kids yoga teacher training

What Does It Take To Be a Kids Yoga Teacher?

What you need to be a Kids Yoga Teacher is kind of confusing because there are a lot of different levels of certification and training.

In this replay of the Monthly Mini-Training, you’ll get answers for many of the frequently asked questions about teaching kids yoga.

Watch the full replay and download the Guide to Becoming a Kids Yoga Teacher PDF, click here.

Here’s a transcript of the questions covered:

How do you divide the age groups for kids yoga classes?

I usually divide kids ages in the same as schools. Here in Canada, we have preschool, usually around walking, two, three, or four years old. We have junior and senior kindergarten who are four to six years old. Then we have junior school age, and senior school age.

In terms of partner poses, preschoolers don’t love partner poses.

Once you reach senior school age, they’re reading, and you can play games with them. You can do more puzzles, have them up, and teach them partner poses.

When you get into teen yoga, you’ll realize that teens like partner poses. You can have them teach the class as well with notice. That’s how I usually divide the age groups.

A group of 6 children and 2 teachers are standing with their arms over their head and leaning in to touch all their fingers to the centre to make a tent. One person is smiling as they crawl into the tent. — School age children do a group/partner yoga pose creating a human tent!

What time is best a kids yoga class?

I’ve taught morning classes and afternoon classes. Afternoon classes are tricky if you are trying to teach younger ages because they nap.

I did teach an adult/tot class at 2:45 in the afternoon, right before pick up from school for our area. The adults and tots came, did the class, and then went and picked up their other kids. But sometimes, they would miss the beginning of class because of naps and a child sleeping late.

I suggest scheduling your class not too late at night. The latest I would go is a seven o’clock class or before dinner.

What is the maximum time you can teach a yoga class for kids?

The maximum time for kids yoga class depends on the age group. I find 30 minutes is a nice size class for the youngest age, like toddlers and preschoolers.

In the school age, juniors, and seniors, teens, anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour can be excellent.

If I teach for an hour, I will bring in a storybook, a craft or colouring, or play a game for the last 15 minutes. All 60 minutes are not doing yoga poses, but we doing other mindful activities like all the ones covered in our teacher training.

Levels of Certification

There are quite a few people asking about registering with Yoga Alliance. Yoga Alliance is a voluntary registry. It’s not required that you register with them to teach.

However, if you’re looking at teaching yoga as a long-term business, you might consider registering as a Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher.

16 Hour Module

Most Kids Yoga Teacher Training gives a certificate of completion at the end of a course, regardless of the length of the training. Young Yoga Masters provides a certificate after each completed 16-hour module, so you can start teaching right away.

If you’re looking to finish the 96-Hours Kids Yoga Teacher Training, you can take the modules in any order.

95-Hour Kids Yoga Teacher Certificate

Yoga Alliance set 95 hours of specialty training in kids’ yoga as the standard for a Registered Children’s Yoga School (RCYS). An RCYS must follow specific training requirements and provide training in various categories to create a well-rounded training. Young Yoga Masters is a Yoga Alliance-registered children’s yoga school.

Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT)

Yoga Alliance’s standard for Registered Children’s Yoga Teachers is:

200 hours Adult Yoga Teacher Training plus
95 Hour Children’s Yoga Teacher Training
then 30 hours of practical experience teaching children that you track on your own and add to the Yoga Alliance website

To learn more about the Level of Certification read here.

a group of kids yoga teachers holding their certificates — If you want to become a kids yoga teacher trainer, your students will want a Yoga Alliance Registered Training

Still have questions?

If you have any other questions about Kids Yoga Teacher Training and Certification, and as a kids yoga teacher, I’ve turned the comments on here so you can drop them in the comments.

If you are looking for a Kids Yoga Teacher Training, we hope all the ongoing support we offer at Young Yoga Masters will encourage you to choose our RCYS training.

Sun Salutation Song for your Kids Yoga Class

Sun Salutations are great for kids in children’s yoga but today’s song is more suited for tweens and teens.

Teach the Sun Salutations using this upbeat instructional music by Linda Lara (feat. Cory Fandel and Nancy Coletti).

Week 3: Song of the Week

Watch the moves here:

About Linda Lara

Linda Lara is a certified children’s yoga teacher. She is also a composer and musician and special education music teacher.

Her songs are about nature and the seasons, and they also offer musical yoga sequences which imagine experiences from around the world.

Teach the Sun Salutation

Learn how to teach Sun Salutation by registering for Inclusive Yoga 16 Hour Kids Yoga Teacher Certificate.

You’ll have access to the Yoga Man Sun Salutation series, with ideas to teach about the stress cycle and tools of yoga to fight the villain “The Stressor.”

Insights on Mindfulness in the Classrooms from a School Teacher

Are you wondering how you could introduce mindfulness to children and integrate it into your home or classroom routine?

Stephanie S. Cheung, elementary school teacher and kids yoga and mindfulness teacher, wrote a book to answer this question that she often got asked by parents and colleagues.

As a school teacher, Stephanie uses mindfulness in her classroom at the start of the day, helping her students become focused and relaxed and ready to learn.

