8 Toddler Yoga Poses for Your Little Yogi

If your kiddo can’t even nama-stay still, it might be hard to imagine them doing toddler yoga. After all, toddlers have a well-deserved reputation for being pint-sized wrecking balls with high energy and big emotions—and yoga is all about quieting your body and mind.

But if you approach it patiently (and maybe lower your expectations), toddler yoga has a wealth of benefits. It’s not only a positive outlet for them to channel their energy, but a powerful tool for building social and emotional skills. I saw this play out firsthand when my sons’ preschool started holding yoga classes once a week. My kids weren’t exactly the pinnacle of zen when the classes began. But over time, they started coming home excited to show me the new poses they’d mastered (like “banana pose”—yup, some of them are totally made up!). Plus, they learned how to use big breaths to manage their equally big feelings.

Ready to help your kids try toddler yoga? You can look up a toddler yoga class in your area—or just start at home. (Hint: Cosmic Kids Yoga on YouTube is a great resource!) Keep reading to learn more about toddler yoga benefits, plus yoga for preschoolers poses to try with your budding yogi.

Key Takeaways

• Easy toddler yoga poses include downward-facing dog, tree pose and star pose (although you can always make up your own).
• The benefits of toddler yoga include building strength, improving mood and teaching emotional regulation.
• When practicing yoga with your toddler or preschooler, it’s best to lower your expectations, start small and keep things fun—like by using stuffed animals as props.

Toddler Yoga Poses

When teaching your toddler yoga poses, keep in mind that they’re likely to be wiggly, at least at first, and that’s perfectly okay. These yoga poses for preschoolers will maximize the fun and keep them engaged. Animal noises and other silliness are totally encouraged!

Downward-facing dog

What it looks like: An upside down “V,” with hands and feet planted on the floor.

How to do it: Have your little one start on their hands and knees. Ask them to press firmly into their hands and slowly lift their knees, pressing their chest and belly toward their thighs and lifting their hips into the air. Encourage them to make an upside down “V” shape with their body, with their weight distributed evenly between their hands and feet.

The benefits: Downward-facing dog helps your toddler strengthen their upper body and core, while stretching their back and legs. “This pose is also a wonderful way to increase proprioception because being upside-down is fun and challenging at the same time,” says Erin Hanehan, RPYT, RCYT, a postpartum yoga instructor and lead teacher at Whole Mama Yoga in North Carolina.

Tree pose

What it looks like: Standing, with one leg straight and the other foot resting on the shin or thigh.

How to do it: Tell your toddler to stand tall, with their feet together. Have them lift one foot and place it on their lower leg or upper thigh—but not on the knee. Encourage them to take three slow breaths in this position, and then switch sides. If they feel unsteady, they can touch their toes to the floor for a reset or use a wall for support.

The benefits: This pose helps to improve balance; build focus and confidence; and strengthen the ankles, legs and core, explains Carly Walker, the creator and founder of the Child’s Pose Method, a play-based yoga program for kids.

Rock pose

What it looks like: The body’s curled into a tight ball, with arms alongside the body and the forehead touching the floor.

How to do it: Instruct your toddler to begin on all fours. Have them send their hips back toward their heels and place their forehead down on the ground. Then, tell them to sweep their arms alongside their body with their palms facing up. If it’s more comfortable, they can reach their arms forward instead.

The benefits: “This shape is beautiful for stretching the back muscles as well as the neck, but it also teaches children that there’s power in stillness,” Hanehan says.

Snake pose

What it looks like: Lying flat on their stomach, with hands under the shoulders and chest lifted off the floor.

How to do it: Have your child lie flat on their belly, with their hands placed under their shoulders. Ask them to take an inhale and then press into their hands and lift their chest. As they exhale, tell them to make a long “sss” snake sound and lower their chest back down. For a challenge, have them try to lift their hands and elbows off the ground, using their back muscles to raise their chest.

The benefits: “This strengthens both the back and abdominal muscles and is great for posture,” says Walker.

Star pose

What it looks like: Standing up tall with feet spread and arms extended upwards in a “V” shape.

How to do it: Tell your little one to stand up tall, with their feet spread out wide (but not so far that they lose their balance). Have them bring their hands to their hips and take a deep breath in and out. Then, tell them to extend their fingers up toward the sky and bring their arms into a “V” shape. For a little musical element, see if they can hold the pose while singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

The benefits: This pose helps to open the chest, strengthen the arms and the upper back, and encourages balance. “Star pose also reminds kiddos that they’re powerful, strong and deserve to take up space,” says Hanehan.

Boat pose

What it looks like: Sitting on their bottom, with legs lifted off the floor and the body making a “V” shape.

How to do it: Have your child balance on their bottom and carefully raise their legs off the ground, making a “V” shape with their body. Their hands can rest on the floor behind them or beside their legs for support. For fun, have them hold a small ball or stuffed animal between their feet while they balance.

