Yoga · Game · Flexibility

Animal poses for kids

A playful yoga zoo: children become a cat, cow, dog, cobra, butterfly and frog, making the animal sounds and holding each shape for a few easy breaths.

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Time: 10 min
Players: 1–20
Age: U4–U10
Area: Mat per person
Equipment: matsanimal picture cards (optional)blocks or folded blankets

Setup

Lay mats in rows with a clear gap between them, all facing the teacher, on a non-slip floor with shoes and socks off.
Have animal picture cards ready, or simply say the animal's name and show the shape yourself.
Agree a 'still and listen' signal first, such as a raised hand, so the group knows when to pause.

How it runs

Start kneeling on all fours in tabletop, hands under the shoulders and knees under the hips. This is 'home base', and everyone comes back here between animals.
Cow and cat (Bitilasana and Marjaryasana): breathe in, let the tummy sink and look up for a soft 'moo'; breathe out, round the back up tall like a startled cat and 'meow'. Five of each, slowly.
Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana, downward-facing dog): tuck the toes, lift the hips up high with bent knees and wag the 'tail' side to side for three breaths, then knees down.
Cobra (Bhujangasana): lie on the tummy with the hands under the shoulders, lift the head and chest just a little and let out a long, quiet 'sssss' as the breath goes out. Two or three small lifts.
Butterfly (Baddha Konasana): sit up with the soles of the feet together and flap the knees gently like wings. Fly somewhere in the imagination for five breaths.
Frog (Malasana, garland squat): feet wider than the hips, sink low with the hands on the floor, then do three small, soft hops and land back in the squat.
Finish curled up as a sleeping mouse in child's pose (Balasana) for five quiet breaths.

Coaching points

Keep holds short, three to five breaths, and change animals before attention drifts.
Demonstrate every shape and use words to guide; teachers don't make hands-on adjustments to children.
Make the animal sounds on the out-breath so the breath keeps flowing; nobody holds their breath.
Praise imagination and effort rather than how far anyone bends.
In cobra the elbows stay bent and the lift stays low; the hands help, they don't push hard.

Common mistakes

Straightening the arms in cobra and squashing the lower back.
Bouncing the knees hard in butterfly instead of flapping gently.
Frog hops turning into big jumps that land on a neighbour's mat.
Staying too long with one animal and losing the group's attention.

Say it: “Move like the animal, breathe like a sleepy one.”

Make it harder

A child invents a new animal shape for everyone to copy.
Add a flamingo: stand on one leg with the arms as wings for three breaths a side.
Link four animals into a short story and move from one to the next without stopping.

Make it easier

Frog with the bottom resting on a block or a folded blanket.
Puppy dog with the knees staying down and the arms stretched forward.
Fewer animals, each shown on a picture card, for the youngest groups.

Reviewed by the Sportdify coaching team.