2 - 2018 - Choose2be Nanaimo Fitness

Fun and Interactive Kids Yoga Lesson Plans: In Garden Theme, Exploring Nature and Building Patience

by Veronique Rioux | Feb 22, 2018 | Yoga

Yoga is a great way to introduce children to physical activity and mindfulness practices. It promotes physical development and helps kids build strength and flexibility. Moreover, yoga also helps in enhancing children’s mental and emotional health, by providing them with opportunities to practice mindfulness, self-awareness, and self-regulation. As a parent, it can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to teaching your children yoga. Fortunately, there are many resources available, including lesson plans that can help you get started.

If you’re on Vancouver Island in Nanaimo, and you’re looking for a way to get your kids interested in yoga, you’re in luck! In this post, we’ll provide you with six different lesson plans that can help you teach yoga to toddlers and young children. These lesson plans are designed to be fun, interactive, and educational, and they cover a range of themes that are sure to engage your children’s imagination.

Before we dive into the lesson plans, it’s important to note that when teaching yoga to children, it’s essential to make it fun and engaging. Kids have short attention spans, so it’s important to keep the lessons short and focused on a specific theme. It’s also important to make sure that the activities are developmentally appropriate and that you have age-appropriate modifications for each pose or activity. Finally, it’s important to be patient and to give the children plenty of opportunities to practice each pose or activity.

In the Garden Theme

The first theme we’ll cover is “In the Garden.” This theme is perfect for spring and summer and is an excellent way to introduce children to the wonders of nature.

Value: Patience

The first value we’ll focus on in this lesson plan is patience. It’s essential to start the class by talking to the children about the value of patience and how it relates to the theme. You can start by asking them what they have to wait for and what has taken them a long time to learn. You can also use examples from the garden, such as how it takes time for a seed to grow into a plant.

Song: Rub Your Hands by Karma Kids Yoga

Before starting with the poses, it’s important to warm up the children’s bodies and introduce them to the concept of “Om.” You can teach them how to make the sound “O” and “M” and put them together to create the word “Om.” You can explain that “Om” is like a vibration that can help them feel calm and centered. You can also encourage them to put their hand on their heart and feel the vibration.

Pose: Mountain Pose

The first pose in this lesson plan is Mountain Pose. This pose is a great way to introduce children to the idea of standing tall and strong like a mountain.

Pose: Seed to Tree Pose

Next up is Seed to Tree Pose. In this pose, children start in Child’s Pose, which represents a seed, and then slowly grow into Tree Pose, holding hands with their parent for balance.

Pose: Snake Pose

Snake Pose is a great way to introduce children to the idea of moving like a snake. It’s also an excellent way to stretch their spine and build core strength.

Pose: Butterfly Pose

Butterfly Pose is a fun pose that helps children stretch their hips and legs. You can encourage them to flap their wings (knees) and pretend to be butterflies going from flower to flower.

Pose: Frog Pose

Frog Pose is a great way to stretch the hips and legs and build strength in the thighs.

Pose: Cat/Cow Pose

Cat/Cow Pose is an excellent way to introduce children to the idea of moving like a cat and cow. It’s also a great way to stretch the spine and build core strength.

Pose: Downward Facing Dog and Upward Facing Dog

Fun and Interactive Kids Yoga Lesson Plans with Themes: From In the Garden to Weather and Seasons

by Veronique Rioux | Feb 8, 2018 | Yoga

As a parent, I always found it fun to teach toddler and parent yoga. After completing my Rainbow Kids training in Vancouver, I spent a lot of time putting together class lessons that were both fun and educational. I believe that kids’ yoga should be interactive, and I’m excited to share six different lesson plans with you. Each plan has a different theme, and today, I want to share with you the last one in the series: the “Weather and Seasons” theme.

When teaching toddlers, I always start by setting expectations, like keeping our hands to ourselves, using our words, saying “Excuse me,” and waiting for our turn before talking. During the Rainbow Kids Yoga teacher training, we placed our yoga mats in a big circle that overlapped each other’s mats. I loved this setup, and usually had both parent and child using the same mat. I also added different values to each theme.

The “In the Garden” theme is a great way to introduce kids to nature and the outdoors, and it also teaches patience. We would start the class by discussing patience and giving examples related to the theme. For instance, when you plant a seed, you have to wait for it to grow. We would discuss how to wait calmly and ask the kids if that was difficult for them. We would also talk about waiting, preparation, anticipation, and other related concepts.

To start the class, we would practice making the “Om” sound, and I would explain that “home” is in your heart. We would then do a name game, where everyone would learn each other’s names, and I would ask each kid their favorite color. We would then introduce the sun salutation using the song “The Sun Dance” by the Bari Koral Family Rock Band.

Here are some poses with themes for the garden:

Mountain pose
Seed (child’s pose) to tree pose holding hands to make it easier to balance
Snake (cobra)
Butterfly: flapping your wings (knees) and going from flower to flower (folding forward head toward feet)
Frog
Cat/cow
Downward facing dog & upward dog

We would also play games like “1-2-3 Yoga Tree” and sing songs like “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” Reading a book during the class was also a great way to get the kids together, sitting, and listening to a nice story. The book we read for this theme was “The Butterfly’s Treasure” by Schim Schimmel.

To end the class, we would relax by rolling the kids into their mats like a cocoon and listening to the song “Fly Like a Butterfly” by Shakta Kaur Khalsa’s before rolling out and spreading our wings. I would love to hear what you think about these lesson plans and get feedback once you try teaching them.