Toddler Beach Adventure
TARGET AGE: walkers through age 3
APPROXIMATE TIME: 45 - 55 minutes
BY: Shari Vilchez-Blatt
MATERIALS: Puppets and music
Warm up (approx. 10 minutes)
• Open class with Rub Your Hands (OM song)
Rub your hands, Sit up tall, Take a deep breath…OM (3 times)
Consider rubbing your feet instead of hands or “om” in an animal sound.
• Introductions: Sing the “Who’s Here Today” song for each child.
Is Layla here today?
Yes, Layla’s here today.
Jump up and down and all around,
Layla’s here today!
• While seated, have the kids stretch out their arms and legs wide and warm up to the
Tick Tock Yoga Clock song.
• Come up to stand and join hands for some circle time. This is a wonderful time to do a
group Tree Pose!
• Since we’re holding hands, let’s Ring Around the Rosie! This is familiar to toddlers
and gives you a chance to do something together as a group. Ring Around the Rosie,
Pockets full of Posie, Tree Pose Tree Pose, We all fall down! Now let’s do our Tree
Pose again!
A toddler Group Train is so
worth the time it takes to set it
up! Be sure to make the sounds
of a train.
Take an Adventure! (approx. 15 - 20 minutes)
• Now you’re ready to take your yoga adventure! Decide how you will get to the beach.
• Will you take a Boat? A Train? Will you march? Will you run? Or take a Horse Ride
to the beach? Maybe you take a Taxi (we recommend the song, Taxi by David
Weinstone)? Or an Airplane?
• Now that you’ve arrived at the beach, take a big deep breath of fresh air and notice
what you smell? Can you smell the ocean? Can you hear the waves? Feel the sun
on your skin?
•
•
Wait! We need to put on sunscreen and some sunglasses. Reach up in the sky and
pull down some imaginary sunscreen. Rub it all over your body. Call out a body part
and have the toddlers find each one. Then ask them if we forgot any spots!
Before jumping into the ocean, stand together in a circle or a line and lift one foot up to
dip into the water. React as if the water is super cold. Try the other foot – maybe it’s
different. Again, pretend as if the water is really cold. Then take a deep breath all
together because you’re nervous that the water is so cold. Model by taking a large,
dramatic breath in and out at least 2 or 3 times. Then, tell them that you feel ready for
anything and jump in!
Ask the children what they see. If kids suggest some things that are not normally found at
the beach, go with it. You may just see a Lion at the beach!
•
6 — 10 yoga poses. (Bring out your beach puppets!) Introduce/choose from Fish,
Clam, Jellyfish, Shark, Sea Horse, Dolphin, Whale, Mermaid, Sea Sponge, Turtle,
Octopus, Crab, Butterfly, Walrus, Seal/Sea Lion, Lobster, Waves, Shells, Starfish,
Boat, Sail Boat, Swimming, Seagulls, Surfers (best to round down the adventure with
Yoga Surfing – suggested music: Wipe Out, Surfin’ USA). Be sure to take some rests
as needed in between the different poses!
Fish Pose: Begin by leaning back on your elbows, bringing your hands up towards your
chest, making fins. Lift your legs and gently shake them like a fish tail. Make a fish face!
Shark Pose: Lie on your belly and interlace your fingers behind your back, making a shark
fin. Lift your upper body and open your mouth wide, showing all of your shark teeth.
Whale Pose: Lie on your stomach, bend at the knees and reach your feet toward the sky.
Place your heels together and your toes apart, making a whale tail. Round your arms into a
circle shape, bringing your fingertips together, creating your big whale head. Now lift your
upper body up off the floor and make whale sounds.
Turtle Pose: Sitting tall, legs open wide with feet planted flat on the floor. Place your hands
in between your legs, then walk your fingers underneath your knees as far back and as
comfortably as you can, bringing your entire upper body down between your legs. Hide in
your turtle shell. Slowly peek your head out, then, hide back in your shell.
Crab Pose: Sit on the floor and plant your hands behind you, fingers facing forward. Plant
your feet firmly and lift your bottom toward the ceiling. You can crab walk side to side,
forwards and backwards. You can also dance and give high fives (with your feet).
Octopus Pose: Sit on the floor and lift your arms and legs into the air. Wave your arms and
legs around while balancing on your bottom. Partner up and you’ll have 8 octopus legs!
Sea Lion Pose: Lie on your back and lift your arms and legs into the air, bending your
knees. Clap your hands, knees, and feet together and bark like a Seal. For a challenge, clap
opposite hand to knee or foot.
Star Fish Pose: Lie flat on your back, with arms and legs spread wide making five points
like a star (including your head). Pull your arms and legs into your body, making a ball, and
then open your arms and legs back out again. You can repeat this fast or slow.
Surfer Pose Sequence: Begin by lying on your belly and imagine that your yoga mat is your
surfboard. Paddle your arms and kick your legs, swimming your surfboard out into the water.
When you see a wave, jump up onto your surfboard into Warrior II Pose to ride it. You can
look through your surfer legs (wide-legged forward bend) and of course, jump over any
whales, dolphins, and motorboats that you might see. Get back down on your belly and
catch another wave.
Note when using props: With most toddlers, it is very important to say “Hello” and “Goodbye”
to each puppet! Allow each child to have a special moment with each puppet. They may give
them kisses, feed them snacks, give a high-five, or just wave to them.
•
After you have seen all your undersea friends, you can head home from your
adventure. Again, decide how you will get home and use the children’s suggestions.
Partner Boat is another fun way to
travel together!
Take Music Break! (5 minutes)
• Toddlers love to make music! Sing the Om Shanti chant together. You can pass out
some shaky eggs, maracas, or just use your hands. Or a game of Freeze Yoga!
• Or…if energy is low, take a storybook break.
Relaxation (5 minutes)
• Put on a relaxing song (Somewhere Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World by Israel
Kamakawiwo’ole is a favorite, or Here Comes The Sun by The Beatles) and have the
children lie flat on their backs to relax. You can give each child a hand/foot rub or a
Spaghetti Test. This is a great opportunity for you to have one on one time with each
student. Take this chance to build some confidence and tell them how great they did
in their class. Over-exaggerate deep breaths with the kids while they relax.
Closing your Class (1 - 2 minutes)
• Once the song ends, ask the kids to wiggle their fingers and toes, and slowly come up
to sit “criss cross apple sauce” one last time.
• End the class how you started it by singing the OM Song again.
Sing the Namaste Song to close your class.
My little light bows to your little light
Your little light, your little light
My little light bows to your little light
NA-MA-STE
If you have a singing bowl, let the kids take a turn. Applaud for a class well done!
The OM Song, Tick Tock Yoga Clock, Om Shanti and Namaste
Song can all be found on Karma Kids Yoga’s Gold Mom’s Choice
award-winning CD, Come Play Yoga!, available at the Karma Kids
Yoga studio in NYC, at CDBaby, Amazon, Yoga Accessories, and
iTunes. To order by phone please call (646) 638-1444. We ship
everywhere!
Other resources:
Check out our Partner Pose Webinar through Kids Yoga Academy
Karma Kids Yoga Children’s Yoga Teacher Training
http://www.karmakidsyoga.com/training.html
Karma Kids Yoga Teen Yoga Teacher Training Intensive
http://www.karmakidsyoga.com/teens.html
KKY’s Yoga in the Classroom and Yoga in the Preschool Classroom Courses
http://www.karmakidsyoga.com/yoga_classroom.html
Also, check out our award-winning Come Play Yoga! CD
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kkyoga
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Karma-Kids-Yoga/118125831606587
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Karmakidsyogany
Karma Kids Yoga, LLC