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How to Do Yoga Games with Large Groups of Kids (+ Printable Poster)

Giselle · July 5, 2021 ·

Yoga Games for large groups of kids

Can you imagine a large group of four-year-olds all focused and engaged in yoga poses with their teacher?

Yes, Jodi is one of those teachers who is making this happen. Jodi is a PE teacher and provides 15-minute yoga games for four different Kindergarten to 2nd Grade classrooms at her school. And as far as I’m concerned, she’s rocking it!

I spoke to Jodi on the phone and I’d love to share with you how she structures her yoga breaks for young children in the hopes that her program will inspire you, too. Or maybe you’ll have some of your own ideas to add to the bottom of this post.


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How to set up for yoga games for kids

Jodi makes her own yoga dots by cutting eight circles out of an actual yoga mat, a different color for each grade. I’ve heard of teachers who buy yoga mats for as little as five dollars at local discount stores, like Five Below. The children use the yoga dots, instead of yoga mats. It saves room and then she’s not lugging around yoga mats.

Also, she writes each child’s name on each yoga dot, so she can quickly space out the yoga dots before the children come into class. She can decide which children are best next to each other and others who might benefit from being further away from each other. This part of the process, Jodi says, is crucial to making the best out of their 15-minutes together and they can get right into the yoga practice and limit the time for setup.

Yoga games with large groups of kids: practicing Flamingo Pose | Kids Yoga Stories
Flamingo Pose

Yoga games using yoga cards for kids

Once the children are at their assigned yoga dot spaces, Jodi takes them through a “yoga break” exercise to get them rejuvenated and ready to learn for the day. Here are some yoga break ideas using our yoga poses for kids cards:

1. Music + Yoga Pose:

Place one yoga pose card under each yoga dot. Play classical music, like Beethoven, and have the children move to the music. When the music stops, each child looks under their yoga dot, and practices the yoga pose on the yoga card.

2. Match Yoga Poses:

Place one yoga pose card on each yoga dot. Once everyone has a chance to look at their yoga card, then everyone walks around to find someone else who has the matching color band (category) on their yoga card. Once the partners are united, they can practice the poses together.

3. Partner Yoga Pose Practice:

Give out a yoga card to each child. Then, the children walk around to find someone who has the same color shirt (or eyes, pants, shoes, etc). Once everyone is matched up, the partners practice the poses on their cards together.

4. Fitnopoly

First, watch this YouTube video from Benjamin Pirillo of TeachPhysEd on how to play Fitnopoly. Jodi adapted this Fitnopoly game by putting one of yoga cards under each yoga dot. Her students practice the yoga pose under each yoga dot, then roll the dice to move on to the next yoga pose-yoga dot. She says that it’s a great game to integrate math + movement.

Buy our Yoga Poses for Kids Cards here

Yoga games: practicing Warrior 2 Pose together | Kids Yoga Stories
Warrior 2 Pose

Large group yoga games

Jodi also plays a lot of yoga games with her classes:

1. Strike a Pose:

Play music and the students dance around the room. When the music stops, the children strike a pose. The teacher could call out a pose, or try saying, “Show me a pose of an animal that is found in the water, or flies, etc”. Then the teacher plays the music again, the children dance, music stops, and then they practice a different pose.

2. Wind in the Trees:

Half the students are trees and hold Tree Pose. The other half of the students are the wind and gently travel in and out of the trees.

3. Pose Detective:

Try to give them a yoga pose challenge, like “Show me a pose with 2 feet and 1 hand only on your mat.”

4. Rock/Tree/ Bridge:

The children get into groups of three and line up. The first student in each line becomes a rock (do Child’s Pose), second student jumps over the rock and becomes a tree (do Tree Pose), third person jumps over the rock, goes around the tree, and becomes a bridge (do Downward-Facing Dog Pose). The first student (who was the rock) gets up and goes around the tree and underneath the bridge. The students repeat the pattern.

Once you’ve played a few yoga games with your class, ask the children to make up their own yoga games to share with their friends.

Yoga games playing with large groups: practicing Downward-Facing Dog Pose | Kids Yoga Stories
Downward-Facing Dog Pose

Large group reading and acting out of yoga books for kids

Another exciting project that Jodi introduced to her Kindergarten to 5th Grade students was to integrate yoga into their Winter Fest. This was a school-wide initiative to bring all the children together in the gymnasium to celebrate winter. Jodi had a great idea to add yoga and literacy to the program!

Jodi projected the pages of our Jenny’s Winter Walk yoga book onto a large projector. The grade five students read out the winter walk story, and helped the younger students to practice the yoga poses.

They all acted out what they saw and experienced on a pretend winter walk with the characters in the yoga book. Jodi says that this group experience was a fun and active way to integrate yoga and literacy with multiple ages.

Jenny's Winter Walk Image
Jenny's Winter Walk by Giselle Shardlow, Kids Yoga Stories
Jenny's Winter Walk Image

Images from Jenny’s Winter Walk

About our Featured PE Teacher

Jodi Barasky

Jodi Barasky has taught Physical Education and Health to Kindergarten through 8th graders in the Chicago area for more than twenty years. Though she is an avid Chicago sports fan, in her classes she emphasizes team and individual sports as a lifetime pursuit rather than strictly as a competitive activity. One of her favorite innovations is a curriculum that explores the benefits of yoga for all of her students. She is always delighted to see her students realize that the concepts, themes, and skills of yoga have meaning in their own lives. Whether it’s through yoga, dance or traditional team sports, Jodi strives to build a personal relationship with each one of her students and encourages them to reach their own personal fitness levels. Find Jodi on Twitter.


