9 tips for Kids Yoga

1. Prepare for Their Energy Level

When you begin a children’s yoga session, take into account what your child has been doing. If they just got home from school, they might need a few minutes and a healthy snack before diving in. Or, if a friend is visiting, their energy might be high. Plan your timing, get their energy out with a quick movement activity, and tend to their needs before starting yoga.

2.  A light snack before!

Before an asana session, try to limit sugary snacks to help keep energy steady. Instead, a small fruit snack is perfect while you chat with them about the yoga activity they’ll be doing next. 

3. Set Up Together: Make it Special

Creating the space together can make the experience even more meaningful:

• Set out mats, use battery candles, play relaxing sounds, and let them grab a favorite stuffed toy for savasana (resting pose).

• Play a fun asana game: pause the music and see what poses they strike!

• Tell a yoga story or follow a simple routine together.

• Introduce aromatherapy for calming moments or a short savasana.

• Clean up as a team. Yoga includes caring for our environment, and letting them take responsibility for the space teaches this beautifully.

For younger children (under 4), a 15-minute session is often plenty. With older kids, you can stretch it out to keep up with their growing attention span.

4. Be Ready for Excitement and Have Tools to Get Their Attention

Kids love moving, so let them shake out their wiggles first. Using a sound bowl, bell, or chime can help gather their focus. Tell them they can move around until they hear the sound. Then, invite them to listen closely, asking, “How long can you hear it ring?” This creates a moment of calm as they tune in.

After the sound stops, they’ll be ready to sit down. If they’re curious, let them take turns ringing the bell themselves.

5. Set Boundaries with Positive Rules

With children, setting a few basic boundaries ensures everyone has a good time. Ask them what would make for a positive session. Discuss ideas like:

• How we listen to each other

• When it’s okay to speak

• Tell them what the yoga session is going to look like

Ask what they would like to do, really make it a session that everyone likes

Make a special rule for your “sound bowl moment”: when the bell rings, they all come close and listen with their “best listening ears.”

6. Explore Yoga Stories

Find out what interests your little yogis, and weave these themes into yoga stories:

• Dinosaur Yoga: Pretend to be flying dinos (Warrior III) or dinos in eggs (Child’s Pose).

• Fairy Yoga: Warm up wings (Butterfly Pose), ride a unicorn (Warrior II).

• Turtle Yoga: Crack out of an egg (Child’s Pose), look around (Cobra Pose), spot palm trees (Mountain Pose with side stretch).

A bit of imagination can transform a yoga session into an adventure!

7. Introduce Other Yogic Activities

Children’s yoga goes beyond postures. Other activities like creating leaf mandalas, cloud-watching, partner poses, singing mantras, and simple visualizations all bring mindfulness into their world. Draw together and talk about kindness and compassion to expand their understanding.

Children’s yoga is about play, connection, and inner calm, helping kids build confidence, reduce stress, and explore mindfulness from a young age.

8. A clear ending of the yoga session. 

Children thrive on rituals! Start every session with a Namaste and close a session with singing OM 3 times 

For example: Sing om with the following verse! 

Straighten your spine, hips shoulders head in line 

Clap your hands together and float them down like a feather

And sing OM

9. Most Importantly, Have Fun!

The best outcome is for children to have a positive first impression of yoga. When they connect yoga with joy, relaxation, and fun, it plants a seed of curiosity that may lead them to explore yogic practices later in life. These early experiences can become tools for them to live a harmonious and compassionate life.