Yoga Animal Poses for Kids

A towel or yoga mat for each person

A soft floor surface

Lay out a towel or mat on the floor for you and your child. Take off shoes and socks for better grip.

Start with Cat-Cow: get on all fours. For "cat," arch your back up high and tuck your chin, like a Halloween cat. For "cow," drop your belly low and look up at the ceiling. Alternate slowly between the two. Make meowing sounds.

Move to Downward Dog: from all fours, push your hips up high toward the ceiling. Straighten your legs and arms so your body makes an upside-down V shape. Wag your "tail" (your hips) back and forth.

Cobra pose: lie flat on your tummy, place your hands next to your chest, and push your upper body up. Look up and hiss like a snake.

Butterfly: sit up with the bottoms of your feet pressed together and your knees out to the sides. Gently flap your knees up and down like butterfly wings.

Tree pose: stand on one foot and place the other foot against your standing ankle or calf. Put your hands together overhead like tree branches. See who can balance longest.

Hold each pose for 5 slow breaths. Count the breaths together: "Breathe in... one. Breathe out... one."

End in Child's pose: kneel on the floor, sit back on your heels, and stretch your arms forward. Rest your forehead on the mat. Breathe quietly together.

Naming poses after animals makes yoga irresistible to young children. They're not "doing yoga" — they're pretending to be a dog, a snake, a butterfly.

Don't correct their form too much. A 2-year-old's downward dog won't look like yours, and that's perfectly fine. The effort is what matters.

Do the poses with your child. They learn by watching you, and sharing the practice makes it a bonding moment rather than an instruction.

Try doing yoga before bedtime. The slow breathing and stretching has a genuine calming effect that helps with the bedtime transition.

Add a story: "The cat was walking through the jungle when it saw a cobra! The cobra stretched up tall..." Narrative connects the poses into a flow.