Songs for Teaching Kids Yoga

Hello all,

Many of my summer kids yoga classes are coming to an end now. The summer program is a great time to try out new material to see how it works, like this song that took a couple classes for the kids to get to know, but they liked it.

Since I started teaching yoga, I feel like a teenager again when it comes to music. I often download a new album every month or so, especially when I get a recommendation. I don’t want to do the same songs over and over. After a few months/years it can get boring.

I’ll find songs and see if I can change them around to be a little more yogic. I’ll change the words and throw in a yoga type of challenge, move, or activity.

Recyled Tunes
Many kids songs have the same tune used over and over (eg. The ABCD song is the same tune as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). Anyone can become a song smith by picking a classic tune and making up a yoga song to it. Here’s an example that I used this summer. It took more than one class for the kids to learn this song. I shortened it to two verses repeated and used it as a warm-up:

ee the video embedded, the link to The Pinocchio is here.

This website is a great resource for kids’ songs, especially with all their You Tube videos, plus they give samples of each song. Personally I’m not shy to sing the songs without music, but if you want, the music CD’s are there to purchase at Super Simple Songs.com

Making it Yogic
Rather than calling it the Pinocchio and doing all the progressive moves, which would be fun too, I sang the song with similar moves to the video above but added a yogic variation like this:

Everybody In
Everybody Out
Everybody Turn Around
Everybody Shout (Hey!)
Everybody Dance
Everybody’s Great
Everybody Meditate (the kids sit down and sit still to meditate)

Verse 2
Everybody Up
Everybody Down (a squat)
Everybody Did You Hear (bend at the waist hands to ears)
Everybody Cheer (Hey! – jump)
Everybody Shake
Every Body Part
Everybody Cross Your Heart (again sit down and meditate, hands on heart).

I found repeating the two verses made a great warm up for yoga. It’s a bit like a freeze dance, with movement and then stillness.

Sometimes if I want to get a classes’ attention, I start singing a song like this and everyone will happily join in; no other direction required.

Feel free to share some of your favorite songs and music recommendations in the comments. Has anyone heard the tune to The Pinocchio in another song?

Aruna Humphrys
[email protected]

© K. Humphrys