Kids’ Yoga Lesson Plan:
Let’s Go on a Yoga Adventure to Australia and Brazil
A 20-minute, free yoga lesson plan for ages 3-8
Suitable for home, preschool, daycare, elementary schools, yoga studios and more!
- This classroom or at-home kids’ yoga lesson plan focuses on global awareness for kids through the practice of yoga. Children will learn kid-friendly facts about different countries as well as easy-to-learn yoga poses. This is a great way to introduce young kids to yoga, the alphabet, and geography. There are 195 countries in the world plus about 60 dependent areas. This lesson plan is a companion guide to the award-winning book, The ABCs of Yoga for Kids Around the World, which is a fun-filled yoga tour of 32 countries.
- If your classroom has a carpet, kids can practice the yoga poses on the carpet. In addition, kids can use yoga mats or a beach towel to do the poses. Hold the poses anywhere from 8 to 10 seconds. As it takes time to get into the poses, counting should begin once the children are in the posture.
Yoga Postures in this Lesson Plan
- Candle Pose
- Easy Pose
- Airplane Pose
- Koala Pose
- Kangaroo Pose
- Rhea Pose
- Jaguar Pose
- Do Nothing Pose
Lesson Plan
Have kids start in CANDLE POSE to help them begin to focus on their breath. Instruct them to kneel on the floor and bring their hands in prayer position in front of their heart, taking several deep breaths in and out through their nose to calm their minds and bodies and to prepare for the rest of the class. Ask children what letter of the alphabet Candle starts with. (the letter C)
Next, ask kids to sit cross legged in EASY POSE, again taking deep breaths in and out through their noses. Ask them to imagine they are going on a trip to Australia to learn about this country and practice some yoga poses inspired by the animals who live there. Ask them what letter Easy Pose starts with. (the letter E)
Instruct kids to do AIRPLANE POSE next as they imagine flying to Australia. Lying on their tummies, ask them to lift their chest, arms and legs like a majestic airplane taking off for flight. Airplane and Australia both start with the letter A, the first letter of the alphabet.
Show kids where Australia is located on a map. Explain that In the United States we say “hello”, and that in Australia people greet one another by saying “Gi’day”. Have children practice saying “Gi’day” to one another.
After saying “Gi’day” to one another, it’s time for KOALA POSE. Instruct students to stand up and then bend over to bring their hands and feet on the ground. Looking forward, have the children begin to walk, using opposite hands and feet. Ask them what letter of the alphabet Koala starts with. (The letter K)
With around 50 million of them across the Australia – twice the number of residents – kangaroos are one of Australia’s most easily spotted native animals. Just like the Koala pose, the KANGAROO POSE starts with the letter K. Have kids bend their knees and then jump up like hopping Kangaroos!
Have children get back into AIRPLANE POSE as they fly to their next destination, Brazil, which starts with the letter B. Have them look at a map and identify where Brazil is.
Teach children how to say “hello” in Portuguese, the native language of Brazil, by saying “ola” to one another. Then have them practice the RHEA POSE. (Starts with the letter R) Rheas are only found in South America and live in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. Have children stand tall as they bend one leg and bring their foot inside their thigh. Next, have them tilt forward with their hands in prayer position behind their backs. Have them slowly balance with their necks forward and chins held high before switching sides.
In Brazil, there are many kinds of different animals, including jaguars. Jaguar starts with the letter J. Have kids pretend to be jaguars from Brazil as they practice this posture. Instruct them to get into a lunge position with their right leg bent and back leg straight with their knee on the ground. Have them bring their arms down alongside their front bent knee. Ask them to hold this pose for the count of eight before switching sides.
After a such busy “trip”, tell children that the last destination on their global travels is to rest, imagining that they are on top of a cloud in the DO NOTHING POSE. This yoga pose starts with the letter D and is one of the most important as it teaches kids how to just sit still and do nothing, except to breathe quietly in and out of their noses. You can play a soothing lullaby while the kids lie on their yoga mats or towels, with their arms alongside their bodies, and their eyes closed. Tell them to rest quietly until the song is over. If you have a bell, ring it to let them know that it is time to get up.
Have kids end the yoga session in EASY POSE. You can ask them which country was their favorite as well as which yoga pose. This is a fun way to encourage them to talk about and articulate what they learned during the session.
