Yoga with kids

Yoga with kids works best when it's short, playful and done side by side. Pick a handful of poses kids can picture, like tree, downward dog, cobra and the warriors, hold each for a few breaths and add a sound or a story. About ten minutes is plenty, finishing with everyone lying still on the floor.

We make a workout app for grown-ups, not a kids' yoga course. These are beginner poses you do with your kids beside you, copying you. If you're new to them yourself, start with our guide to yoga for beginners at home.

Does yoga count as exercise for kids?

Yes. The Australian guidelines recommend children and young people aged 5 to 17 include muscle and bone strengthening activities 3 days a week "as part of the 60 minutes of daily activity", and yoga is on their list, alongside running, climbing, swinging on monkey bars and push-ups.

A slow flow like the one below won't get most kids puffing, though, and the 60 minutes is about activity "that makes the heart beat faster." So yoga goes alongside the running-around kind of play, not instead of it. Our indoor exercise games cover the puffing part on a rainy day.

Which yoga poses do kids enjoy?

Kids tend to like the poses with animal names, and the balances they can wobble in. These are all easy to copy, and each has an easier version.

Animal poses

• 
  Downward dog

  From hands and knees, tuck the toes and lift the hips up into an upside-down V. Wag your tail, or walk the feet on the spot. Heels don't need to touch the floor, and bent knees are fine.

• 
  Cobra

  Lie on your tummy with your palms under your shoulders. Lift your chest a little, keeping the hips and legs on the floor, and hiss like a snake. Easier: rest on your forearms.

• 
  Cat-cow

  On hands and knees, round your back up high like a cat and say "meow". Then let your tummy sink and lift your head like a cow, and say "moo". Go slowly, back and forth.

Standing and balancing

• 
  Tree pose

  Stand on one leg with the other foot on the inside of your ankle, calf or thigh, never on the knee. Look at one spot, then grow your branches up and sway in the wind. Easier: toes on the floor, heel on the ankle, or a hand on the wall.

• 
  Warrior I

  Take a big step back, bend your front knee over your ankle and reach both arms up high. Easier: a shorter step and less bend in the knee.

• 
  Warrior II

  Feet wide, front foot pointing forward. Bend the front knee, stretch your arms out level with the floor and look past your front hand, as if you're aiming at something.

Resting on the floor

• 
  Child's pose

  Kneel, sit your hips back towards your heels and stretch your arms forward with your forehead on the floor. Kids can curl up small like a turtle in its shell. Easier: knees wider apart.

• 
  Bridge pose

  Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, then press through both feet to lift your hips. Make the bridge high enough for a toy car to drive underneath. Easier: lift only partway.

• 
  Corpse pose

  Lie on your back with arms by your sides, palms up, and stay still for a minute or two. With kids, you can call it a sleeping starfish instead.

A 10-minute yoga flow to do together

This flow starts on the floor, comes up to standing and finishes lying down. Hold each pose for the time shown, or about five slow breaths, and do the standing poses on both sides. With the moves between poses, it takes 8 to 10 minutes.

If they're still keen, go through poses 2 to 4 again before you stand up. If they're losing interest, skip ahead to bridge and the rest at the end.

How do you keep yoga fun for kids?

Make it a game rather than a class. A few things that help:

• Make the sounds: hiss in cobra, meow and moo in cat-cow, and a bark or two in downward dog.
• Tell a story: a walk through the bush where you meet a dog, a snake and a cat, stand tall as a tree, cross a bridge and lie down for a sleep.
• Let them lead: take turns choosing the next pose, or being the teacher while everyone else copies.
• Have a tree challenge: who can stay a tree the longest? Falling out and trying again is part of the game.
• Play yoga freeze: dance to music, and when it stops, everyone freezes in the pose someone calls out.
• Go easy on the corrections: fix anything that could hurt, like a foot pressing on the side of the knee in tree pose, and let the rest go.
• Keep it short: stop while they're still having fun.

Is yoga safe for kids?

Yoga is "generally considered a safe form of physical activity for healthy people when performed properly", according to the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). It suggests beginners avoid headstands, shoulder stands, the lotus position and forceful breathing, so none of those are in this guide.

• Never push a child further into a pose. A stretch shouldn't hurt. If it does, ease off or use the easier version.
• Do it with them. The NCCIH notes that learning yoga on your own without supervision has been linked with higher risk.
• Clear the space so nobody topples into a table in tree pose.
• Injury or health condition? Check with your doctor first.

The Flow State pack

Every pose in this guide is in Flow State, a Workout Pack in Streaks Workout, our workout app for grown-ups. It's bought once, and each pose is animated, so kids can copy the figure on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV. It has four workouts, and none need equipment:

• Sun Salute Flow: a steady flow through the basic poses, with a plank.
• Balance & Breath: slow standing balances, then a long, quiet finish on the floor.
• Warrior Flow: the warrior poses, triangle and tree, twice through. It's the one marked a little harder.
• Evening Unwind: slow floor poses for before bed.

You can also build the flow above as your own workout, with your own times for each pose. On the TV, everyone can follow along from the floor. Our guide to working out with your Apple TV covers setting up the room.

Common questions

What are easy yoga poses for kids?

Tree pose, downward dog, cobra, cat-cow, child's pose, the warrior poses and bridge pose are all easy to copy, and each has an easier version. Finish lying still in corpse pose.

How long should a yoga session with kids be?

Around ten minutes is a good start. Hold each pose for a few breaths rather than a long time, and stop while everyone's still enjoying it.

Does yoga count as exercise for kids?

The Australian guidelines list yoga among the muscle and bone strengthening activities they recommend for children and young people on 3 days a week, as part of their 60 minutes of daily activity. A slow flow won't get most kids puffing, so it goes alongside more energetic play, not instead of it.

Do kids need a yoga mat?

No. A rug is fine for the poses on the floor, and bare feet grip best. A mat helps most in downward dog and the standing poses, where hands and feet can slide.

Sources

1. Australian Government Department of Health. Physical activity and exercise guidelines for children and young people (5 to 17 years). Last updated 13 March 2026. health.gov.au
2. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Yoga: effectiveness and safety. Last updated August 2023. nccih.nih.gov