3 Creative Ways to Do Yoga with Toys

TOYS!  What child doesn’t love them?

Puppets, stuffed animals, dolls, toy trains, planes & trucks, the list goes on and on…

I’m sure your child got an assortment of toys for the holidays that they have been enjoying playing with.

But, did you know that toys are a perfect prop for teaching children yoga, focus, and relaxation?

Yoga with Toys

As a yoga teacher, I have experimented with different kinds of props and have found that some of my most popular lessons have been using simple toys to spark a child’s imagination.  I have my very own collection of stuffed animals and puppets which I love using in my classes.

Here are three ways to use what’s in your child’s toy chest or play room to teach your children positive, healthy yoga and movement activities while having FUN!

1) Toys are great for exploring Yoga Poses and Movement.  

Grab your child’s favorite stuffed animals, dolls, trucks or puppets and go on a yoga adventure with them.   A toy can be a wonderful prompt to MOVE and BE like the animal or object which the toy represents.  Bark in Downward Dog Pose, Fly in Airplane Pose, Arch your Back in Cat Pose, Squat in Frog Pose…You don’t even need to be familiar with the yoga poses to enjoy this play time with your child. Just ask your child how a snake, a butterfly, or a car or truck moves and then stretch your body this way or that.  Recently, a parent shared with me that once a week her 2 year who is in one of my preschool yoga enrichment classes would lay out a blanket and her stuffed animals and pretend to be the ‘yoga teacher’!

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2) Toys are wonderful props for developing focus and concentration.

Whenever I bring out my bag of finger puppets, all my students get excited and are ready to explore our yoga poses together.  They all watch and listen in anticipation as each child chooses a puppet from the bag and leads the class in a yoga pose!  Doing yoga with a toy helps children focus while trying some of the more challenging poses.  For example, ask your child to hold the puppet or toy out in front of them or place it on their head when doing a Tree Pose, which helps keep their attention on standing still and steady in the pose.

You can buy a set of adorable plush animal finger puppets for your child on my shop by following this link HERE or clicking on the image below.
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3) Stuffed animals or beanie babies are a fun breathing or relaxation ‘buddy’.

Your child’s favorite stuffie is the perfect companion for breathing exercises or relaxation time.  Place the beanie baby or stuffie on your child’s belly as they are lying on the ground or snuggled up in bed.  Have your child close his or her eyes and breathe in and out, slowly as they give their stuffed animal friend a gentle ride on their belly.  The kids love this!   This breathing exercise can be done right before bedtime so children can enjoy a restful night’s sleep.

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For more creative ideas on using props for yoga, look at some of my other posts:

Fun Finger Puppets as Yoga Props

Imagination Kids Yoga Props

Kids Yoga Props on a Budget