Kids love partner yoga poses! Partner yoga poses help teach children the importance of teamwork and working together plus they are fun to do and 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 do try to incorporate partner or group poses in every kids yoga class as it gives everyone a common goal to work toward and builds confidence 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 so gives the children a goal to work toward and it makes it so much fun to achieve together!
Tips on working with partners in a kids yoga class
Try to 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.
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 one group demonstrate the pose one last time. Kids love to show off the poses with their partners.
Kids Yoga Partner Class Lesson Plan
I recently taught an All Partner Poses kids yoga class and the kids loved it. Here is a little taste of how I broke down the lesson plan.
First I had 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 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.
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 really warms up your legs and truly 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 nice and slow 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.
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 they poses are randomized for fun with the app.
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Get our favorite resources and read aloud books in our new bestseller, Go Go Yoga for Kids: Yoga Lessons for Children. This book provides all the tools and resources you will need to teach yoga to children. Parents, teachers, children’s yoga instructors, counselors, and health care professionals will find this guide introduces yoga to children at a whole new level.
Now we’re getting to the yoga poses for kids. After you utilize your breath work and get your body centered and focused you’re ready to work on some yoga poses. I’m going to show you some fun ways to engage students with poses. Kids love to learn new yoga poses.
Yoga poses are also a great way to differentiate and accommodate for the varied needs and abilities of the kids you’re working with. I like to choose 3 to 5 yoga poses and group them together with a common theme so kids will remember them.
As you introduce each pose ask children what parts of their body they feel working. In your course resources part, I have an illustrated kids yoga pose guide. It’s got 45 yoga poses that you can see if you’re not familiar with the yoga poses yourself.
I also love using, the Kids Yoga Challenge Pose Cards. These are a deck of 40 Yoga Pose Cards. They’re bright and colorful. They include partner poses too that the kids can use and see how the poses are made.
I also love props to introduce yoga poses. Our online Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Training shows favorite yoga props which help introduce the yoga poses with and create anticipation.
Kids love themes while practicing yoga. In the course, I will show you some themed yoga poses that you would do if you were learning about the ocean, jungle or the zoo. It is fun to see how the poses fit together with the theme which helps the kids better remember and practice the poses.
Included in our Kids Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Training are kids yoga lesson plans that are all themed with yoga poses, the breath work and everything that you need to teach yoga to kids.
I was honored to be interviewed by Backyard Yoga on the inspiration behind Go Go Yoga Kids and why kids need yoga! Read on and enter to win your book giveaway of Go Go Yoga for Kids.
“I am excited to share all of the benefits and fun you can have with yoga and kids!”
-Sara Weis
I had the pleasure of meeting Sara last year at the National Kids’ Yoga Conference in Washington, DC. She had recently self-published Go Go Yoga for Kids, and her energy and spirit definitely impressed me. We have a shared passion for creating tools to help teachers, studios, and parents introduce yoga through play-filled movement, meditation, and mindfulness. Follow along as Backyard Yoga takes the time to get to know a little more about Sara and her book:
Read the full interview below:
BYY: Hi, Sara. Please tell the BYY community a little bit about yourself.
Sara: Kids, teaching, and yoga are definitely my passions. I am currently in my 17th year of being an elementary school teacher, as well as a kids’ yoga instructor and a busy mom of three.
I was able to put all of that into place with my recently-released book, Go Go Yoga for Kids. It is a complete and creative guide to using yoga with kids. This book was designed for parents, teachers, yoga instructors, counselors, and anyone who wants to introduce yoga through movement, mindfulness, and fun. It includes yoga games, pose illustrations, lesson plans, and many resources.
I have worked with kids the majority of my life, and I get a lot of my inspiration from my classroom students, my kids’ yoga students, and my own children.
BYY: When did yoga enter into your life?
Sara: I fell in love with yoga several years ago as a way to supplement my workout routine. At the time, I was training quite a bit for triathlons and half marathons. The hard training definitely took a toll on my body, and my weekly yoga class soon turned into my favorite workout of the week and the one I looked forward to most of all.
BYY: How did your focus on kids’ yoga evolve?
Sara: I became certified in teaching kids’ yoga because I wanted to have the knowledge for my school classroom, as recess and PE times were being reduced. I also loved all of the benefits that yoga brought on mentally and physically.
I loved my kids’ yoga training classes and knew at that moment that this was exactly what I was supposed to do. The one thing I found lacking from my training were the resources to make yoga really fun and engaging for kids, as well as lesson plans for those that wanted to use yoga with kids. At the time there was not much for kids’ yoga on the market for exactly what I wanted kids to experience and gain.
Kids are busy. They need to be moving. I wanted kids to have the benefit of the yoga poses, but also be actively engaged, getting their hearts pumping and having fun. I began to create kid-friendly lesson plans and themes to use with my students, such as Superhero Yoga, Lego Yoga, and trips to the ocean and jungle. They loved it and I was inspired to continue creating more and more fun yoga themes and challenges for kids.
Sara: Yes, Go Go Yoga for Kids was developed as a way to share these lesson plans and resources so others could benefit. It didn’t happen overnight; it was months and months of planning, writing, and culminating all of my resources into an easy-to-follow guide.
BYY: What was your biggest hurdle in making this happen?
Sara: I definitely had “Mom guilt” with my own kids, as I felt like this was taking a lot of my limited extra time and energy. I don’t think my kids saw it that way, though. They are so proud of me for taking something from scratch and developing my passion. My entire family has supported me throughout this entire process.
BYY: As an entrepreneur myself, I also feel the “Mom guilt”. I find getting them involved helps. Did you find this?
Sara: Definitely. Each of my three kids has helped with Go Go Yoga for Kids. Either through being a guinea pig for my ideas, modeling poses, and even having my older daughters help with design and marketing. I know they have learned a lot along the way, and I have even seen them begin to develop their own ideas and products.
Sara: I am excited for 2017 and am in the final stages of developing my new Kids’ Yoga Challenge Pose Cards. They will be a great companion to the Go Go Yoga for Kids book. I will also continue to build partnerships with like-minded others such as Backyard Yoga. I am excited about the things that they have coming up as well. We are all better together and it is so much more fun!
BYY: How do you find time to play?
Sara: I love Backyard Yoga’s belief that you should make time to play every day, and I definitely practice that in my day-to-day life. It comes naturally from working with younger kids. My own family loves to be active and we often take our “play” outside with anything from hiking, a game of touch football, or jumping on our trampoline. Kids love it when adults get right in there with them.
BYY: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, Sara. Now for the final question: If you could only teach your children 3 lessons, what would they be?
Sara: Compassion, mindfulness, and entrepreneurship. This pretty much sums up what I try to teach my kids in all that I do.
BYY: Thank you, Sara, for taking time out of your busy schedule to talk with us here at our Backyard Yoga community. Wishing you the best in your business endeavors, your family ventures, and your personal undertakings. Namaste.
