Kids’ Yoga Lesson Plan:
Let’s Go on a Yoga Adventure to France and Greece
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
- Bridge Pose
- Hare Pose
- Dolphin Pose
- 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 France 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 France. 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 France starts with the letter F.
Show kids on a map where France is located. Teach them how to say ‘hello’ in French. Have them practice saying “bonjour” to one another.
Explain to them that in France a person can walk across the world’s tallest bridge, climbing higher than the Eiffel Tower. Then have them practice Bridge pose, which starts with the letter B. Instruct children to lie on their backs with their knees bent. Next have them lift their hips, keeping their arms straight on the floor underneath them.
European brown hares are found in most of France. Hare starts with the letter H. For HARE POSE, instruct children to crouch on their knees, with their elbows bent in front of them. Hares are like rabbits, but are larger in size, and have longer ears and hind legs.
Have children get back into AIRPLANE POSE as they fly to their next destination, Greece, which starts with the letter G.
Look with children at a map or globe and find Greece. Teach them to say “Yassas” which is how Greek people greet one another.
Next have children practice DOLPHIN POSE, which begins with the letter D. Dolphins have been a part of Greek civilization for over 3,000 years, and their playful images appear on ancient wall paintings, pottery, coins and jewelry. Instruct children to sit on their heels with their arms stretched in front of them. Next have them straighten their legs while keeping their forearms on the floor. Have them look at their feet as they slowly count to eight before releasing the posture.
Besides dolphins, Greece is also home to the brown bear, which starts with the letter B. There are an estimated 450 brown bears in Greece in the mountainous regions. Ask children to pretend they are Greek brown bears as they stand with their knees slightly bent and their elbows bent to their sides with their hands curled. Have them take several deep breaths in and out through their noses in the playful BROWN BEAR POSE.
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.
