This garden themed yoga for kids sequence is a fabulous way to celebrate the changing seasons, being out in nature or Earth Day.
“Frogs!”
“Butterflies!”
“Caterpillars!”
My daughter’s preschool classmates were all eager to answer after I asked them what we might see in a garden. I visited their classroom recently to read my garden yoga book as part of their study of the garden and nature. The teachers have done a fantastic job of integrating science, language arts, art, music, and math into their garden studies. They’ve done some wonderful activities, including:
- Created a large group garden mural
- Planted lima beans indoors to watch the beans sprout
- Discussed small creatures that live in and around the garden
- Learned to identify the parts of a flower
- Read garden-themed books
- Talked about what plants need to grow
- Planted a garden in their playground
It is also simple to use movement to teach your children about the garden. Children are born to move. They need to move to learn, be active, and have fun! This garden themed yoga for kids sequence can easily be used at home or school, simply print our our the printable version (download instructions below) to guide you.
To get started, clear a space so the children can move around safely, without bumping into any obstacles. Have your little gardeners wear comfy clothes perfect for gardening. They could practice on a yoga mat—or on a towel if you’re on a non-slip surface—pretending the mat is their garden. Explain that you’re going on a pretend walk through the garden and remind them to bring their creativity and imaginations! Follow along with the five garden yoga poses below. Don’t worry about practicing the perfect yoga postures. Just give it a go and have fun!
Garden Themed Yoga for Kids
These five yoga poses have been sequenced to flow from one pose to the next:
Pretend to be a tree
To do Tree Pose:
Stand on one leg. Bend the knee of the leg you are not standing on, place the sole of your foot on the opposite inner thigh or calf, and balance. Sway like a tree in the breeze. Switch sides and repeat the steps.
Pretend to be a frog
To do Squat Pose:
Come down to a squat with your knees apart and your arms resting between your knees. Touch your hands to the ground. Jump up like a frog and then return to a squat position.
Pretend to be a seed
To do Child’s Pose:
Sit back on your heels, slowly bring your forehead down to rest on the floor in front of your knees, rest your arms down alongside your body, and take a few deep breaths. Pretend to be a seed in the garden.
Pretend to be a butterfly
To do Cobbler’s Pose:
Gently come up and sit on your buttocks with a tall spine. Bend your legs, place the soles of your feet together, and gently flap your legs like the wings of a butterfly.
Pretend to be a flower
To do Flower Pose:
From Cobbler’s Pose, lift your bent legs, balance on your sitting bones, and weave your arms under your legs with your palms facing up. Pretend to be a blossoming flower.
Finish your garden yoga experience by lying on your back with your arms and legs spread out in a Resting Pose. Close your eyes (if that’s comfortable) and take a few deep breaths. Think about what you love about gardens and maybe imagine a rainbow arching across the sky above you.
To extend your yoga experience, you can also make your own list of garden visuals and use our list of Yoga Poses for Kids to find matching yoga poses. Think of things like the sun, rain, a rainbow, a tree, plants, flowers, rocks, birds, butterflies, bees, caterpillars, a wheelbarrow, frogs, ladybugs, dragonflies, or seeds.
As the parent or teacher, join in the garden yoga by hopping like a frog, fluttering like a butterfly, and crawling like a caterpillar. You might be surprised how fun it is! In fact, why not grab your friends and family to create a community yoga garden!
How To Download Your Garden Yoga for Kids Poster:
Click here to save the download to your computer: Garden Yoga for Kids Printable Poster. Open the PDF file and print. When printing, select “Fit to printable area” (or similar) to ensure the page fits with your printer type and local paper size (these have been created at A4 size).
Having trouble accessing or downloading the file? Please try a different internet browser.
Please note: All Childhood 101 printables are for personal use only, you may not use any part of this content for commercial purposes-that includes selling the document, giving it away to promote your business or website, or printing the file to sell. You may not share, loan or redistribute these documents. Teachers may use multiple copies for students in their own classroom.
Giselle Shardlow is the author of Kids Yoga Stories. Her yoga books for kids get children learning, moving, and having fun. Giselle draws from her experiences as a teacher, traveler, yogi, and mom to write the yoga stories found in her Kids Yoga Stories store or on Amazon worldwide. Find her award-winning Rachel’s Day in the Garden yoga book here. You can also connect with Giselle on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
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Christie Burnett is a teacher, presenter, writer and the mother of two. She created Childhood 101 as a place for teachers and parents to access engaging, high quality learning ideas.
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