Kids’ Yoga Lesson Plan:
Let’s Go on a Yoga Adventure to Hungary, India, Italy and Israel!
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 many of these regions.
- 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
- Dog Pose
- Peacock Pose
- Wolf Pose
- Frog 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 Hungary. 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 Hungary starts with the letter H.
Show kids on a map or globe where Hungary is located. People greet one another in this country by saying “Szia”. Encourage children to practice saying “Szia” to one another.
Have children practice DOG POSE, which starts with the letter D, as they pretend to be a Vizsla, which is a type of Hungarian hunting dog. Instruct them to start on their hands and knees. Then have them slowly straighten their arms and legs as they lift their hips. Tell children to look down at their toes as they take 8 deep breaths in and out through their noses.
Have children get back into AIRPLANE POSE as they fly to their next destination, India, which starts with the letter I.
Have them look at a map and identify where India is. Yoga began in India over 5,000 years ago and people greet one another there by saying “Namaste”. Encourage children to greet one another by saying “Namaste”.
Next have children practice PEACOCK POSE, which starts with the letter P. The peacock is the national bird of India and is a symbol of grace, joy, beauty, and love. Instruct them to start by sitting up tall. Then have them spread their legs apart as far as they can comfortably go, taking deep breaths in and out through their noses.
Instruct children to next get back into AIRPLANE POSE to travel to their next destination, Italy, which starts with the letter I. Help children locate Italy on a map or globe, and then teach them to say “Buon giorno” to one another, which means “hello” in Italian.
The Apennine wolf is the national animal of Italy. Have children use their imaginations to make up their own WOLF POSE, which starts with the letter W.
Have children once again practice AIRPLANE POSE as they fly to their next destination, Israel, which starts with the letter I. Help them to locate Israel on a map or globe and then greet one another by saying “Shalom”.
Instruct 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.
