Yoga Poses for Kids

Yoga Poses for Kids are so much fun! When I teach a kids yoga or family yoga class I name the poses different animals and then I turn them into a moving pose with animal sounds.

For example, I take a cobra pose and make it a snake that hisses, or a downward dog turns into a bucking bronco when you kick one leg out behind you and make horse noises. Monkeys and bears, and even dinosaurs make for an interesting array of yoga poses.

These poses work best with children from 4 years old through around eight or nine. Older children might find it silly, although the parents enjoy playing. At one class I taught for a promotional event for the YMCA the photographer was even practicing with us.

Having the kids move around in their poses keeps their attention because they don’t know what animal they are going to pretend to be next. At the same time yoga poses for kids actively burns calories, increases motor function and builds awareness of their bodies.

I stress that each child will look different in their pose and that they shouldn’t force themselves into anything. All animals look a little different as do people so the kids are never feeling like they can’t do any pose correctly. I ask them to try this or that and then move on to something else so if they are not good at something, chances are they will be better at another pose.

When the parents are involved I get to partner the child and parent in some poses to build some quality together time. Parents and children get to play together and try new things.

I can get the kids into a (balanced) tree pose and have the parents challenge the kids’ balance by acting like a bird flying around them or the wind blowing. Then when it is the kids turn, they think it is a great game.

I also practice some partner yoga poses where working together the pair makes a fence with intertwined legs and arms. An ice cream scoop pose is another option where the parent rests in embryo pose and the child is in embryo pose on the parents back making two rounded scoops (this of course would depend on the health of each parent and child and their flexibility levels).

At the end of the class I ask them to be whatever their favorite animal was and then get into a resting pose that their animal would be in. Most kids curl up like a cat or dog, or even a lion or bear.

If it is a Family Yoga class I ask the children to help the parents relax by stroking their hair or rubbing their legs or feet.

I think if we take yoga too seriously we set ourselves up for failure. We will not be able to get into every pose perfectly because we are all built differently. Yes, a dedicated practice will increase our flexibility and with time we will be able to get into poses that are challenging to begin with. But I prefer to have fun with yoga and try new things without the stress of having to look like a yoga model in every pose. This is why I love teaching yoga poses for kids. The children’s laughter is contagious.

I continue that fun thought process into gentle yoga and even power yoga classes for adults. It is not a complete class for me if we don’t giggle a little.