Teamwork with Yoga

Written by A. Simon, December 2018, MN USA

©️Minnesota Kid’s Yoga Co., LLC - Blog

Kids yoga classes should always include teamwork…

As I began teaching yoga to my students over 2 years ago, I noticed that yoga alone was fun for them, but yoga with a buddy or as a group was even MORE FUN. If you want to get kids giggling, and if you want to help them learn about teamwork, then yoga poses together is the way to go!

On health.com/fitness/partner-yoga, 10 poses are suggested when doing partner yoga. Options like supported tree pose, acrobat pose, back-to-back pose, boat pose, and partner straddle pose are fun and engaging ways to get kids moving and flowing together.

When kids do partner yoga, they also work on social skills. Poses together requires them to be patient and kind. It also allows them to learn ways to communicate effectively and positively.

Also, in my kids yoga classes, I like to incorporate games or activities after we do some yoga poses. These games also teach kids valuable lessons around teamwork, cooperation, and sportsmanship. Partner games I like to play in my yoga classes include the following!

4 Kids Yoga Games to Play with Partners:

Game #1 - Triangle Tag

This game is actually played with 4 kids. Three kids hold hands in a circle standing up. The fourth kid tries to tag the third kid who is standing opposite of him/her. The first two kids try to move in circles to protect the third kid from getting tagged! It is a fun interactive team game, that requires kids to move quickly, work together, and become aware of how their bodies move.

Game #2 - Tie Me Up

This game is for 2 people to play. The two kids each have one legged tied to one another (using a handkerchief). Much like in a relay game, the kids try to move and do different postures together at the same time. They have to work together to complete tasks, and form poses without falling over.

Game #3 - Three Blind Mice

This game is for three people. One kid is the speaker, the other two are blindfolded with a handkerchief. The speaker has to tell the blind mice what to do. The two blind mice have to complete tasks/poses, without making a mistake. When a pose is made wrong, then the speaker takes the place of one of the blind mice, and the game continues.

Game #4 - Race to the Bucket

In this game, two kids (partners) have to do poses/activities together while racing to and from a bucket. Each time they reach the bucket they have to grab a ribbon out of it, and bring the ribbon back to their starting spot. When the buzzer blows, the team with the most ribbons wins! Poses/activities can include: table top crawling, down dog walking, horse pose hopping, and airplane pose skipping.

These are just a few ideas of games that can be played while teaching yoga to kids! I’d love to share more… so send me an email!