The snow is melting and it’s time for some new ideas to give kids yoga lesson plans a breath of fresh air.

5 Kids Yoga Themes for Spring

1. Kids Yoga Theme:  Helping Others

There always seems to be some bad news, that’s how the media works.  As I write this post, the new of the Tsunami in Japan this spring have been on everybody’s mind, even kids. Part of my kids yoga classes last week was just listening to the way the kids were interpreting what was happening, and sometimes giving correct information.  Kids were fascinated by the idea of a Tsunami and earthquake, relating to them with the innocence of a child. We can’t control the environment, but we can control what we do to help others in hard times.

We focused on partner yoga and helping others in times of trouble for our lesson plan and used a lot of Partner Yoga to enjoy the feeling of working together to accomplish something.

2. Kids Yoga Theme: Spring has Sprung

It’s the perfect time to do a yoga set about plant growth and development.   Take the children on a yogic journey from seed to full grown plant.  But you can be a bush (downward dog), a flower (standing warrior poses) and trees.

Farmer Game: I like to play farmer and let the kids choose to be any kind of crop they want.  Then I walk around harvesting the crop which gets the kids to hold the pose longer.  Common crops include dinosaur bushes, princess trees, and candy flowers.

3.  Kids Yoga Theme: Awakening From Hibernation

Hibernation is not just for bears!  Did you know all these animals hibernate:  bears, bats, chipmunks, frogs, groundhogs, snakes, slow worms, turtles and wasps.

Lesson Plan: Turn these hibernators into yoga poses to keep kids busy for a while.  Consider having the guided relaxation at the beginning of this class.  Have the kids crawl under each other in downward dog as they crawl out of their den.  Watch out!  When hibernating animals awaken they are very hungry.

4.  Kids Yoga Theme:  Outdoor Sports

Many kids play sports and their coaches lead them through a warm-up series.  I’ve done classes where the kids teach the whole class with different exercises they know from soccer, gymnastics, baseball, swimming.

Yoga Ball Soccer Game for outside or the gym:  Try soccer with a big yoga ball but there’s a catch.  To slow the game down, anytime a child touches the ball (with body or feet) they must go into a yoga pose for 20 seconds before they can move again.  Feel free to change the rules to suit the number of kids and skill level.

5. Kids Yoga Theme:  Yoga Trivia

For many, spring also means the final leg of the school year and exam time.

Yoga Trivia Game: Make your whole class theme a game with this Yoga Trivia Game.  Use a yoga picture book or yoga deck to choose a pose then give the kids clues.  Children answer by doing the pose not shouting it out.  For example:

• Clue 1: This pose helps you build concentration and balance.  (the kids can come into the yoga pose they think it is).
• Clue 2:  It is done standing.
• Clue Three:  It is done with arms in the air.
• Clue Four:  It is done on one foot.   When all the kids are in the pose (yes, it’s tree), show them the picture to confirm they got it.

What are your favorite themes for spring yoga classes?

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