We sense it as we step outdoors. Animals and plants all around us are beginning to transform and change. Celebrate with kids this wonderful season of spring with some transformation yoga!
Caterpillar to Butterfly
Begin in cobra yoga pose. Pretend to be a hungry caterpillar, lifting your head to munch on a leaf as you raise in cobra yoga 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?
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.
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Seed to Flower
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 in 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.
There are many important components to a successful and memorable kids yoga class, but can you guess what the most important part is? This only takes a couple of minutes and is found right at the beginning of your kids yoga class. It is The Welcome! While all parts are important in their own way, The Welcome is the very first part of your class and is the first real class interaction you will have together. The Welcome helps set the tone for how your class will go and helps explain to your students what they will be doing and learning as well as what you expect of them.
When you establish and make a connection with your students right from the start, it makes such a difference throughout your class as you introduce and teach breathing exercises, yoga poses, games, challenges, relaxation, and more.
I think about this in my school classroom as well. Children need to know that they are safe and cared for. When you have a connection and a trust established, then you can truly teach the content.
In the beginning of my kids yoga class, I like to gather the students in a circle and welcome them warmly while having them introduce themselves. This will help you get an overall sense of their mood and abilities from the start. It is also the ideal time to reinforce their names with their faces which comes in handy with the management of the class.
I like to have my students share their name and answer a question.
For example:
Sharing something that they are good at
What do you already know about yoga?
Share why yoga is good for you
Demonstrate any yoga poses that they already know
Ask a theme related question such as “Which superhero would you be and why?”
I also like to briefly go over my 3 No-Fail Rules at this time. You only need these three rules to keep your class running seamlessly which is a big deal for the success and involvement of your classes.
If you are ready to dive in deeper with this, I cover the 3 No-Fail Rules and other important class management strategies in our online Kids Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher Trainingas well as our Teacher Training Workshops that are included with this master course. Ths master course guarantees to give you the confidence and resources to truly make a difference with the children that you love and care about.
Remember, you only get one chance to make that first impression. The Welcome does not need to be long, but it is the best opportunity to let kids know how excited you are that they are there and to introduce them to the theme and format for the class.
Part of the fun of introducing children to yoga is teaching classes and leading events. I do both of these on a regular basis and understand that while they are both important, they are both completely different in terms of how to teach kids yoga.
I am the type of person that likes to try to be prepared in all that I do. When I plan for my kids yoga classes that I teach regularly, I already know the ages and number of children ahead of time. This allows me to select age appropriate themes, yoga poses, props, and prepare an engaging lesson plan.
When leading those one time (medium or large sized) kids yoga events such as at bookstores, stores, parks,schools, libraries, and expos, there are different ways to go about planning and preparing. To see where Go Go Yoga for Kids has been recently, check out the links above.
Embrace the Unknown
There is definitely an element of the unknown to consider. How many kids will actually show up at the event? Will there be that large of an age range for children there? How to teach kids yoga? What other distractions and varying surroundings are there to think about such as the weather, other people, and surrounding noises?
All of these unknowns can make planning difficult, but I have come up with a few guidelines that help make these large group kids yoga events go smoothly.
Over Pack and Plan
I know my children and husband would agree that this is one of my biggest talents (or burdens as they usually help lug all of my props and materials). Every class I teach I bring extra mats for kids that don’t have one. I also bring seasonal or theme related props such as beachballs, snowballs, Easter Eggs, etc). See some of my favorite props here. These props are also great for attention-getting in a busy setting. I also have a lesson plan in mind that I want to use with 1-2 additional activities such as related partner poses, marker board, or read aloud books for just in case.
Arrive Early
This is a biggie. No matter how early I arrive at an event, the time always flies before the class starts. Allow yourself time to check in with the organizer and thank them for inviting you, check the sound system/speaker for your music, and set up/organize any materials and resources. I also like to welcome the kids and help get the mats or beach towels appropriately. I like to have my classes begin in a circle and is helpful for you to help lay down the first couple of mats so others will get the idea.
Keep It Moving
My recommenced class time frame for an event is for 30-40 minutes. Since you are unsure of the actual numbers and ages of children that will show up, it is better to have your class time be filled with movement, poses, and games and Stillness and Savasana at the end. Your job is to introduce children to yoga. Of course safety is a priority, but during an event is not the time to be sure that every child’s leg is in a perfect 90-degree angle in Warrior 2.
Be Thankful
At the end, be sure to thank the kids (and adults who brought them) for coming and give them any additional ideas and resources for continuing to practice yoga at home. Many times, this may be a child’s first interaction with yoga so be proud that you helped introduce them to this practice and the life long skills and benefits that accompany yoga.
Check out our fun Kids Yoga in the Park event here.
Children love this Snow Much Fun kids yoga lesson plan. All you need is some names of winter yoga poses and some plush white balls. I found these balls on Amazon. I then attached a small sticker to the snowballs with the name of a yoga pose on each one.
I like to use a present box or holiday gift bag to put the snowballs in. It creates a lot more anticipation when the kids take turns drawing the pose (snowball) out of a box or bag. Select just 4-6 yoga poses for the children to learn and practice for each yoga class. It is best to focus on practicing a few yoga poses during a class instead of many.
After one pose is drawn, all of the children practice that pose before drawing out a new pose.
After all of the snowballs have been selected, then it is time to play some yoga games or practice balancing. Have the children try to balance the snowball on their head, hand, shoulder, etc.
Children can also use their snowball for a breathing exercise called the Snowball Race. Students line up their snowball at the back of their yoga mat. On your mark, get set and go! They try to use their strong breath to move the snowball to the end of their mat.
How to Teach Yoga to Kids Using Mindfulness Picture Books:
Learn about the secret power of reading aloud to children while doing yoga poses to help give the greatest benefit to kids. As a teacher and reading specialist, I understand the importance of reading aloud to children while keeping kids mindful, active, and learning to achieve great benefits. When you read aloud to children and combine it with yoga poses, you have children that are becoming mindful, fit, and literate! In this video you will discover some of the best books to read aloud to children and learn how you can easily incorporate movement and yoga poses into these read aloud times. A full kids yoga lesson plan that you can use with kids at home or school will also accompany this video.
Benefits:
Children who are read aloud to get a head start in language and literacy. It increases their vocabulary and opportunity for comprehension practice. Combine that with yoga and you have children moving and stretching their bodies while increasing their focus and balance while having fun! When kids are moving it helps enhance their understanding and retention of what they have learned. This is called kinesthetic learning and it is perfect to use with those busy wiggly kids that need to move their bodies during or after those long school days of sitting.
Find your copy of the Brown Bear Brown Bear Kids Yoga lesson plan here.
We sense it as we step outdoors. Animals and plants all around us are beginning to transform and change. Celebrate with kids this wonderful season of spring with some transformation yoga!
of children ahead of time. This allows me to select age appropriate themes, yoga poses, props, and prepare an engaging lesson plan.
Embrace the Unknown
n event, the time always flies before the class starts. Allow yourself time to check in with the organizer and thank them for inviting you, check the sound system/speaker for your music, and set up/organize any materials and resources. I also like to welcome the kids and help get the mats or beach towels appropriately. I like to have my classes begin in a circle and is helpful for you to help lay down the first couple of mats so others will get the idea.
minutes. Since you are unsure of the actual numbers and ages of children that will show up, it is better to have your class time be filled with movement, poses, and games and Stillness and Savasana at the end. Your job is to introduce children to yoga. Of course safety is a priority, but during an event is not the time to be sure that every child’s leg is in a perfect 90-degree angle in Warrior 2.
