Kid Yoga plan class with Weather and Season theme

When my kids were younger I thought it would be fun to teach toddler and parents Yoga. I did a Rainbow kids training in Vancouver and spent a lot of time putting my class lessons together and I want to share them with you. I believe that kids Yoga needs to be fun, educational and interactive. This class was a parent participation class that was 45 minutes long. I have 6 different lesson plans that I want to share with you, they all have a different theme.  The first one I shared was “In the garden“. The second plan lesson I shared was “African Safari”.  The third one was “Going into Space theme.” The fourth Yoga class plan I shared was “Going at the Zoo and at The farm“. The Fifth Yoga class plan is “Going to the beach/ocean.” The last kid yoga plan class is “Weather and Season” theme.

When I teach little kids I first talk about my expectations: keep our hands to ourselves, use our words, say “Excuse me” and wait for our turn before talking and of course have fun. In the Rainbow Kids Yoga teacher training, we were placing our Yoga mats in a big circle all overlapping each other’s mat. I really like this way of setting up the class and usually had parent and kid using the same mat. I also tried to add different values to the theme. I would love to hear what you think about theses lesson plans and get feedback once you try teaching them.

Starting the class sitting in a cercle with the Song: Rub your hand by Karma Kids Yoga

Name Games: try to say everyone name around the circle, can you?

Poses with themes

Spring: As the days grow longer, and the weather is sunnier and warmer, we begin to feel more expansive and energetic after the long, dark, cold winter. We feel a calling to spend more time outdoors and be more active throughout the day, and allow our hunched-up hibernation limbs to stretch out

• Tree
• Bird – Warrior 3 Pose
(flapping your wings like a bird.)
• Garden Gate – Gate pose
• Plow
• Planting Seeds – Standing Forward Fold
• Planting a Garden – Squat Pose
(Pretend to plant seeds in the garden.)
• Watering Can – Triangle Pose
• Baby Bean Sprout – Boat Pose
• Caterpillar – Locust Pose
• Bee – Hero Pose
(Practice a humming breath.)

Summer

• Butterfly
• Picking apples off tree
• Flower
• Wheelbarrow

Autumn/Fall: The days are getting shorter, the leaves are changing colours, and we all get ready for colder weather. Days are getting shorter. 

• Crescent moon pose
• Tree leaves change 
• Birds fly south for warmer weather – Warrior 3 Pose
• Farmers harvest their crops before the frost – Chair Pose
(driving a tractor)


• Bears prepare to sleep in their dens – Bear Walk in Downward-Facing Dog
• Whales migrate south to warmer water currents 
• Foxes grow thicker fur – Kneeling
(look up at the moon like a fox.)
• Hedgehogs get ready to hibernate  – Child’s Pose
• Monarch butterflies fly south to their winter homes 
• Squirrels hide nuts and other food to eat during the winter. Creative Movement of eating pretend nuts with both hands, using the breath and sense of smell to sniff the air and locate the buried imaginary food. 

Winter: The season winter is too cold for some animals, so they go to sleep (hibernate), move to other places (migrate), or change in some way to stay warm.

• Reach-stretch to put on warm clothing (long johns, snow pants, boots, puffy jacket, mittens & earmuffs) 
• Penguin (mountain + waddle)
• Tree with snow on “branches”, blowing snow (cotton balls) 
• Standing forward fold to dig in snow
• Rock-and-roll snowballs
• Hot cocoa by the fire (palming): Vigorously rub the hands to together to create heat between the palms. Separate the hands slightly and feel the warmth between the palms. 
• Snowflakes (standing star with wiggling fingers). 
• The Big Snow Flake – have the kids come in a circle and point their feet to the middle of the circle. Then all hold hands and unfold into a big snow flake. Lift your legs, move around, and make all kinds of shapes of snow flakes! 
• Snow Angels
• Skunks do not hibernate, or sleep, for the entire winter, but they slow down and sleep on the coldest days. Move really slowly in to Tiger Balance. 

What is your favourite weather? Sunny days, gentle rains, thunder storms at the end of a hot day? Maybe all of these have something special. Talk about what can be special with a few examples of weather (sun energy, rain quiet/cleansing, thunder frightening/impressive, lightning beautiful…).

Make the sound of an approaching rainstorm, let it hit, and eventually let it pass by.

• Wind – standing hip circles with strong breath. 
• Let the wind push through the windmill (Fly like a Butterfly). Did you know that there are windmills now that create electricity so you can warm up your house and turn on the light?
• Thunder and lightning: Standing with arms up then bend forward with strong breath and thunder sounds (What comes first, the thunder or the lightning?).
• Hard Rain – Chair pose with clapping of thighs. 
• Soft rain – Chair pose with clapping of fingers. 
• Even softer rain (mist), just rub hands together. 
• Next, begin to move around the room! Escape from the rainstorm to get some heat into the body, lift knees high to cut through imaginary tall grass, jump over puddles (yoga mats), and pause under a tree pose for some dry cover.
• Let the sun come out: Taking breath in, lift arms up, breathe out, lower arms and surround yourselves with beautiful sun. 
• What comes when there is both rain and sun? The beautiful Rainbow (Luby).
• Moving rainbow: have the children stand two by two in a half circle. Let them join hands face to face to create a bridge/rainbow. All the rainbows should stand close together to create a long tunnel, the rainbow tunnel. Then, from the end of the tunnel, one kid after the other, have the kids come under the rainbow (through the tunnel) and form a rainbow again at the front

Songs I like using while doing different poses 

• How’s the Weather From Matt Richelson, album Dream English Kids Songs
• Rain Sticks from Tony Depina, album Nature Song
• The Sun from Rafi, album Baby Beluga
• Singing in the rain, all I do is dreaming of you from Mitch Miller, album Sentimental sing along with Mitch
• Over the Rainbow from Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, album Somewhere over the Rainbow
• You are my Sunshine from Elizabeth Mitchell, album you are my sunshine
• Yoga Makes me happy from Karma Kids Yoga, album come play Yoga

Human mandala, sitting in a cercle

• Reach up with one hand, catch the sun, bring hand to the heart exhale HA!
• Side stretch Twist
• Place hand on neighbour’s shoulder: shoulder roll, massage shoulder, shampoo
• open chest, fold forward
• Extend leg forward, forward bend, drive car, scoop forward (moving)
• Wave feet
• Crab pose- downward facing dog- forward bend- roll up- open chest