Happy Baby Yoga Pose for Kids!

When doing happy baby with kids remember to never push them past their abilities. Each week, 2-3 days, we do a 15 minute yoga work out in my home daycare. Kids from 1 1/2 to 4 do this and while each does as much as they are able and in a way they are capable of they all get a nice stretch, a scheduled work out time, and some fun new body movements. We do the sun salutations and then add a few jumps, hops, new yoga pose, and teacher assisted summersaults at the end. In the case of this pose we were able to include the babies! In doing these poses always consult a doctor first, only attempt what is in your child’s ability level, and do what is comfortable for your and their body. 




These are only suggestions and like any exercise you and your children try them at your own risk, I am not there to show you and see what your body is saying so I can only offer these on a very basic level. Make sure to wear comfortable clothing that is easy to move in, have a yoga mat to work on(or for babies a soft blanket that isn't too cushiony), and do not wear socks because of the risk of slipping! Lastly, always remember to smile and never go past what you’re capable of and don't push a kid to go past what they are capable.

Start by having the older kids lay on their backs. Have the older kids bring their knees to their chest, open their knees to put the bottoms of their feet together, then grab their feet and slowly pull their feet toward the ceiling with their knees still at their chest. Usually, this results in the eruption of giggles. You can have the kids pretend the room shrunk and their feet are on the ceiling. Play a game of who can do this for one minute to help maintain the stretch and work on focusing. This is a fairly natural position for young kids.

For the kids under about 2 ½ you may need to help them get into this position. Lay them on their back. Blow raspberries on their bellies to make it fun and keep them there. Take their feet and slowly help them bend their knees to their chest and feet toward ceiling. If you feel resistance than stop! Never push a child past a resistance point because you can hurt them! See how long you can keep their gaze and them giggling and smiling! Doing this will help them work on focus, get a good stretch, and develop an early enjoyment of exercise.

For infants lay them on their backs so their head is facing away from them and their feet are closest to you. At their hips, slowly bring their legs toward their chest; again stop at resistance in order not to injure the baby. Move your hands to their knees and in a clockwise motion move the legs from the chest to their right, to a position where their feet touch directly in front of you, to bent legs to the left and back to their chest. Move slowly in the circles to help with digestion and hip movement. Once you’re done doing the circles, starting from the knees to chest position move your hands to their feet and slowly ease the feet toward the ceiling. Hold this for about a minute if the infant will let you, slowly release them to the floor and raspberry that cute baby belly!

As always, I suggest using this posture as a learning moment. Ask the children how the posture makes them feel, do they like it, what does it remind them of, or ask why it brought out a giggle. In your “Kids say the craziest things” journal write down what they tell you! It could also be an opening to talking about how they were when they were a baby or introducing to a child that you pregnant with a sibling. Whatever learning moment you find in this posture, enjoy it!

Don’t forget to put yourself into happy baby and let out some big laughs to keep your own stress level down! Also, never force a position on a child or infant as you can hurt them. Some days, just aren’t yoga days for kids so like yoga helps your body remain flexible remember to keep your patience flexible when doing yoga with your kids. Again, these are just suggestions and nothing more. Always consult a doctor before doing any exercise to make sure it is suitable for your child and only do what you’re comfortable.

Namaste!