The benefits: “This is an excellent core-strengthening pose,” Walker notes.

Cat-cow

What it looks like: Kneeling on all fours, with the back arched and rounded.

How to do it: Tell your little one to start on all fours, with hands beneath their shoulders and knees under their hips. Then, have them drop their belly down toward the ground while lifting their gaze up toward the sky. (They can even make a “moo” sound while holding cow pose!) Then, have them press through their hands and the tops of their feet to round their spine. Cat pose calls for a “meow,” of course.

The benefits: The combination of these two poses helps to build strength in the arms while encouraging flexion and extension in the spine. “Plus, it’s a no-brainer for toddlers because it has built-in sound effects,” Hanehan says.

Butterfly pose

What it looks like: Sitting with soles of the feet together and knees open to the sides.

How to do it: Instruct your child to sit up tall, with the soles of their feet together. Have them let their knees fall open to the sides. Gently guide them to fold forward—or turn this into a “sleeping butterfly” by having them stack their wrists (or use a block or stuffed animals) and then rest their forehead down.

The benefits: “This is a beautiful calming pose that helps settle the nervous system and teaches relaxation,” says Walker.

Benefits of Toddler Yoga

Toddler yoga provides plenty of benefits—from physical to social to emotional—that can help your little one now and for years to come. Here are some of the biggest positives that come from yoga for preschoolers and young kids.

Building strength

Holding simple poses, like downward dog or snake, helps to engage your toddler’s muscles. “Yoga builds strength from head to toe in a very natural way,” Walker explains.

Downward dog, for instance, engages the upper body, while poses like snake or boat “strengthen a child’s core, which is crucial for supporting their bodies in all of their daily activities—from running and climbing to sitting and focusing,” she adds.

Improving mood

Practicing inversions—such as downward dog, where the head is below the heart—is a natural mood booster. “Inversions are proven to elevate mood, and children almost always leave class feeling better,” Walker says.

Developing body awareness

Yoga helps toddlers understand how their body moves and bends in space, which is known as proprioception, Hanehan explains. “This becomes incredibly important as toddlers and preschoolers continue to refine their gross motor skills.”

Teaching self-regulation

One of the biggest benefits of toddler yoga is that it teaches emotional regulation through breathwork. “If a child at that age learns to slow their breath down, that right there is invaluable,” says Missy Brown, E-RYT 500, a registered children’s yoga teacher and the founder of Deep Play for Kids. Walker echoes: “Yoga teaches children how powerful their breath can be. A child can’t be overwhelmed with emotion and calmly focus on their breath at the same time.”

Promoting body positivity

Toddler yoga helps kids foster a positive relationship with their bodies from a young age. It encourages healthy habits and makes wellness a priority that’ll hopefully last into adulthood. “Yoga is a powerful self-care tool that builds confidence and empowers children to feel good about themselves,” Hanehan says.

Tips for Practicing Yoga With a Toddler or Preschooler

Ready to test out yoga with your toddler? Here are some expert tips to keep things fun and still help them make the most out of it.

Lower your expectations

“Meet them where they are and toss aside expectations,” Brown suggests. This’ll help them practice stress-free (which is the goal!). Don’t expect perfection, or even full-blown participation, right from the start.

Toss the rules out the window

While adult yoga uses sequences and specific sets of poses, (almost) anything goes with toddler yoga—and getting creative is a plus. (Read: Yes, you can make up your own poses!) “Find a ritual, routine, video or book that works for you and your child, and stick with it,” adds Hanehan.

Start small

Toddlers don’t need (or have the attention span for) a full 60-minute flow. Incorporating a few poses or even just some breathwork in small doses can still be beneficial.

Use props

You don’t need things like blocks or straps for toddler yoga—again, it’s all about creative tools. “Kids’ yoga should be play-based,” Walker says. She loves incorporating stuffed animals: “Children can balance it on different parts of their body while they’re in poses, which builds focus and body awareness,” she says. “During relaxation, they can place the stuffed animal on their belly while lying down in savasana and use their breath to gently rock it to sleep.”

Don’t force it

If your preschooler doesn’t feel like participating or prefers to watch other kids practice, there’s no need to push it. Observation is just as beneficial and often, will lead to them jumping in on their own time. “Your toddler’s going to engage in the practice when they’re ready,” Hanehan says. “I teach classes all of the time where children simply observe. I don’t encourage caregivers to move their toddler’s body for them.”

Make it enjoyable

The most important tip of all? Have fun! “Allow your imagination to play [too],” Brown says. “If you’re having fun, they’ll have fun.”

To Sum It Up

Toddler yoga has oodles of benefits, from building strength to fostering body positivity to teaching emotional regulation. You can find a class in your area, or try it at home—there are plenty of online resources if you’re looking for inspiration. Make sure to keep the expectations low, incorporate songs, stories and toys, and—most importantly—enjoy. There’s a good chance your toddler will love it too!

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.