How do I create a kids yoga lesson plan for different age groups?

Start with our lesson plan template, which includes the full Grounded class arc: Theme, Heart Action, Yoga Philosophy, Alignment Action, Tune In, Warm-Up, Sequence, Cool Down, Rest, Elevate, and Sprinklings. This arc applies across age groups — you just adjust how it’s delivered. For preschoolers and young kids, use more repetition, songs, and visual cues. Keep pose instructions short and playful, and limit sequences to 4–6 poses. Plan for a 30-minute class. For elementary students, add longer flows and integration projects such as art that helps emphasize the theme or creating a mini flow based on what they are working on in their own lives. With tweens and teens, increase complexity, emotional reflection, and opportunities to co-lead. The structure stays consistent — the rhythm, pacing, and tone evolve with the child.

Where can I find printable or downloadable yoga lesson plans for kids?

Grounded Kids Yoga offers physical and printable lesson plans and visual class templates in our trainings, products, and downloads. Our 11-part lesson plan format is used across all age groups, and you’ll find themed sequences in our 6 Essential Lesson Plans and Videos, all of our curriculum, and training manuals. Use our templates to build custom flows or pull ready-made plans like our Focus in Time, My Breath Flow, or Charlie and the Chakra Factory. These are ideal for teachers, therapists, and parents who want to guide meaningful classes using real methodology.

How do I build a weekly or monthly yoga curriculum for children?

Use the 5 Elements Bundle or the Grounded in Color Collection to structure a full year of monthly themes. Choose a focus like Trust, Power, or Compassion, then design a class around each using poses, breathwork, and heart actions. Right there you have one year of monthly classes that build on one another so your students keep coming back. Other ideas for monthly or weekly series include repeating mini-flows and adding complexity to build skill and confidence. Offer experienced students what we call Ground Breaking options as challenges to go deeper into poses. Perhaps align each class with a season, SEL goal, or developmental milestone. The Pose Cards and Lesson Plan Template as well as all of our curriculum make it easy to organize class arcs around purpose—not just movement.

How do I sequence yoga poses for kids in a safe and engaging way?

Grounded pose flows follow a full-spectrum sequence: Centering → Breathwork → Warm-ups → Strengthening → Balance → Cool Down → Rest. Each category includes poses that build stamina, confidence, and self-awareness. Use mini-flows like “Charge Your Power” or “Feel Your Breath” to layer repetition with creativity. Add transitions like “Don’t Rock the Boat” or “Because I Said So” to maintain flow and focus. Sequencing should match the age, mood, and setting of each class. You can also use ready-made flows from our Focus in Time Kit, which includes five printable yoga sequences between 4 and 10 minutes long — ideal for movement breaks, transitions, or short, structured practice sessions.

How do I use children’s books and storytelling in kids yoga lesson plans?

Use each page of the book as a yoga prompt, or let the kids act out the story using poses. Choose books that match your theme and heart action. For example, a story about bravery can become a Warrior flow. After reading, repeat the poses, reflect, and let kids create new movements based on the story. Storytelling builds literacy, self-expression, and body awareness. It’s not just enrichment — it’s core to how children learn through yoga.

What are the essential parts of a well-structured children’s yoga class?

Every Grounded Kids Yoga class follows a clear rhythm that creates safety, consistency, and flow. We use a structured 11-part format that includes: Theme, Heart Action, Yoga Philosophy, Alignment Action, Tune In, Warm Up, Sequence, Cool Down, Rest, Elevate, and Sprinklings. The sequence is flexible, but the flow matters. You start by setting the energetic tone, then layer in poses, transitions, stories, breathwork, and activities that match your group and theme. For younger kids, you might emphasize repetition and ritual. For older students, you can expand into co-creation, reflection, and stillness. What makes the structure “essential” is how it helps children feel safe enough to explore and elevate.

How can I align yoga lesson plans with SEL or homeschool learning goals?

