20 Reasons to Become a Certified Kids Yoga Teacher

By: Isabella Koepf, Yoga Therapist, Clinical Herbalist, Holistic Nutritionist, Ayurvedic Practitioner, 500-Hour Yoga Teacher, Health Coach

20 Reasons to Become a Certified Kids Yoga Teacher

20 Reasons to Become a Certified Kids Yoga Teacher

By becoming a kids yoga teacher, you truly have the opportunity to support profound growth and transformation in the lives of many children. As a positive role model in their life, becoming a children’s yoga teacher gives you a chance to facilitate the next generation of leaders and make a difference in the lives of so many people.

Teaching yoga to children is a unique experience, and engaging in this vital work takes an exceptional soul! In this article, we will explore how to become a kids yoga teacher and the many reasons why you should take this step of becoming a children’s yoga teacher. So, let’s begin by exploring 15 reasons for becoming a children’s yoga teacher!

20 Reasons for Becoming a Kids Yoga Teacher

1.     Make a Positive Impact on Children’s Lives

As a kids yoga teacher, you are in a unique position to have a remarkable influence on the lives of so many children. Through your position as a children’s yoga teacher, you can be a role model and teach them many skills beyond what they engage in on the yoga mat.

2.     Help Children Develop Physical Strength and Flexibility

Yoga practice is a powerful combination of strength, flexibility, and balance all in one. By teaching yoga to children, you can help them gain these physical health benefits and support healthy development throughout their lifespan. When we support a child’s physical growth from a young age, it can have a ripple effect into adulthood as well!

3.     Support Mindfulness and Self-Awareness in Children

Mindfulness and self-awareness are crucial skills for children to learn self-regulation and foster healthy mental and emotional development. Yoga practice is a unique opportunity for children to engage in a practical application of mindfulness and build awareness of their bodies and minds.

4.     Build Stress Management Tools for Children

Stress is often considered the number one public health threat in modern times. Yoga practice is well-known as the best way to combat stress and improve mental and emotional wellbeing. By teaching stress management skills to children in a yoga class, you can set them up for life with skills to deal with any challenges they may face.

5.     Promote Healthy Habits from an Early Age

The earlier that children begin practicing healthy habits, the more likely those habits are to stick around into adulthood. Most chronic diseases are caused by unhealthy lifestyle practices, and yoga classes for children are the perfect opportunity to set these habits up and start instilling a healthy lifestyle early on.

6.     Teach Children How to Lead Active and Healthy Lifestyles

Additionally, leading a healthy and active lifestyle takes practice. Many adults are highly sedentary and spend most of their day sitting in front of the computer or the TV, and this has begun to extend into children’s lives as well. Encouraging movement through yoga classes shows children the joy of exercise and inspires them to continue an active and healthy lifestyle moving forward.

7.     Encourage Focus and Concentration in Children

Attention issues are one of the most common problems among children in modern times, and the best way to improve concentration and focus is through yoga and meditation for kids. Simple techniques during yoga classes can build focus and concentration, which can support a child’s academic performance over time.

8.     Facilitate Positive Body Image and Self-Esteem in Children

Many children struggle with their body image and feel insecure from a young age, particularly during the stages of adolescence. Yoga teaches children how to accept their bodies and builds self-esteem and a positive body image through self-compassion.

9.     Cultivate Children’s Empathy and Kindness

Empathy and kindness are crucial skills for children to learn to foster healthy relationships throughout their lives. Through fun yoga practices, you can help children learn to connect with their own emotions and the emotions of others, thereby fostering empathy and instilling the yogic values of ahimsa or non-violence.

10.  Build Resiliency in Children

Children will inevitably face challenges and hardships in their lives, and the best thing that we can do as yoga teachers is to provide them with the skills to face these issues head-on. Through yoga-based skill-building practices and mindfulness, children can gain greater resiliency and deal with any challenges that come later in life.

