25+ Yoga Art Project Ideas for Kids Yoga Class (Teacher-Approved)
Explore yoga art project ideas for kids yoga class, including mindfulness crafts, nature art, and creative activities to support focus and self-expression.
Art and yoga have always gone hand in hand for me.
When I lead yoga story times, I almost always include a yoga art project that connects to the theme of the book. There’s something about that transition from movement into creating that helps children settle in a different way. The energy shifts. The room gets quieter. And you can feel their focus deepen.
Back when I was teaching in the elementary classroom, art and nature-based projects were always part of our day—not just as an “extra,” but as an essential piece of learning. I saw firsthand how children need that space to create, to process, and to express what they’re thinking and feeling in their own way.
Art gives children the opportunity to slow down and reflect. It invites imagination. It allows them to explore different materials and textures, work together, and connect more deeply to the theme we’re exploring, whether it’s gratitude, nature, emotions, or mindfulness.
If you also enjoy weaving creativity into your sessions, you might love combining movement with yoga and poetry activities for kids.
Over the years, I’ve also learned so much from our Kids Yoga Stories community. Below, I’ve gathered a collection of yoga art project ideas shared by fellow children’s yoga teachers, organized into themes to help you easily bring them into your own classes.
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25 Yoga Art Project Ideas for Kids Yoga Class
Creative Expression & Reflection
1. Affirmation Art
Invite children to write a positive affirmation such as “I am strong” or “I am calm” on paper or cardstock. Then have them use markers, crayons, or colored pencils to draw an illustration representing that affirmation. You can invite them to share their affirmation with the group or display their artwork around the room.
2. Mindfulness Drawing or Painting
Guide a short visualization, such as imagining a peaceful place in nature. Then invite children to draw what they saw, felt, or experienced. This helps connect internal awareness with creative expression.
3. Emotion Maps of the Body
Have children trace their body outlines and color where they feel different emotions such as calm, anger, or courage. Extend this activity by adding lines or colors to show how a person’s breath moves through the body.
4. Self-Love Mirror Art
Provide each child with a small mirror (or a mirror sticker mounted on black cardstock). Invite them to look at themselves and write positive words or affirmations around the mirror using bright or neon markers. Encourage them to choose words that describe who they are or how they want to feel, such as “kind,” “strong,” or “brave.” This powerful activity helps children build self-awareness and confidence in a very visual and personal way.
5. Yoga Comic Strips
Children create a short comic about a feeling or experience, letting yoga postures become characters in their story.
6. Draw Your Favorite Yoga Pose
After your yoga practice, ask children to draw their favorite yoga posture from the session. Encourage them to include how it felt in their body or what they imagined while doing the pose. You could put these yoga pose posters up in the hallways as a simple reminder to take a pause and strike a pose.
Nature-Inspired Yoga Art
7. Nature Mandalas
Invite children to gather leaves, flowers, sticks, and stones. Then guide them to arrange the items in a circular mandala pattern, starting from the center and working outward. Encourage them to notice patterns, colors, and symmetry as they create.
8. Nature Weaving
Create a simple frame using sticks and string or a paper plate with the center cut out. Children weave yarn or natural materials in and out of the frame, creating their own design.
9. Planting Seeds Activity
Provide each child with a clear cup or jar filled with cotton or soil and a few seeds. Invite them to decorate the container and plant the seeds. Over time, they can observe the growth and reflect on themes of patience and care.
10. Gratitude Tree
Create a tree (or sunflower) using paper or branches and invite children to add leaves labeled with things they are grateful for.
You can also pair these activities with Earth Day yoga for kids to deepen your nature-based lessons.
Mindfulness & Breathing Tools
11. Breathing Wands
Have children create a wand using a craft stick, pipe cleaner, or small branch decorated with beads or ribbons. Show them how to slowly trace along the wand with their finger as they inhale and exhale, helping them pace their breath.
12. Beaded Breathing Bracelets
Provide string or elastic and a set number of beads. As children string the beads, explain that each bead represents one breath. They can later use the bracelet to guide slow, steady breathing. See Nicole’s Seattle Kids Yoga video on Instagram here.
13. Breathing Sticks
14. Lavender Eye Pillows
Create simple pouches filled with rice and lavender to use during rest time.
15. Mindful Glitter Jars
Fill a small jar with water, glitter, and glue or glycerin. After shaking the jar, children watch as the glitter slowly settles, helping them visually connect with calming their thoughts. You can read Lani’s instructions here.
16. Rainbow Breathing Boards
Create rainbow shapes on cardboard and invite children to trace the arc slowly with their finger while matching their breath.
You can support these activities further with simple breathing exercises for kids.
Imaginative & Play-Based Creations
17. Create Your Own Yoga Dice
Have children create or decorate a cube and draw a different yoga posture on each side. Take turns rolling the cube and practicing the poses together.
18. Design a Superhero Character
Children create a character with special powers, draw it, and describe what it helps with and how it makes a difference in the world.
19. Yoga Pose Snow Globe Display
Create a snow globe-style art project by taking photos of each child in their favorite yoga posture. Print the photos and place them inside a decorated snow globe template using paper, paint, or craft materials. Display the finished projects on a bulletin board so children can see themselves as part of the group. This fun and engaging activity builds confidence, encourages participation, and creates a strong sense of community. It can also be a wonderful way to showcase your program to families and support enrollment.
20. Make Your Own Mudra
Children invent a hand gesture that represents something they need, then draw and name it.
21. Decorate Your Own Masks
Provide masks for children to decorate using markers, stickers, or craft materials. Once they are finished, invite the children to act out a character using yoga poses for kids, such as a superhero or animal.
Hands-On & Sensory Yoga Art
22. Affirmation Bracelets
Use beads or string to create bracelets that represent positive thoughts or intentions.
23. Clay Creations
Shape clay into yoga poses, symbols, or nature-inspired objects.
24. Rain Sticks
Create simple rain sticks to explore calming sounds and rhythm.
25. Bag Kites
Decorate small kites and connect them to movement activities like Kite Pose.
26. Worry Stones (Palm Stones)
Provide each child with a small smooth stone or have them create their own using clay. Invite them to decorate the stone with calming colors, symbols, or a simple word like “calm” or “breathe.” Show children how to hold the stone in their hand and gently rub it with their thumb as they take slow, steady breaths. This simple tool can be used anytime they need a moment to pause, focus, and feel grounded.
For Older Children & Tweens
For tips on teaching tween yoga, check out this article to learn how to structure classes and create meaningful themes that connect to their lives. In terms of art projects, some ideas could be:
- Vision boards
- Journal cover design
- Chakra-inspired art
- Dream jars
- Gratitude trees
- Yoga story writing
- Nature art
Yoga art is a natural extension of a yoga practice. It gives children the space to slow down, explore, and express themselves in meaningful ways. And sometimes, it’s in those quiet moments of creating that we see the most. A child focused. A child calm. A child proud of what they made.
Special Thank You to Our Fellow Contributors: Nicole Baker, Synthia G., Lani Rosen-Gallagher, Liz Z., Amanda, JaTorra C., Christine L., Samantha R., and Inés
Would You Like More Done-For-You Ideas Like This?
If you love combining yoga, mindfulness, and creative activities like these, you might enjoy our Kids Yoga Monthly membership.
Each month, we share a new theme with ready-to-use yoga poses, activities, and creative ideas you can bring straight into your classroom or home.
👉 Explore Kids Yoga Monthly here: https://www.kidsyogastories.com/kidsyogamonthly/
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