Fun Friday: Yoga Games for Families "Yogi Says"
When we teach yoga to kids at after school programs and for large groups, we often play games when we have time or in lieu of story time. One of our favorites that we love to share with classroom teachers and families is "Yogi Says". Many of us remember "Simon Says" from our school days. This variation allows us to add some Mindful Movement to our day in a fun and engaging way.
Pick a "yogi" to call out the actions. Remember, if the guide doesn't say "Yogi Says" before the action, DON'T DO THE POSE! Because there are no winners or losers in yoga, we have adjusted the rules. Everyone does all of the poses, all of the time. You can pass out popsicle sticks or some other "counter" and when everyone has lost one, the game is over!
Some ideas to call out are:
Elephant breath
Warrior 2
Balance on 3 body parts
Pat your belly
Sunrise/Sunset
Dragon
Chair Pose
Give yourself a hug/ Eagle arms
Giraffe (Side angle pose)
Volcano breath
Cobra Pose
Dad reading the paper pose (standing pigeon)
Rub your head
Yogi Jumping Jacks (hop from Mountain to Star)
Dancer Pose
5 second dance party
Falling star (Star with one leg lifted)
Happy Baby
River (seated forward fold)
happy baby
Warrior 3
Table
Slide
Wiggle your fingers
tiptoe balance
Downward dog
Two foot hop
Bamboo pose
Shake your leg (R/L)
Cow face arms
Cat/Cow
Triangle pose
Pirate Pose
Airplane Pose
Dolphin pose
Lion roar
Shark Pose
Super hero pose
Cross body hand to knee touches
Pat yourself on the back
make a funny face
Gorilla
Windmill (wide leg fold twist)
Twist at your waist
Rag doll
Lunge with a twist
Tree
Frog
Balance on your toes in a squat
Karate kid kicks
You can write these on cards and draw them at random, or simply use the list to call out names. Either way, you are SURE to have a ton of fun!
