Tag: early childhood yoga

8 Yoga Games for Children (Ages 3–6) for your rest time or outdoor play

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

Children’s yoga is, of course, very different from yoga for adults. While yoga is meant to be non-competitive at any age, competition often sneaks into adult practice. In contrast, children’s yoga should be bright, a little chaotic, relaxed, light, and fun.

“For children, yoga is primarily about freedom of expression, so no corrections or judgments please,” says Emmy Joy Barber, a Melbourne-based children’s yoga instructor from Inspired By Yoga. There are no goals or performance benchmarks here. Just movement, joy, and exploration.

Why Yoga for Children?

Yoga offers children many benefits. It develops both mental and physical flexibility, builds body and breath awareness, and improves balance, coordination, concentration, and emotional regulation.

A 2003 University of California study found that regular yoga practice in early childhood improved self-esteem. It enhanced academic performance and reduced behavioral challenges. Children became more relaxed, respectful, and emotionally grounded.

Physiologically, yoga helps children:

  • Develop joint flexibility
  • Improve balance
  • Strengthen the respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems
  • Understand the difference between tension and relaxation
  • Build gross motor skills

Mentally and emotionally, yoga helps children:

  • Support integration of left and right brain hemispheres
  • Learn left-right body awareness
  • Build stress resilience
  • Encourage imagination, self-esteem, and creativity

Safety & Space

An open, spacious room is ideal, but a small mat will also work. The key is to give each child their own space so they’re not bumping into one another. Mats help children maintain balance and define their personal area.

Emmy Barber recommends one golden rule: Never force a child to do anything. Don’t worry about how precisely they stand in the Tree Pose or whether they “breathe right” in the Lion Pose. What matters is that they feel safe and curious about their own body.

Children respond best when yoga feels familiar and playful. So make each pose meaningful:

  • Tree
  • Lion
  • Snake (Cobra)
  • Eagle
  • Flamingo

Warming Up

To set the tone and bring children into the experience, start with a warm-up. Some favourites include:

  • Dancing (the more energetic, the better!)
  • Freeze dance (“The sea is waving one, the sea is waving two…”)
  • Mirror games (in pairs, copy each other’s movements)
  • Washing machine or helicopter (twisting the body side to side, slowly at first, then faster)

Yoga Games

Before games, it’s helpful to learn the basic poses: cat, dog, giraffe, elephant, frog, lion, butterfly, flamingo, shark, crab. Helpful resources include apps like I AM LOVE, Super Stretch Yoga, My First Yoga, and the book Yoga Adventure by Helen Purperhart.

Once the basics are familiar, try these games:

1. Freeze Pose Game
“One, two, three, four, five – strike a yoga pose to stay alive!” Children pick a pose and try to hold it. Add music: when it stops, everyone freezes in an asana.

2. Pass the Bag
Children sit in a circle and pass a small sandbag or beanbag with their feet. It’s hilarious – and builds coordination.

3. Cotton Ball Pickup
Scatter cotton balls on the floor. Barefoot, children use their toes to pick up and move as many as they can.

4. Tunnel Dog
Kids line up in Downward Dog pose. One child crawls through the “tunnel” of legs.

5. Story Yoga – The Little Princess
Tell a story with yoga:

  • Mountain pose (the tall mountain)
  • Child’s pose (a sleeping princess)
  • Warrior poses (the knights)
  • One-legged dog (a horse arrives)
  • Table pose (the feast)
  • Shavasana (the happy ending nap)

6. Alphabet Poses
Each letter becomes a pose: A – Alligator, B – Butterfly, C – Cat, and so on. Great in teams!

7. Yogi Says
Like Simon Says: the leader demonstrates poses, the rest follow. Children take turns leading.

I use these yoga cards

8. Obstacle Course
Use yoga props, blocks, mats, and pillows. Children move from station to station in specific poses, such as frog, crab, and snake.

Breathing Awareness

Breathing is central to relaxation. Kids often breathe well (with the belly), but not consciously. Help them notice their breath:

  • Place soft toys or beanbags on their bellies and watch them rise and fall
  • Blow out birthday candles
  • Bunny breath: three quick inhales, one slow exhale
  • Smell the flowers, blow the bubbles

Relaxation

Every session should end with rest. Three good poses: Child’s Pose, Crocodile Pose, Star Pose.

Also try this mindfulness collage

Imagination helps:

  • Pretend you’re a koala on a eucalyptus tree
  • Imagine you’re soft-cooked spaghetti, not stiff raw noodles
  • Use silly sounds instead of OM: “YUM”, “MOO”, “MEOW”

Place a toy on the belly for calm breathing. Let children pass around calming objects: chimes, shells, a flashlight. Walk quietly with a bell that shouldn’t ring.

For active children, try gently wrapping them in a mat and rocking them to soft music. Or invite them to make a wish and blow out an invisible candle.

Do you do yoga in your classrooms? Share your experience!