Garden Club Group Yoga Pose with Amy Haysman

How to Teach the Best Summer Yoga Camp

How to Run a Successful Summer Yoga Camp

Most of my favorite teaching moments happen during summer yoga camps. Just look at my smile in the picture as we practice Garden Club in yoga camp. Because I’m with the kids and teens for multiple hours several days or weeks in a row, we can go deep into the heart of yoga teachings and explore our creativity in a supportive social environment. We have the space and time required to establish trust, cultivate friendships, and build a strong foundation for physical, mental and emotional well-being.

I created our Grounded In The 5 Elements Curriculum for camp and perfected it after teaching it many times to campers of all ages and getting their valuable input. It includes a curriculum that goes from introducing the 5 elements to lessons about each element that guide the students into self-discovery and balance. The yoga flows and pose sequences inspire the elements from within and include group and partner poses. Each lesson offers specific language to use while teaching, a guided visualization to read during resting pose, and several elevations such as art projects, games, creative writing, and personalized practices.

Here are my do’s and don’ts for running a successful yoga camp.

Do…
1. Get Certified in Children’s Yoga so you can skillfully teach and manage your classes.
2. Teach from a high quality, tried and true yoga curriculum like the ones we offer.
3. Set your location and dates months in advance so parents can plan. I like to offer 1-week camps from either 9 am – 12 pm or 2 pm – 5 pm. Yoga studios, community centers, places of worship, schools and clubhouses are all potential locations. Typically, you will pay rent that amounts to a percentage of your income after other expenses such as supplies are deducted. 20% is the least I’ve paid and 40% is the most. Pay higher rent if the establishment helps advertise your camps.
4. Charge around what other camps in your area cost. Include a materials fee or let it be known that it’s included in the price. Depending on the economics in your area, charge between $15 and $22 per hour per child. You may want to offer a 10% sibling discount. If yoga camp is 5 days at 3 hours a day that is 15 hours. 15×15 = $225. 15×22 = $330. A reasonable materials fee is $30 per child. This is what you can deduct from your income before paying rent.
5. Advertise your yoga camp on social media and ask yoga studios, schools, libraries and local businesses to help spread the word to parents. Print a few flyers to leave at these locations. Email parents of current and former students.

Don’t…
1. Teach by yourself if you have over 10 kids enrolled or if your campers have a large age range such as 4 to 14 years old. You may need to group children by age and ability for certain activities.
2. Let fear stop you. If you’ve never taught a camp before, having a great curriculum will make all the difference. You can limit camp size to 8 kids in the age range that you are most comfortable with until you gain confidence.
3. Leave out specifics on your registration form. Include all the details about dates, times, location, drop-off & pick-up protocol, and payment methods. Ask for details such as emergency contacts, child’s pronouns, food allergies, special needs, and any other info that will help you best serve the camper.
4. Feed the kids anything that the parents haven’t okayed other than water. Better yet, require campers to bring their own healthy snack and refillable water bottle. While we are on this topic, don’t forget to get liability insurance.
5. Wait until the last day to send home all of the art projects and communicate with parents. Daily communication, including a few pics, during camp goes a long way!

I hope this list inspires you to offer a yoga camp this summer! Reach out with any questions or to chat more about Grounded Kids Yoga and how we can support your yoga camp endeavors.

More to Explore

  • When Age Matters

    I want to share some experiences and some trial and errors to encourage teachers to continue with their mission, even when it seems like you’ve hit the wall, or run out of ideas, or question if you are making a difference. 

    Yes, we all hit the wall.  If we didn’t, we wouldn’t know what’s on the other side. The climb over can be tough, but anything that’s easy is just that, easy.  Teaching children is a challenge.  Teachers need to be able to tap into their own light, with conviction, to put forth their best effort, class after class, year after year.  All teachers understand that, right?  But, what if you are teaching pre-school children? What if you are introducing them to something brand new and want them to love it so they will continue?  What if you were teaching them yoga?

  • |

    Stop Foot, Go Foot

    Dr. Suess’s “The FOOT Book” is a delightful tribute to the diverse and multifaceted world of feet. In honor of his fun Suess_openand quirky rhymes, I have put my best foot forward here, in a whimsical approach to show how to work your feet. When you keep your feet in line, you will stay in line. Clearly listen to your feet and discover where they tend to go. Do they turn out or in?  Are they crooked? Do you tend to have low back pain or knee pain? Often this can be traced to your feet.
    When you have clarity in your feet, your life will be sweet.
    As Abraham Lincoln said “Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”

  • |

    when something horrible happens

    truth-1-300x225how do you teach yoga to teens?  you start by teaching Truth.  speak to the highest in them.  they will get it when you tell them that they are a spiritual being in a physical body and that they are immeasurably powerful.   when they root their feet into their mat, into the earth in Mountain pose they will feel steady and strong; a steadiness they themselves create becomes a thing they can rely upon.  when their feet are rooted into the earth, they will become rooted in their integrity. when they are faced with difficult situations they can breathe into steadiness, root into their integrity and make grounded choices.