Central America for Kids Yoga

I’m excited to introduce you to our first Learn Spanish and Kids Yoga through Books monthly series, which we will be co-hosting with Spanish Playground. On Kids Yoga Stories, we will be featuring books on a particular theme and provide you with matching yoga sequences. On the Spanish Playground site, you will find the sequences in Spanish, along with other fun, creative activities to go along with one of the books.

This month’s Spanish Books and Kids Yoga theme is on Central America for Kids in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. We highlight four books (three of which are from Barefoot Books) that are available in English and Spanish, along with corresponding yoga poses to bring the stories alive. The keywords are listed in a specific sequence to create a safe kids yoga experience that encourages flow from one pose to the next.

Some guidelines for practicing yoga with your children: Feel free to shorten or lengthen the sequence to suit your age group by changing the number of poses. Don’t forget to practice on both sides/legs. Focus on having fun with movement, not on practicing perfectly aligned poses. Engage the children. Create authentic, meaningful experiences. Follow their passions and interests. Cater to their different learning styles. Be creative and enjoy yourselves, but please be safe. Wear comfortable clothing and practice barefoot. Wait one to two hours after eating before engaging in your yoga session.

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Central America for Kids: Books and Yoga

Three of the yoga sequences below are “5 for 5s: Five kids yoga poses for five minutes”. Feel free to invent or add your own poses as well.

The Parrot Tico Tango in Costa Rica: 5 for 5

Parrot – Warrior 3 Pose
(Stand on one leg. Extend the other leg behind you. Bend your torso forward and take your arms out to the side. Flap your wings like a parrot.)

Frog – Squat Pose
(Come down to a squat, and hop like a frog.)

Iguana – Plank Pose
(Come down to a plank on your hands and toes like an iguana.)

Boa – Cobra Pose
(Lie on your tummy, lift head and shoulders off ground, place palms flat next to your shoulders, and hiss like a snake.)

Jaguar – Cat Pose
(On all fours, tuck your chin into your chest, and round your back.)

We’re Roaming in the Rainforest in the Amazon Rainforest: 5 for 5

Poison Dart Frog – Squat Pose
(Come down to a squat, and hop like a frog.)

Green Iguana – Plank Pose
(Come down to a plank on your hands and toes like an iguana.)

Giant River Otter – Cat Pose
(On all fours, tuck your chin into your chest, and round your back.)

Pink River Dolphin – Dolphin Pose
(Come to your hands-and-knees, bend your elbows, rest your forearms on the ground, with your palms flat, lift up your knees to straighten your legs, and look forward.)

Three-Toed Sloth – Happy Baby Pose
(Lie on your back with your chin tucked in, hug your knees into your chest, then grab the outer part of your feet with both of your hands, and pretend to hug the tree like a sloth.)

Off We Go to Mexico book

Mountains– Las Montañas
Mountain Pose – Stand tall like a mountain

Sun – El Sol
Extended Mountain Pose – From Mountain Pose, reach up with your hands, look up, and say hello to the sun

Pyramids – Las Pirámides
Downward-Facing Dog Pose – Come to hands-and-feet, and make an upside-down “V” with your body like a pyramid

Swimming – Nadando
Locust Pose – Lay on your tummy, and swim with your arms

Gray Whales – Las Ballenas
Whale Pose – Lay on your tummy, bend at your knees, and take your arms back alongside your body

Canyon Train – El Tren
Staff Pose – Sit tall on your buttocks with your legs extended straight in front of you, and make circles with your arms like they are the wheels on the train

Monarch Butterfly – Las Mariposas
Butterfly Pose – Sit on your buttocks, bend your legs, bring the soles of your feet together, and gently flap your legs like butterfly wings

Stars – Las Estrellas
Do Nothing Pose – Lay on your back, and stretch your arms and legs out wide like a star in the sky

Sophia’s Jungle Adventure in Costa Rica: 5 for 5

Toucan – Warrior 3 Pose
(stand on one leg with the opposite leg stretched out behind you, bend your torso, and flap your wings)

Monkey – Squat Pose
(squat down, and pretend you are a monkey)

Jaguar – Cat Pose
(on hands-and-knees, walk like a jaguar)

Boa Constrictor – Cobra Pose
(lay on your tummy, lift your head and shoulders up, and hiss like a snake)

Butterfly Pose – Cobbler’s Pose
(sit on your buttocks, bend your legs, bring the soles of your feet together, and flap your legs like wings)

For pose descriptions and illustrations, visit the List of Kids Yoga Poses.

Download a printable of these Latin American kids yoga sequences.

Check Out Our Mexico Yoga Cards for Kids

Learn about the beauty and culture of Mexico!

Pretend to be Mexican dancer, a Quetzal, and the Mayan Ruins.

Poses include revolved chair pose, star pose, and eagle pose.

The yoga poses in this deck are sequenced specifically to invite flow from one pose to the next. This takes the guess work out of figuring out which pose to do next.

Download these Mexico Yoga Cards to learn through movement in your home, classroom, or studio.

The set includes 53 cards: an index card, pose instructions, yoga teaching tips, 20 Mexico yoga pose cards, and 20 matching Mexico cards.

The yoga kids are multicultural from a variety of countries.

Download Mexico Yoga Cards for Kids here.

Mexico Yoga Cards for Kids

Spanish Books and Kids Yoga

The books and kids yoga sequences above can all be practiced with the Spanish versions of the book and with Spanish pose instructions.

Visit Spanish Playground for activities for Off We Go to Mexico/ Nos Vamos a Mexico by Laurie Krebs. This delightful story features bright, colorful illustrations and rhyming text as you travel around Mexico. The English version also includes highlighted keywords in Spanish, like beach, whales, mountains, tunnels, and festival. The activities described on the Spanish Playground website use the map, vocabulary, illustrations, colors, rhyming words, related words, history, and culture of the story to provide engaging and meaningful learning experiences. All of the listed activities could be adapted to English as well.

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