads touching. With their arms at their sides, they raise their feet above their heads to touch to make a giant raindrop.
I also like to call this pose a Fall Leaf or Hershey Kiss for Valentines Day kids yoga classes.
Double Down Dog:
Kids love try the Double Down Dog Partner Pose, but it is one that must be demonstrated and taken slow. I like to have the students 
practice their own Down Dogs quite a bit before moving into this partner pose.
Double Down Dog
I like to use the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards to help demonstrate the partner yoga poses. It is a great way to provide a visual while talking about the partner pose.
The Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards include 40 yoga poses, partner poses, and an additional set of 10 yoga games to play with the cards. Learn more here.
You can also find partner yoga poses with our Kids Yoga Challenge App found in the App store.
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