kids' yoga

How to use The Kids Yoga Deck
Annie Buckley

For Teachers:

Try using The Kids Yoga Deck in the classroom for fun, motivating, and safe physical education; rejuvenating breaks between lessons; or an everyday warm-up and welcome to the day.

Try a "Pose of the Week" or "Pose of the Day" depending on the frequency of practice. Choose one card each time as a focus. Read the card entirely through with students and practice all the ways of exploring the pose as well as some of the ideas. This will give students a chance to thoroughly understand each pose so that they will remember how to practice the poses, as well as learn how to do each one safely. Start by alternating the purple and light green cards for a couple of weeks. Once kids have an understanding of these, add the yellow cards, and then some green, red, and orange cards. Of course, you might just want to start with the blue resting cards right away! Also, displaying artwork and writing inspired by yoga can be a great way to brighten the room and enliven the atmosphere.

Another way to use The Kids Yoga Deck in the classroom is as a daily Yoga Circle. Each day, take fifteen to thirty minutes to exercise the mind and body with yoga. Start with a warm-up sitting on the floor and doing one of the purple cards. Then stand up for some of the light green cards, and end with a blue rest card. The Basic String, Rainbow String, and Energy String are all good ideas for a daily Yoga Circle.

The Kids Yoga Deck also helps a lot for teachers to give students mini-breaks between lessons, before tests, or during challenging times with school-work and/or behavior. I work with a yoga teacher, who started teaching the kids Time-In as a substitute for time-out, to allow kids the opportunity to bring their focus inward and try to calm themselves down. Instead of focusing on their mistakes, they learn to notice and respect their feelings, without acting out.

For Parents:

The Kids Yoga Deck provides a fun way to exercise, relax, create, and play along with your child. Starting Out, try using The Kids Yoga Deck as a family, or letting the kids practice on their own.

When and Where? It is a good idea to try using the deck at a regular time, once a week on Saturdays, every evening before bed, or in the afternoons after school. In the beginning, try choosing from the light green cards to read and practice just to get familiar with them. Try using a blue rest card each time as well. The Basic String is a great place to start, and later it is fun to make up your own with the Rainbow String. You can practice in a clear space at home, or outside in the yard or in the park.

Branching Off: Once you are familiar with the basic poses, it is a good idea to choose two or three cards each time to read thoroughly, practicing and discussing the ideas section as well. This way, yoga stays fun and interesting, adding new poses all the time. Trade Places, and let your kids be the teacher to show you what they know!

How about hosting a Yoga Party! Kids can practice yoga, then do an art activity based on the class. Many of the ideas sections give good suggestions for art and other party activities. The yellow cards are all poses to do with partners and in groups.

You can also bring The Kids Yoga Deck to your child's school to share with the class. Choose some poses ahead of time, and teach a Yoga Lesson as a special guest in the class.