It’s summer! Which means kids yoga camps and time to try fresh ideas that you just don’t have time to try in a regular class.
I’m planning a summer camp right now. It’s 18 hours over 5 days in our Kids Yoga Teacher Certification. So I’m going through my resources and picking my favorite activities. This camp during the Kids Yoga Training is so much fun and adds a dimension to the training you get teaching actual kids.
You can get your 95 Hour Certificate from our Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School. Email me if you have any questions or are interested: info @ youngyogamasters.com.
So while I’m prepping for camp I’ll share some of my plans. Here are 5 Kids Yoga Summer Camp Ideas from our Kids Yoga Teacher Training that are sure to enhance your camps.
5 Kids Yoga Activities to Enhance Your Camps this Summer
1. Chakras for Children
Explore the Chakras Each Day of Camp: When I teach kids yoga at a school or daycare, I steer away from the Chakras. The topic is too esoteric for the public domain. But when I teach a kids yoga camp in a studio, the Chakras are perfect for yoga studio territory. I explore this topic from angles that kids can relate to: favourite colours, elements of nature, and super-powers that each chakra hold. Learn more on Chakras for Children in our Kids Yoga Teacher Training and get this free printable Chakra System PDF on this Blog Post here.
2. Mandala Activities for Kids
This includes both drawing Mandalas and making them with your body as these pictures show:
3. My Song
It can be hard for some kids to open up in class but you you will find that most children have a favorite song. During an 8 hour a day, week long yoga camp I taught, we had a lot of time for extra activities.
One of the big hits was talking about our favorite songs and why they are meaningful to us. Give kids time to contemplate what “My Song” will be. Once they choose, it might surprise you how they open up in class. Plus its very relaxing to listen to songs and hear their meaning.
4. Eye Pillows (and Washable Pillow Cases)
Eye Pillows are a fun one or two day craft and activity that comes straight from our Inclusive Yoga Certificate of Kids Yoga Teacher Training. We use eye pillows as weighted objects to help kids get into their body.
First Part: Fill the first sock with rice or grains. Then pass around some dried herbs or essential oils to smell. The kids can create a custom fragrance in their pillow.
Second Part: Draw on the second sock to make your pillow case. Just follow the directions on the fabric markers. We put the socks over a can of club soda to make it easier to draw on the material.
Marker Tip: The Crayola Brand Fabric Markers boast “Great for dark fabrics” but I was disappointed in the lack of colour on my black socks. So all my dark socks became the inner pillow, and the white socks were for marking on.
I think these eye pillows are better than stuffed animals or Beanie Babies, because you can pull off the pillow case and wash them!
5. Word Games
We developed the Frog Yoga Alphabet especially to help keep kids busy during kids yoga and Yoga Camps. You can print and play all kinds of games with them.
Sometimes people think a Yoga Alphabet is just for children learning the alphabet, but with a little imagination, those letters become words and the words become games and stories! The next thing you know, you are playing charades, hangman, or discussing your “Word of the Day,” coloring it, and putting it up on your wall.
We recommend you keep it “yoga” by doing the yoga pose each time a letter is used.
Enhance Your Camps
Yoga and fun go hand in hand. So when you’ve got the extra time in a Yoga Camp let these activities inspire you to enhance your camps.
What is your favorite activity for a kids yoga camp?
Upcoming Events:
Get Your Kids Yoga Teacher 96 Hour Certificate this Summer!
Contact Info @ YoungYogaMasters.com for more information or visit the Registration Page for dates and registration info.