How to Play Yoga Tag

This yoga game idea comes from Carrie, who is a PE teacher for a primary school. She has generously offered to share this fun yoga game with our community.

How to play Yoga Tag:

  1. Assign four children to be “taggers” and four children to be “defrosters.”
  2. Remind the taggers that their job is to tag another child in a gentle way. You could even give them a ball of yarn to use for tagging, to ensure a gentle touch.
  3. Once a child has been tagged by a tagger, she places her hands on her head.
  4. The tagged child waits for a defroster to come over. Together, they take one yoga pose card and practice the yoga pose together for three to five deep breaths.
  5. Once the defroster and tagged child finish their shared yoga pose practice, then the tagged child becomes a defroster and the defroster becomes a runner trying to get away from the tagger.
  6. The game continues.

Carrie says that her class loves this yoga game because of the constant movement coupled with a stop to practice a yoga pose slowly.

You could also use breathing exercise cards or partner pose cards for the defroster/tagged partner practice.

Do you have any other yoga games to share with our community? Feel free to email me directly with your ideas!


Download your Large Group Yoga Games Poster

Large Group Yoga Games Poster |  Kids Yoga Stories

Check Out Our Yoga Dice Games for Kids

BRING MATH TO LIFE!

This book is for primary school teachers, kids yoga teachers, parents, caregivers, health practitioners, and recreation staff looking for fun, simple ways to integrate math and yoga into their curriculums, classes, or home lives.

Each of the ten yoga dice games includes:

  • A list of materials you’ll need to play the game
  • Which math skills you’ll be practicing in each game
  • How many players you’ll need for each game
  • Instructions for how to play the yoga dice game

These yoga dice games are designed for children ages 4 to 8 (preschool to third grade), but they could be adapted for younger or older children.

The basic math concepts are common in standard preschool and kindergarten classroom curriculums, but these could also be made more difficult for older children.

Each game could last between five and twenty minutes, depending on the needs and interests of the children participating.

Download Yoga Dice Games for Kids book today!

Yoga Games for Kids | Kids Yoga Stories
Yoga Dice Games for Kids

Check out our “Yoga Says…” and Other Easy Yoga Games.

Introduce yoga in a fun and light-hearted way … through yoga games! This book includes 12 easy and engaging group games based on beloved children’s games. Each of the twelve yoga games includes:

• the classic game the yoga game was adapted from

• a list of materials you’ll need to play the game

• instructions for playing the yoga game

These yoga games are designed for children ages 4 to 9 years of age (preschool to third grade), but they could be adapted for younger or older children.

Learn more and purchase “Yogi Says… ” and Other Easy Yoga Games here.

Yoga games for kids | Kids Yoga Stories
“Yogi Says…” and Other Easy Yoga Games

PIN IT FOR LATER

How to Do Yoga Games with Large Groups of Kids | Kids Yoga Stories


Yoga Poses for Kids Cards

Check out our collection of yoga cards for kids:

Yoga Poses for Kids Cards Image
Yoga Poses for Kids Cards
Sophia’s Jungle Adventure Yoga Cards Image
Sophia’s Jungle Adventure

Yoga Cards
bedtime-yoga-cards4-400
Good Night, Animal World

Yoga Cards

Other Yoga Game Ideas

How to Play a Yoga Spinner Game - to learn yoga poses in a fun and active way! | Kids Yoga Stories
How to Play a Yoga Spinner Game
How to play with Yoga Cards for Kids | Kids Yoga Stories
How to Play Yoga Cards with Kids
How to Play a Yoga Pose Memory Game - learn yoga poses, increase memory skills, and get exercise!| Kids Yoga Stories
How to Play a Yoga Pose
Memory Game
 
Easter yoga poses + Easter yoga games for kids | Kids Yoga Stories
How to Play Easter Yoga Game

 

Other Yoga in Schools Resources

Partner Yoga Poses with adult and child | Kids Yoga Stories
Partner Yoga Poses for Kids
How to play with Yoga Cards for Kids | Kids Yoga Stories
How to Play Yoga Cards with Kids
Monthly Kids Yoga Themes | Kids Yoga Stories
Monthly Kids Yoga Themes
4 Ways to Integrate Mindfulness in Schools | Kids Yoga Stories
How to Integrate Mindfulness in Schools
List of 57 Yoga Poses for Kids to get children moving and having fun, while enjoying the benefits of yoga for kids | Kids Yoga Stories
List of 58 Yoga Poses for Kids
How to do Yoga in your Classroom | Kids Yoga Stories
How to Do Yoga in your Classroom

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Filed Under: Free Resources Tagged With: fun yoga games, fun yoga games for kids, yoga books for kids, yoga cards for kids, yoga in schools, yoga poses for kids

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Giselle Shardlow Profile Image Welcome to Kids Yoga Stories. To create the yoga books, yoga and breathing card decks, and yoga and mindfulness classroom resources, I draw from my experience as an international teacher, a world traveler, a certified yoga teacher, and a mom to a spirited child. I’ve been practicing yoga practically my whole life, and after I became a mom, I fell in love with the idea of sharing yoga and mindfulness with my daughter. Read more.

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