Our winter wonderland life here in New England has been a learning adventure!
I love that the local libraries are stacked with winter-themed books, most of which were completely new to me. After gathering a bunch of books on Arctic animals, my daughter and I learned about the animals by acting them out through simple yoga poses for kids.
Why not give it a go?! Don’t worry if you haven’t done yoga before—just follow the yoga sequence below, which includes descriptions and images. Learn along with your children about Arctic animals through movement and story. Encourage their creativity by asking them how they think each animal might behave in the wild.
So, grab your Arctic animal books (or other fun resources like stuffed animals, videos, animal figurines, animal cards, and stickers) and act out the animals together!
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Arctic Animals Books for Kids
First, we got out some Arctic-themed books to look up Arctic animals. Here are our favorites:
Next, we made a yoga flow sequence to act out the arctic animals.
Note that this Arctic animal yoga sequence has been specifically laid out to flow from one pose to the next in a safe, logical way. Feel free to adapt the sequence to suit the age, needs, attention span, and energy level of your child. For example, you might only practice three to five yoga poses at a time with toddlers.
1. Moose – Warrior 1 Pose Variation
Come to standing in Mountain Pose. Step one foot back, slightly angling it outward. Bend your front knee and bring your spread-out hands above your head like the antlers of a moose.
Warrior 1
2. Walrus – Cobra Pose (or Upward-Facing Dog Pose)
Lie on your tummy, lift your head and shoulders off the ground, place your palms flat next to your shoulders, and arch up like a walrus.
Cobra Pose
3. Arctic Char or Whale – Locust Pose
Lie on your tummy, lift your chest and shoulders, look up, clasp your hands back behind you, and glide through the water like a whale.
Locust Pose
4. Polar Bear or Husky – Bear Walk
Step back to hands and feet in an upside-down V shape then walk like a bear.
Downward Dog
5. Snow Goose – Pigeon Pose
From the Bear Walk, bring your right foot to rest behind your right hand, placing your foot slightly inwards. Then perch like a snow goose. Switch sides and repeat.
Pigeon Pose
6. Musk Ox – Cat Pose
On all fours, tuck your chin into your chest and round your back. Walk like an ox.
Cat Pose
7. Wolf or Arctic Fox – Kneeling
Come to kneeling, open your chest, look up, and reach up to the moon like a fox.
Kneeling Pose
8. Arctic Hare – Hero’s Pose with Bunny Breath
Come back to rest upright on your heels and place your hands on your thighs. Take a few short, quick breaths in through your nose, and then take a long exhale.
Hero Pose
9. Snowy Owl – Seated Twist
From Hero’s Pose, twist your upper body like an owl. Turn one way and then the other.
Seated Twist
10. Lemming – Child’s Pose
Come to sitting back on your heels, slowly bring your forehead down to rest in front of your knees, rest your arms down alongside your body, and take a few deep breaths.
Child’s Pose
11. Seal – Resting Pose
Lie on your back with your arms alongside your body and your legs tight together. Pretend that you are a seal resting on a rock. Then breathe out, stretch out your arms and legs, and rest.
Pretend to be a snowy owl, snow goose, or sea lion!
Learn about arctic animals through simple yoga poses! Download these 50 arctic animal digital yoga cards to learn through movement in your home, classroom, or studio. Ages 3
Act out what Jenny and her mother see and hear on a winter walk with this winter forest yoga book. Bring their winter walk alive through movement. This yoga book is a great springboard for acting out other things you might see on a winter forest walk together.
We hope that you enjoyed your adventure learning about Arctic animals through movement and story. To find out about other thematic yoga sequences, join our weekly Kids Yoga Stories newsletter by adding your name and email to the box at the top of the page.
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