Last month I finally broke open my Mini Pose Cards from Grounded Yoga. Okay, now how to use them, I thought. It just so happened that I was launching a new class that night called, “Girls Night Out” (8 – 12 years) and that I had a full house of 18 (some of which Iʼd never met). One of the main intentions for this new class was to create a space for girls to come together and connect. So, what a perfect opportunity to use the Mini Pose Cards as a tool to do so. As the girls were arriving, I came around and placed a mini pose card on their mat. I asked them to keep it safe for the whole night. Once everyone arrived, I introduced the “Mini Pose Card Icebreaker – Get To Know You Game” and hereʼs how it works:

1. Everyone begins in a seated position.

2. One by one, ask the children to stand up, say their name, read their mini pose card and show the group the posture.

3. Remind the rest of the children to pay attention and remember which pose goes with which person because they will soon be tested!

4. After about 6 – 8 children, pause the group and say one of the childrenʼs names who introduced themselves. That person is to remain quiet in a seated position while the rest of the group shows you the posture that went with the selected personʼs name (I like to use a bell to cue them to sit back down after practicing/showing you the posture).

5. Continue to say several more names (one at a time), asking the rest of the group to show you which pose belonged to that person.

6. Carry on with the remainder of the group, asking each person one by one to say their name, read their pose and show the group the posture.

7. Once you have gone through everyone, resume to testing the children by saying one personʼs name and asking the rest of the group to show you the corresponding posture!

Not only is it a fun “get to know you” game but it is also a great warm-up as the children move in and out of a number of postures!

*Bonus*

Near the end of the night we break out into a full on yoga dance party! The children are asked to either hold onto their mini pose card or remember their pose for the dance game. When the music plays, the children dance freely around the room. When the music stops, they freeze. For the first person, I say a name and they show their pose. The rest of the group follows and does the posture. After that, the person who was first selected choses the next person by tapping them on the shoulder during the dance movement.

When the music stops, the newly selected yogi does their pose and the rest of the group follows. It keeps going in this way as each new child selects another to show their pose when the music stops. Another great way to use the Mini Pose Cards! Thank you for reading.

Namaste,

Vanessa Braun, Storyoga Instructor