She shares her experienced in the December Mini Training. Watch here to get a look inside her book with this Mindfulness Read-along of her book Mac Learns to Roar: A Mindfulness Book for Kids and Animals.

Mac Learns to Roar: A Mindfulness Book for Kids and Animals

Mac Learns to Roar: A Mindfulness Book for Kids and Animals, authored by Stephanie S. Cheung, is a book made to teach children and even adults to easily understand mindfulness.

This book has exercises throughout the story. It also has instructions in the back pages for 6 mindfulness practices.

The story revolves around Mac who is learning how to roar. As a young lion learning to roar, he finds it hard. He feels anger, frustration, and sadness. Thankfully, his friends, teacher, and family are here to help.

Join Mac as he learns simple practices to help calm his frustrations and feel brave. Get the book here.

Kids Yoga Teacher Training

If you missed the live zoom meeting, watch the full replay here under DECEMBER 2022.

Stephanie also shared some freebies. Get the colouring pages here.

This training qualifies for Continuing Education (CE) for Yoga Alliance registered Yoga Teachers. A CE Certificate is available here.

The Worst Kind of Kids Yoga Class

Last week I got an email from a new program coordinator looking for a kids yoga teacher for their March Break camps.

She wanted a teacher to come in for half an hour every day of March Break, thinking a half hour class would be cheaper than booking a full afternoon.

We couldn’t find a teacher who wanted to take the gig.

What Makes a Gig….Stink

A half hour class is one of the worst case scenario. I explained to her, and gave her a few reasons why. Here are the main ones:

March Break is a premium week for bookings because everyone is looking for special activities to do. Booking a 30 minute gig every day of March break limits your ability to take other better paying job. A teacher usually only goes to 2 locations a day, so each location has to be worth it.

Teachers factor travel time into their hourly rate, but that doesn’t translate well for a 30 minute invoice. A lot of time traveling and a little time teaching doesn’t balance out when it comes to the payment.

Then there are the teachers who have children at home during March Break and need to get childcare while they are out teaching. They have that expense to cover through what they invoice as well.

Sometimes as a kids yoga teacher, you have to educate your customer about your pricing. Some customers don’t realize that the length of time of the class is not the issue, it is showing up that costs the most.

If you are going to a location, you want it to be worth your while.

When I was teaching kids yoga full time in schools, daycare centres, and community centers I built my ideal schedule over a few years. As I found better gigs, the first classes that I dropped were the single classes at a location.

The first class I quit was a one hour class in an after school program. The class was filled with 20+ children and paid the union wage for teachers working for the school board (about $25 back in 1999). That was my number one Bu-BYE!

What I really liked were the two to three hour bookings at one location so that I could invoice a larger amount and cut down on my travel time.

Think about it! Would you rather bill for 5 days at 30 minutes a day, or for 5 x 30 minute classes in one afternoon? It’s obvious when you look at it that way. Sometimes you need to educate your customers so they understand what they are asking.

What to Charge for a Kids Movement Class

Here is an article I wrote about what to charge for a kids yoga class that you may find helpful.

Now that classes are starting to open up again, remember that the more you teach and the more classes you have, the more picky you can be about the classes you accept.

Just because someone offers you a class doesn’t mean you have to accept it.

In fact, it’s a sign that your business is healthy when you can start turning down classes that don’t work for your schedule and your income goals.

A 30 minute class at one location might be appealing for a new teacher starting their teaching journey, but over the years you will probably find, as I did, it just isn’t sustainable to run a business.

5 Things I Wish I Knew Before my First Kids Yoga Class

If only my first kid’s yoga book, the only one I could find in 1998, had taught me exactly what a kids yoga class would be like from start to finish. It seems easy enough from the outside looking in. Doesn’t it always, though?

My First Kids Yoga Class

I remember the first time I tried teaching yoga to children. I thought I knew enough until I got in front of the kids, and they didn’t want to participate. I was the captain of the ship, and I had a mutiny in the first class! All of a sudden, I realized I knew very little.

And so it goes with teaching kids in real life, compared to how it goes in books and polished videos and even some trainings where you don’t see actual children.

Here are some things I wish someone had told me before my first class

It’s not like teaching adults so you need a lesson plan with fewer poses, a shorter duration, and it’s definitely going to be noisier than adult yoga. Plus, kids will let you know (mutiny) if they don’t like a pose, adults may give you the stink-eye but they usually go along with it in some way. You need an appropriate lesson plan for the children you are teaching.
A whole class of children is different then 1 or 2 children. Obvious, yes, but if you have cared for children, you need to learn the tools that engage a whole group. Which leads me to…
Plan so each child can learn in their way. Each class has a variety of activities that connects with many different learning styles. A successful lesson plan is sprinkled with music, visuals, puzzles/games, movement, mindfulness, and relaxation.
Share your lesson plan with the kids so they know what is expected and how they can successfully participate.
Be flexible with your lesson plan, move on when something is not working and have a back-up activity in case you have extra time.