11.  Enhance Children’s Cognitive Development

Healthy cognitive development is crucial during this pivotal time of a child’s growth. Yoga practices support both mental and physical health, creating the body and mind connection that is essential for healthy cognitive development and supporting them through their many academic and career pursuits.

12.  Foster Joy and Playfulness in Children

Yoga is not only serious; it can also be an opportunity for children to engage in fun and play! As a children’s yoga teacher, you can invite children to engage in playful stories and activities that bring yoga practices alive and make it an activity they look forward to.

13.  Teach Children About Self-Care and Relaxation

Yoga is also an opportunity for children to engage in deep rest and rejuvenation. Particularly meditation and restorative yoga practices can help children learn the value of self-care, slowing down, and engaging in relaxation to support a more holistic balance of their mental and physical health.

14.  Promote Social Skills and Cooperation Among Children

Yoga classes for children are also a way to promote social connection and cooperation among children by having them engage in kids partner yoga activities and other exciting yoga games. Yoga for children can be fun and stimulating, helping children to build social awareness and empathy.

15.  Help Children Learn How to Listen to Their Bodies and Honor Their Needs

One of the greatest skills that yoga provides to all people is self-awareness. Through yoga practice, children learn how to listen to the internal messages from their bodies and to honor those needs through modifications in their yoga practice on the mat. These lessons can extend off the mat and into the world, building essential skills for life in children of all ages.

16.  Create Opportunities for Children to Develop Leadership Skills

By teaching yoga to children, you can also set up the yoga class to foster leadership within children in the class. For example, you could create activities for children to create their own yoga games or practice teaching to each other, gaining the skills of public speaking, creativity, and cooperation.

17.  Encourage Children to Develop Compassion and Understanding for Others

Compassion is a major component of yoga practice, and through a kids yoga class, children can learn how to be compassionate to their own bodies and to others. Teaching children the principles of non-violence, loving-kindness, and service to others can foster positive emotional development and social skills.

18.  Create a Sense of Adventure and Exploration for Children

Exploring yoga practices can also facilitate a process of adventure by inviting children to try something new and step out of their usual routine. Many children may not have previously been exposed to yoga practices, and by trying this new activity, they can learn about different cultures and expand their awareness of the world.

19.  Help Children Develop Emotional Intelligence

Yoga practice is a wonderful opportunity to build self-awareness and for children to learn how to identify emotions. By developing skills of body awareness, children can identify sensations in their bodies and learn to notice when various emotions arise and cope with them in a healthy way.

20.  Make a Lasting Impact on the Wellbeing and Happiness of Children

As a children’s yoga teacher, it is likely that your students will fondly remember you for years to come. You have a beautiful opportunity to make a lasting impact on the lives of children and influence their development throughout life. Yoga is a fun and engaging activity that can foster happiness and wellbeing for children moving forward.

How to Become a Kids Yoga Teacher Online

Becoming a kids yoga teacher is a truly exciting journey as you have the opportunity to shape the eager minds of the next generation. The journey of how to become a children’s yoga teacher begins by taking a kids yoga teacher training course online or in person. Teaching yoga to children is very similar to teaching a regular yoga class, but there are essential skills for children’s yoga teachers to learn to make it accessible and exciting for children to engage in.

Often, a traditional yoga class may feel boring for a young child, and they may struggle with longer holds in yoga poses or more complex sequences. Becoming a kids yoga teacher involves learning how to adapt yoga poses to children’s bodies and how to teach a yoga class to children that keeps them engaged and excited. Some common techniques for kids yoga classes involve yoga games, storytelling, and imaginative play during the yoga practice.

At our online yoga teacher training school, we provide an in-depth kids yoga teacher training course that gives you all the tools you need to start teaching yoga to children today! We take you step by step through how to become a kids yoga teacher so that you can start this exciting new career of becoming a children’s yoga teacher in no time. Reach out to us for more information on our online kids yoga teacher training courses to begin this process today!

Learn how to become a children's yoga teacher