Earth Day Yoga

Every day is Earth Day!

Each year on April 22nd, people from around the world come together to celebrate the annual event, Earth Day, to discuss, learn, and take action on ways to protect our planet.  A great way to honor this special day is through reading earth-friendly books and practicing Earth Day yoga poses for kids.

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Earth Day Books

Prepare for your Earth Day celebrations by taking out your favorite earth-themed books from your bookshelf or head to the library.  A few of my favorites are:

Compost Stew by Mary McKenna Siddals and Ashley Wolff

Thank You, World by Alice McGinty and Wendy Anderson Halperin

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee

I Love Our Earth / Amo nuestra Tierra by Bill Martin Jr.

How Big Is the World? by Britta Teckentrup

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands by Kadir Nelson

The EARTH Book by Todd Parr

The Whole Green World by Tony Johnston and Elisa Kleven

The Earth and I by Frank Asch

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

The Wump World by Bill Peet

Take Care of the Earth Every Day (Kids Save the Earth) by Tammy Gagne

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

Gabby & Grandma Go Green by Monica Wellington

Earth Day Yoga Poses for Kids

Get yourself ready for some yoga fun by clearing a space, kicking off your shoes and socks, and put on comfortable clothing.  Use the Earth Day kids yoga sequence below as a guide or as inspiration for your own poses.  The focus is on using movement to discuss different ways to celebrate our planet, not on perfectly aligned poses.  Encourage your children’s creativity.  Depending on their age, interest, and energy level, you could practice all fourteen poses or just a few.  Begin your yoga session with a warm-up and end in Resting Pose.  Don’t worry if you haven’t tried yoga before, just give it a go.

1. Be a blossoming Flower in your garden – Child’s Pose (seed) to Kneeling (flower)
2. Stand tall like a stainless-steel Water Bottle, instead of a plastic bottle – Extended Mountain Pose, extended arms like the spout of the water bottle
3. Turn off the Lamp to save energy – Mountain Pose, with arms out to side like a lamp shade
4. Move like a Windmill creating wind energy – Mountain Pose, with arms rotating like a windmill
5. Walk to school to reduce gas pollution – Walking on the spot
6. Be a tall Tree swaying the wind – Tree Pose, stand on one foot swaying in the wind
7. Be a Farmer driving a tractor through your chemical-free fields – Chair Pose, with hands on wheel
8. Be a clear, rushing Waterfall that is safe to drink from – Standing Forward Bend, like a waterfall
9. Swim like a Fish through clean ocean waters – Bow Pose, swimming like a fish
10. Twist like an energy-efficient Washing Machine – Hero Pose, sit on your heels with upper body twisting back and forth like the motion of a washing machine
11. Be a Cloth Bag, instead of a plastic bag, to carry groceries – Boat Pose, balance on your buttocks with your legs straight out front like a cloth bag
12. Read a Book about ways to save the Earth – Butterfly Pose, sit with your bent legs and the soles of your feet together like the pages of a book
13. Be a Bicycle that you ride to school to reduce pollution – Knees-to-Chest, on your back with legs pedaling a bike
14. Rest on your back and look at the shining Stars through the clear night sky, with no air or light pollution – Resting (Do Nothing) Pose, lay on your back imagining that you are looking at a clear night sky, breathe deeply and relax.

For images and descriptions of the poses, see our List of Kids Yoga Poses.

For a printable Earth Day Lesson Plan, click here.

My daughter “swimming” like a fish in Bow Pose.

Other Earth Day Activities for Kids

• Research the history of Earth Day and talk about its purpose.
• Create an Earth Day Scrapbook compiling all your research on earth-friendly activities.
• Take pictures of the children practicing the poses and make an Earth Day Book.
• Read books that focus on the environment, like the Magic School Bus Series, The Lorax by Dr. Seuss, or The Wump World by Bill Peet.  Have the children write book reports.  Share your favorites.
• Take a fieldtrip to a local demonstration forest, landfill, factory, recycling center, energy-efficient home, fish farm, or water facility.  Take notes. Encourage the children to share the information with friends, family, and classmates.
• Create a dedicated Earth Day wall for their artwork.  Use recycled material for art supplies.
• Take magnifying glasses and a science notebook to research their observations while visiting a local park.
• Team up with older or younger students to do an Earth Day activity.
• Look at a world map and discuss environmental issues that certain areas have in common.  Find pen pals from other countries who will share environmental issues from their countries and discuss ways to make a difference.
• Make a list of environmental challenges.  Have the children choose one or two that interests them and then research the topic at the local library.  Help them understand its cause, its impact, and what can be done to repair the damage.

Earth Day Yoga Stories for Kids

Two of our yoga books incorporate a subtle message on protecting the environment, which would be perfect for an Earth Day celebration.

Luke’s Beach Day (available in English and Spanish)

Sophia’s Jungle Adventure (available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese)

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