Kids’ Yoga Lesson Plan:
Let’s Go on a Yoga Adventure to Canada and China
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
- Lynx/Cat Pose
- Moose Pose
- Alligator Pose
- Panda Bear 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 Canada 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 Canada. Lying on their tummies, ask them to lift their chests, arms and legs like a majestic airplane taking off for flight. Airplane starts with the letter A, the first letter of the alphabet, while Canada starts with the letter C.
Show kids where Canada is located on a map. People greet one another in this French and English-speaking country by saying “bonjour.” Encourage children to practice saying “bonjour” to one another.
After saying “bonjour” to one another, it’s time for LYNX POSE. Lynx starts with the letter L and is a medium-sized cat. It is known for having a fluffy coat and black-tipped ears.
Another animal that is native to Canada is the moose which starts with the letter M. Have children make up a yoga pose for Moose, asking them to imagine what a moose looks like and then use their bodies to make that shape.
Have children get back into AIRPLANE POSE as they fly to their next destination, China, which starts with the letter C. Have them look at a map and identify where China is. Teach children how to say “hello’ in Chinese by saying “ni hao.”
China is the home of the endangered Yangtze alligator as well as where paper, kites and soccer were invented! Ask kids what letter of the alphabet alligator starts with (the letter A) and then instruct them how to do ALLIGATOR POSE. Have the children lay on their tummies and bring their arms forward with palms together. They can open and shut their palms like a snapping Yangtze alligator from China!
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.
Another animal native to China is the panda bear. Panda starts with the letter P. Instruct children to sit cross legged and take slow deep breaths in and out through their noses as they imagine themselves as cute and cuddly panda bears.
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.