Grounded lessons integrate Social Emotional Learning through heart actions, breath-based regulation, and connection-centered pose flows. You can map each class to CASEL core competencies using our themes: Trust (Self-Awareness), Power (Self-Management), Compassion (Relationship Skills), and so on. For homeschoolers, our Homeschool Yoga & Mindfulness Toolkit and Printed Homeschool Yoga Starter Pack offer ready-to-use curriculum, printable tools, and regulation sequences designed for home-based learning. These resources provide structure and self-reflection while meeting movement, mindfulness, and literacy standards. The Curriculum & Lesson Plans Collection also includes options aligned with common core and SEL goals. Each lesson can incorporate journaling, reading, or expressive art during the Elevate phase of class. Grounded yoga sequences are an approved activity for Physical Education credit in many states.

What should a beginner-level kids yoga curriculum include?

Start with repetition-based flows, basic alignment cues, and visual aids like Pose Cards or floor markers. Each class should include a Theme, Heart Action, Alignment Action, Tune In, Pose Flow, Rest, and Closing. Stick to foundational poses like Mountain, Tree, Down Dog, Cobra, and Resting Pose that you can use in each class. Our Solid Ground Flow is a kid-friendly sun salutation perfect for beginners. Use our Lesson Plan Template and pre-made mini-flows to build consistency. Over time, add co-leading, story elements, and effective rituals to deepen engagement.

How do I adapt lesson plans for short time blocks like morning meetings or brain breaks?

Use short yoga sequences that follow the Grounded rhythm: Theme → Movement → Rest. Just compress the arc. These micro-flows are ideal for classroom transitions, sensory breaks, and behavior resets — especially when repeated daily. Our Focus in Time Kit was specifically created for this. It includes 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10 minute sequences that are easy to teach with no props and no prior yoga experience required. Lessons like “Prepare to Thrive,” “Time & Again,” and “Strengthen Your Spine” use clear visuals and repeated rhythm to help kids shift state quickly and sustainably. These can be used in schools, therapy sessions, or at home.

What are fun and effective yoga themes to use with children?

Children learn best through themes that feel familiar, fun, and meaningful. Our Grounded Kids Yoga themes combine movement, story, and emotional growth in ways kids remember and love. Examples include: Charlie and the Chakra Factory — explore energy centers through character development and chocolate-factory-style wonder. Yamas and Niyamas — Once you are confident in your understanding of these External and Internal principles, you can teach them in the right setting in age-appropriate ways to even the Pre-Grounded kids ages 3 to 6. Pizza Party — layer poses and breath like ingredients to build focus, connection, and body awareness. Superhero Alignment — embody grounded strength, flexibility, and compassion through themed flows tied to the chakras. Inner Fire — ignite confidence and personal power through breath, balance, and movement. My Breath Flow — use visualization and rhythmic movement to build awareness and regulation. Each theme is mapped to alignment actions, heart virtues, and developmental goals — making them ideal for school settings, enrichment programs, or therapy-based sessions.

Karen Stern, Author at Grounded Kids Yoga

Child meditating in sunlight during a kids' yoga class.

Interviews & Features

Kids Warm to Yoga: How Grounded Kids Yoga Helps Children Thrive Mentally, Physically & Emotionally

In today’s fast-paced world, yoga may be the one activity kids actually need more of. In this article, Amy Haysman of Grounded Kids Yoga shares how yoga helps children manage stress, build focus, and discover their inner light. From emotional regulation to improved coordination and confidence, yoga offers lifelong tools for kids of all abilities—including those with special needs.

Peaceful Kids

Sedef Dion, co-creator of the Pre-Grounded Kids program, is interviewed in an article entitled “Peaceful Kids” in the Alpharetta Lifestyle magazine.

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Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Grounded Kids Yoga provides in-person and online training, professional development workshops, and ongoing support for educators, parents, and clinicians. We specialize in kids yoga, mindfulness, social-emotional learning (SEL), trauma and pain management, emotional regulation, and impulse control for preschool through high school students. Each year, we serve thousands of children and teens through school programs, after-school enrichment yoga clubs, summer camps, Girl Scouts, 4-H conferences, and yoga studios across Atlanta, the Southeast, and nationwide.