Halloween Preschool Yoga: Learn Life Cycle of a Pumpkin through Movement
Halloween is such a fun time of year for little ones—all the costumes, family get-togethers, treats, and celebrations! But the weather also changes, and sometimes it’s hard to get outside to get ample exercise and fresh air.
If you’re looking for a fun and active Halloween preschool activity that’s educational and non-spooky, try Pumpkin Yoga!
Check out the list of yoga poses below to get out your wiggles and learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin. This is a perfect indoor activity for a fall or Halloween celebration in your preschool.
Halloween Preschool Yoga: Learn about the Life Cycle of a Pumpkin through Yoga Poses:
These five yoga poses take you through the five stages of a pumpkin’s life cycle to teach your preschool or kindergarten students. If you’ve never tried yoga, don’t worry—just jump in and give it a try. Encourage the children’s creativity if they want to try new yoga poses or come up with their own. Focus on having fun with movement while learning about pumpkins:
After your life cycle of a pumpkin yoga session, you could also talk about their favorite pumpkin recipes, like pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin soup, or pumpkin bread. And even bring in a pumpkin treat for the children to taste (if food is allowed in your preschool).
1. Pretend to be a pumpkin seed.
How to practice Child’s Pose: Sit on your heels, slowly bring your forehead down to rest on the floor in front of your knees, rest your arms down alongside your body, and take a few deep breaths. Pretend to be a pumpkin seed in the garden.
2. Pretend to be a pumpkin sprout.
How to practice Extended Child’s Pose: Sit on your heels, slowly bring your forehead down to rest in front of your knees, place the palms of your hands flat out in front of you, and take a few deep breaths. Imagine being a pumpkin sprout with growing leaves.
3. Pretend to be a pumpkin vine.
How to practice Extended Cat Pose: Come to all fours, extend one leg out behind you, and look forward. Take the opposite arm out in front of you to counterbalance. Pretend to be a growing pumpkin vine. Repeat on the other side, pretending to be more vines.
4. Pretend to be the yellow flowers.
How to practice Flower Pose: Come to sit on your buttocks with a tall spine, lift your bent legs, balance on your sitting bones, and weave your arms under your legs with your palms facing up. Pretend to be the yellow flowers budding on a pumpkin plant.
5. Pretend to be a pumpkin (first green, then orange).
How to practice Knees to Chest Pose: Lie on your back, bend your knees, and hug them close to your chest. Roll from side and side, pretending to be a pumpkin growing larger and larger.
Some fun pumpkin books for preschoolers:
To go along with the life cycle of a pumpkin yoga session (or a Halloween Preschool Yoga session), check out a non-fiction book that shows the growth of the seed to the pumpkin, like From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer and James Graham Hale. Or check out these pumpkin picture books for your preschool classroom to get you in the mood for Pumpkin Yoga:
(Amazon affiliate links below)
The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin
by Joe Troiano and Susan Banta
This was my favorite of the pumpkin books. It’s a delightful story of how a square pumpkin feels different than the rest of the pumpkins in the patch, but then his shape comes to the rescue when a storm hits. A great story to talk about being different and embracing our superpowers. Ages 4+
The Biggest Pumpkin Ever
by Steven Kroll and Jeni Bassett
This sweet book is about two mice who are both unwittingly looking after a pumpkin day and night. Together, they grow a huge pumpkin that wins the local pumpkin contest. A great book to talk about the benefits of working together. Ages 4+
Big Pumpkin
by Erica Silverman and S.D. Schinder
This is a rhyming, repetitive book in which a witch elicits the help of a bat, a mummy, a vampire, and a ghost to help get her large pumpkin off its vine. Not a good book if your child is sensitive to the ghoulie characters, but good for talking about working together as a team. Ages 4+
The Runaway Pumpkin
by Kevin Lewis and S.D. Schindler
This is a silly rhyming book about a pumpkin that rolls its way down a hill at a family farm, only to end up in a garden patch ready for the grandmother to make lots of pumpkin treats. Ages 3+
Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin
by Mary Serfozo and Valeria Petrone
This is good book for your littlest learners if you’re interested in a light-hearted rhyming book about pumpkins. Ages 2+
Have fun with Pumpkin Yoga! Wishing you a safe and fun Halloween!
Watch the Halloween Preschool Yoga Video
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