Happy New Year! It has been a wonderful year for Go Go Yoga for Kids. We have loved bringing the joy and fun of yoga to thousands of others through our Kids Yoga Lesson Plan Books, Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards, App, and most importantly our online Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Training. We have now certified over 3500 people from all over the world and are sharing the love and joy of kids yoga with others.
I have always loved reflecting on the year and thinking about how we can help even more others in the next year. I am also such a fan of “Year-End Reviews” and “Best of” Lists. So without much further ado…
Here are your Top Kids Yoga Favorite Posts from this year:
It is the month of gratitude and thankfulness. Help kids learn and practice gratitude AND yoga with our “Let’s Give Thanks” FREE Kids Yoga Lesson Plan! Yoga poses, breathing exercises, yoga games, and our fun Planksgiving Challenge are all included!
Celebrate gratitude with children with all year long.
Get kids fit, flexible and focused with our complete step-by-step Kids Yoga Lesson Plan books. Themes, poses, breathing exercises, games, mindfulness, challenges for all ages and much more.
Thanksgiving Yoga Poses for Kids Fun
Thanksgiving is all about family, friends, food and being thankful. Go Go Yoga for Kids shows fun Thanksgiving yoga poses that can be done to prepare your mind and body for the holiday.
First is our fun Turkey Breathing that will help get your mind and breath connected. Next, we lead you into our Planksgiving Challenge. Enjoy!
We live in a fast-paced world and so do our children. How can we, as adults and teachers, help children connect with themselves and others and also enjoy the moments that we are in?
What we think about ourselves can often impact how we develop.
If we feel we are inadequate, then we’ll behave like that.
If we believe we are special and loved, we will most likely behave as if we are special and loved.
This is one reason why affirmations and mantras can be an important tool to help children develop positive foundations on which to grow. A positive self-belief system built in childhood will hopefully stay with a person throughout their life.
What are Mantras?
The word ‘mantra’ comes from Sanskrit, and is generally used to mean a special word or phrase that’s used in meditation. Some parents and teachers may be concerned that mantras conflict with their religious beliefs, but mantras don’t need to have a religious aspect or overtone.
You can think of mantras as a few positive words spoken to ourselves each day. This can make such a difference to our whole mind and heart.
Mantras are similar to affirmations, and over time they can help change the way we feel. Mantras are repeated over and over to ourselves out loud or silently. It’s a wonderful technique for kids to use to set themselves up for doing their best and feeling good about themselves and their efforts.
Providing different tools for children to practice mindfulness with mantras, breathingexercises, and yoga poses is one of my passions.
Each card shows a yoga pose and corresponding mantra. Each of the yoga poses involves a variety of muscles working and may make a person feel differently. The accompanying affirmation for each pose is short and memorable.
Try a few yoga poses with children. As they are holding each pose, ask them what muscles they feel working and also how does it make them feel.
This practice involves mindfulness since it is not only what they feel working in their body, but how the pose makes them feel, i.e. strong, brave, or peaceful. For example, Warrior 1 Pose may make them feel strong, but Child’s Pose may make them feel safe.
Then you can teach them a simple phrase, which they can remember in a stressful moment or a time of unease. Effective mantras for kids could be: “I am thankful,” “I am loved,” “I am safe,” or “Let it go,” which is also a great one for adults.
It is no secret that many children learn best when they are moving. As a school teacher and children’s yoga instructor, I understand that when movement and affirmations are tied together, it can be a powerful way to help children learn.
Combining mantras with yoga poses has several benefits:
It helps children focus and concentrate;
It helps them learn to respect their bodies and one another;
It helps them quiet their minds and connect with each other; and
Most importantly, mantras help them create inner confidence as children, which can help shape a person’s whole life.
Are you ready to learn more about teaching yoga to children? Our popular online Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Training includes everything you need to know to successfully learn how to teach yoga to children online and in person. Perfect for home, school and studio.
Learn how to easily incorporate fun and beneficial yoga poses as well as mindfulness exercises for some family fun and together time! This free mini Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Masterclass will include the most beneficial yoga poses for these young growing bodies as well as fun yoga games to practice these poses.
You will also learn the top mindfulness exercises that can help calm children and set them up for success and a growth mindset. This mini master class is perfect for parents, educators and caregivers.
Discover in this Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Masterclass:
How adult yoga is different than kids yoga
What ages can children begin yoga
The benefits for children who practice yoga
How to easily & effectively teach yoga to children
Family fun yoga games that all ages will enjoy
How to easily help children relax and reduce anxiety in minutes
What teens & tweens really need with yoga & mindfulness exercises
How to easily implement mindfulness at home with your family in small moments
Ideas for fun yoga poses and breathing and calming exercises to begin doing right away.
To an adult, a child’s life may often seem relatively carefree. We tend to forget that being a child means consistently encountering different circumstances and experiences.
Their emotions are big and often hard to tackle. Taking a moment to breathe, stretch, and move with kids mindfulness to help them become more focused, calm, alert, and ready to learn.
These games were adapted from our brand new bestselling book Go Go Yoga for Kids: Yoga Games & Activities for Children. In our easy-to-follow, step-by-step format, Go Go Yoga for Kids: Yoga Games & Activities is a complete resource that details everything you will need to help you successfully teach yoga to kids of all ages and to inspire them in life-long healthy ways.
Kids yoga is a non-competitive activity that allows them to have fun and exist outside of the daily stresses of life. It helps children learn about themselves by being present and mindful in their bodies.
When I teach kids yoga, the emphasis is on creativity and having fun as they pretend to be a cat, tree, superhero, or wherever the poses and their imaginations lead them. While learning the yoga basics they are also discovering how the poses make them feel.
Through yoga, children will experience body awareness, empowerment, and ways to slow down and be in the moment, all in a safe and fun environment. Each new year and stage of development brings with it a unique excitement and challenge.
Welcome to our Kids Yoga Lesson Planning 101 Free Training! Throughout this training we have learned how to put together engaging, successful, fun, and memorable kids yoga classes. Now we will learn how to build community.
Get all caught up here with the Most Important Parts Every Kids Yoga Class Needs:
Building Community comes toward the end of your kids yoga class. Everyone has had fun, learned a lot, and now it is time to bring the energy level down a little.
How to Build Trust and Community in Your Kids Yoga Classes: Building Community
As a teacher, I know that it can be tempting to skip or rush this portion of class if you are feeling short on time. I encourage you to really make time for this building community portion of class. It is a very important part for your students as well as for you, their teacher.
As you begin to bring your yoga class to a close, it is important
and beneficial to reflect on all that you have learned and accomplished during
class. It makes the students feel stronger and more united as a class.
This is personally one of my favorite parts of class as it ties everything
together. The children share what they have learned and what they have enjoyed.
I love hearing about their favorite parts and often times I am surprised. Many
times it is not what I think such as mastering a difficult pose, but instead it
might be how they felt or how they connected with another student and maybe
made a new friend.
Here are a few of our favorite ways to Build Community in your Kids Yoga Classes. Give them a try. They love it and it truly begins to bring your class to a close.
