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.