The Best Tools for Teaching Kids Yoga that I’ve Learned

The Young Yoga Masters training is where I share what I learned as a full-time kids yoga teacher and a Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School Trainer. You will feel much more confident as a teacher after completing the program.

Sound good?

Awesome, if you’re ready to get your Certification to teach yoga and mindfulness to children, just click here and reserve your seat in the live-zoom training.

Click here to Get Your certificate to teach kids yoga

Really hope to see you there!

Email us if you have any questions.

4 Recommended Methods to Redirect Inappropriate Behaviour

During the holidays, inappropriate behaviour erupts when schedules, diets, and sleep patterns get thrown off. This can happen to children and adults! The next thing you know you’ve got a tantrum, fighting, or a melt down on your hands.

Rather than react to inappropriate behaviour in a way that adds fuel to the fire, our ABA specialists and Young Yoga Masters Trainer, Yasuko Tanaka, recommends taking a step back and asking yourself, what is the function of this behaviour?

Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) includes and awareness of 4 Functions of Behaviour, and understanding these is especially helpful with autistic children, as well as those with hypersensitivities, ADD/ADHD, and anxieties.

What are the 4 Functions of Behaviour?

When we say the “function” of a behaviour we mean “why”the behaviour is occurring. While it might be difficult to understand why a person does something (e.g. challenging behaviors such as self-injury or aggression) there will always be an underlying function (O’Neill, et al, 1997).

Let’s take a look at the 4 Functions of Behaviour.

1. Social Attention

The first function of behaviour is social attention. Social attention is behaviour used to get attention from other people. It could be to look, laugh, play, hug or even scold. Examples of this are being silly, making sounds, and speaking out of turn of interrupting.

We all do this in our own ways, but sometime we choose inappropriate methods.

If you’re faced with an inappropriate behaviour ask yourself, is this person seeking attention?

If this feels like the reason, should you give them what they want? The answer is no. Don’t give attention to inappropriate behaviour or you will just encourage more of that behaviour.

Talking to the child is not going to work too because it will just go in one ear and out the another.

So what can you do? Our ABA specialist recommends redirecting the behaviour to an appropriate one first, then give the child attention.

This can be happen in a number of ways, but one that is very effective is modeling the behaviour you want to see, and for some children, using visual cards or props show the behaviour.

For example, you could start deep breathing and also show a Deep Breath Card if available, and continue until the child begins deep breathing along with you. Then give them attention.

2. Tangible or Activity

We all have our wants. It could be something tangible such as toys they see in the store, or chocolate bars that they want you to buy for them. It can also be an activity like going to the zoo or playing games. And if these things are not given to them, they may resort to a behaviour, like a tantrum, or shouting, crying loudly, and screaming, to help them achieve that desire.

This Function of Behaviour is known in the ABA world as a Tangible.

The response to this function of behaviour is using a “First…Then…” condition.

First – give them instructions on what they need to do.

Then – is when that tangible can be given.

If that tangible is something that is possible, give a clear goal of what they need to do first, then they’ll have what they want.

Sometimes it is not possible, for instance your child wants to go to Disney World.

Well, first you need to talk to me in a nice voice, then we can talk about it.

When the child adjusts their behaviour, one tool I find very helpful is to acknowledge the child’s desire and give the child what they want in the form of a wish.

Once calm, you could say, “You really want to go to Disney World and I wish I could take you! We could go on every ride and meet your favourite character. Wouldn’t that be wonderful! Is there anything you would like to do right now to help with your feeling?” They could draw a picture or have a hug. Let’s see what they come up with.

3. Escape and Avoidance

In this function, we do something to help us escape from or avoid something. Sometimes stepping away from a situation is a perfectly appropriate strategy.

But if a child is putting themself in an unsafe situation, or needs to learn to do something difficult, you will need to redirect this behaviour.

A simple example that comes up for yoga teachers is when you mention a difficult yoga pose and suddenly everyone has to go to the bathroom.

A more concerning example is when a child engages in aggressive behaviour so the teacher will stop an academic task they don’t like.

Child safety is paramount. Use your hands to signal stop or a stop sign card to get the message across and help stop the escape.

Avoidance is harder to identify because it could be other functions of behaviour. Try to identify what’s bothering the child and their thoughts and feelings to figure out what they are avoiding.

In the example of the hard yoga pose when suddenly everyone has to go to the bathroom. Give easier options first.

4. Sensory Stimulation

When the function of behariour is for sensory stimulation, a child might rock back and forth because it is enjoyable for them. Another child might rub their knee to soothe the pain after accidentally banging it.

In both cases, these children do not engage in either behaviour to obtain any attention, any tangible items or to escape any demands placed on them.

What should you do then?

Go back to the visual support cards or use the “first…then…” condition to redirect behaviour.

The four functions of behaviour were the topics discussed during the Young Yoga Masters December Free Monthly Check-in with Yasuko Tanaka who specializes in teaching children on the autism spectrum.

We discussed all these functions in more detail and also created a very handy PDF when you register for that free course.

If you are interested to watch the recording of the class, access it here

Watch the December 2021 Replay here

This topic is also included in our Inclusive Yoga 16 Hour Certificate.