Encouraging Activity Through Yoga and Games

With the recent rain, the gloomy skies, and of course social distancing, it’s certain that kids and parents alike are starting to go a bit stir crazy. Getting active and playing together is a great way both to get some exercise and ease fears for your little ones. Here are some fun activities you can do together, indoors or out.

1 – Read a yoga book together, or ANY book, and act it out with yoga poses, or create your own unique poses. This will get the imagination firing and the body moving. There are so many wonderful kids yoga books at your local library or on Amazon. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • I Am Yoga​ by Susan Verde
  • The ABCs of Yoga for Kids​ by Teresa Anne Power
  • Good Morning Yoga​ and ​Good Night Yoga​ by Mariam Gates
  • From Head to Toe​ by Eric Carle

2 – Using a low tack tape like painters tape you can create shapes, letters, or numbers on the floor and do the Tape Shuffle! Take turns instructing each other to do fun, active movements. Examples include:

  • Slither to the letter A
  • Crab-walk to the diamond shape
  • Frog-hop to the number 4
  • Hop on one foot to the square shape
  • Penguin waddle to the letter D
  • Gorilla crawl to the number 1

The possibilities are limitless!

A big hit in Fortis Fitness & YOGALUX’s Kids Yoga class is Freeze Dance.

3 – Play a song that your kids love and let them dance and have fun. Randomly stop the music and call out a yoga pose for them to hold for five seconds. Continue playing and stopping the music until the end of the song. Some yoga pose ideas to get started:

  • Butterfly
  • Boat
  • Lion
  • Airplane
  • Warrior one
  • Warrior two
  • Down dog
  • Cobra
  • Child
  • Bridge
  • Forward fold
  • Come up with some of your own!

Most of all, don’t forget to laugh and have a good time. Laughter is wonderful for relieving stress and boosting the immune system! One more tip: If you have a smart speaker, ask Google, Alexa, or Siri to tell you a joke. You won’t be sorry!

Stay tuned for more fun activity ideas on our blog. Until then, stay happy and healthy!

Christa Grau

Christa Grau – KIDS YOGA SPECIALIST

Christa is a lover of all things fitness and yoga. With her love for Yoga and desire to deepen her practice, she decided to get her 200-hour yoga certification in 2015 with Fortis and YogaLux. She felt it was one of the best decisions she had ever made! If you don’t see her in the studio, you can usually find her outdoors! She loves to be out in nature and likes to walk, hike, and go camping with friends and family.