Teaching yoga to kids requires you to be flexible (in more ways than one), creative, and patient. I always find myself looking for new ways to engage little minds and bodies so they can reap the amazing benefits of their yoga practice. Today I’m giving you a plan and tips for a 45 minute yoga class for school aged children. If you would be interested in seeing one for teens be sure to let me know in the comments below!
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Sample Yoga Class Plan for Children
Class starts: Welcome song
I love using a song to begin our yoga class. It serves as an attention grabbing way to signal to your students that it’s time to transition from whatever they were doing before and start yoga. I like using songs with basic actions the kids can follow along with. This one is my favourite.
Breath Work: (5 - 10 mins depending on size and energy of group)
I like to use different props, visuals, and sensory tools throughout my kids yoga classes. I find some kids find it easier to follow along with visuals or tools that engage more than just their ears. My two favourite breathing exercises for this age group are:
Hoberman sphere breathing - I love using a hoberman sphere (Amazon Canada link) to give the students a visual and tactile experience as they learn to breathe. I often start by demonstrating how to use the sphere and then pass it around the circle so each student has a chance to lead the group in one deep breath. See this blog post for a detailed description of this breathing exercise.
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Feather breathing - this is more of an individual breath exercise. Each student gets one craft feather. They lie on their back and hold the feather above their mouth. Instruct them to breathe in through their nose (so they don’t inhale a feather) and then a strong breath out of their mouth as they release the feather. Their breath will blow the feather up in the air so they can see how a bigger breath may make the feather go higher etc.
Warm Up/Group Work: (about 10mins)
Boat pose Ball pass - this activity encourages the students to work together and also gets their bodies moving, engages their core and leg muscles, and usually ends up with lots of laughter. Have the students in a circle and demonstrate how to find boat pose (feet up, hands can be behind them in the floor for support). Use a lightweight ball (I like these types of sensory balls from
Amazon) that the students hold between their feet and pass to the student next to them. Each student uses their feet to take the ball and pass it. If you have a large group, use two balls starting the second one a few students away from the first and make it a race! Don’t let the second ball catch the first!
Yoga Poses: (15-20 mins)
As you can see we have already been practicing some yoga exercises without it looking like a traditional class. Now we get to our yoga poses - continue to be creative! I like using a theme (animals, a season or holiday, vehicles, etc) and also find using visuals for each pose helpful. I like these yoga cards to help give the students a visual of what to expect and what shape their body needs to go in. I usually demonstrate the poses as well, but sometimes you will be helping someone or addressing something so it’s helpful to have the yoga card front and center for the kids to reference. I put one out at a time so there isn’t confusion. The following themed poses are set up so the students are taking a boat ride. They begin in boat pose again (feel free to add in some Row Your Boat singing too!), then go into River pose (a lovely calming forward bend), as they are travelling down the river they see a Turtle (another calming forward bend), and then notice some trees! (Take a moment to ask students what types of trees they are, maybe the trees are blowing on a windy day - make sure you play!). From there they pick a partner to jump in the boat with as they fry a double boat partner pose (always use descretion with partner poses and read your group to make sure they will be a good fit so everyone stays safe). From there they get out of their boats and rest on a rock to end the journey.
Do Nothing pose:
It’s important for children to rest at the end of their class, just like adults. I enjoy using a song for them to listen to while they rest but if you have high energy kids you could even use a visual timer (links to Amazon Canada) so they know when they will be done. (Resting is hard!)
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Close out of class: I believe using the same activity each time to close out class is helpful for the children to transition out of yoga time and back to the rest of their day. It can be a simple phrase that you say each time or a short little poem or song.
That’s it! I hope this gave you some ideas for your next yoga class, or even to add some aspects of yoga in your classroom. Little yoga breaks through the school day are super beneficial (please note, I am not suggesting teachers who are not certified in Yoga teach Yoga asana or yoga theories etc. Some of the activities I provide above could be used through the day though and don’t require yoga certification to administer). Leave me any questions you have in the comments below.
Namaste