We love Halloween! And kids do too! Don’t let the holiday slip by without celebrating the season! And if you need a Halloween-themed lesson plan  for your kids yoga class to celebrate the spooky season? Look no further! Enjoy a witches’ brew of festive fun in this Halloween Lesson Plan. (And download a coloring page to go with your lesson!)

AGE GROUPS

2-6, 7-11

MATERIALS

• Music player with fun Halloween music prepared
• Halloween coloring pages or mini-pumpkins
• Crayons or supplies for decorating mini-pumpkins
• Witches hat

SHORT DESCRIPTION/TOPIC

To get the kids excited about Halloween!

MUSICAL MUSINGS

Play fun Halloween music in the background.

CONNECTING CIRCLE

Recite the YogaKids Pledge (or any classroom rules). Introduce the class theme (“Halloween Night in your town”).
Sit in Pretzel and do torso circles right and then left while you sing the Welcome song (sung to the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down):

Welcome to YogaKids
YogaKids… YogaKids
Welcom to YogaKids
We’re so glad you’re here!

Continue with Magic Witch’s Hat Breath – inhale hands in prayer over head, exhale hands to heart. (several rounds)

POSES AS PATHWAYS

Sun Salutation is a way of thanking the sun for coming out every day, for providing us with warmth and light and vitamins D. It gives us healthy bones, allowing us to grow. It allows our food to grow… giving our pumpkins and apples color and vitamins. This dance makes us strong, flexible, alert, and coordinated… and it’s good for the heart!

Sun Salutation – Do any variation of sun salutations you like.

The sun is setting on Halloween night, and we are ready for a night of fun. The moon is bright, and shining down on our Halloween night.

Sunrise Sunset – Sit on your heels. Open and close your wings several times. Then open your wings and interlace your fingers above your head. Stretch your arms up as you lift your buttocks off your heels with an inhalation. Exhale and drop your hips to the right as the arms drop left like the setting sun. Inhale and arch your arms overhead like the rising sun. Then, drop your arms to the right as the hips drop left. Repeat.

We are a witch’s broomstick! Take in a deep breath, and then float around the room on the broom stick blowing out all our air. When all our air is out, our broom turns into a mouse.

Witch’s Broomstick (Mountain) – Stand with your feet together or hip-width apart, whichever is most comfortable. Arms are at your sides, fingers stretching towards the floor. Press your feet into the ground.

Repeat Witch’s Broom to Mouse a few times.

Child’s Pose (Mouse) – Begin in Heel-Sitting pose. Open your knees a little, so your belly relaxes between your thighs. Bend at the hips and fold forward, letting your shoulders drop down away from your ears and spine. Your arms lie back along the sides of your legs with open palms facing upward. Place your forehead on the floor. Turn your head to one side and take a few breaths. Then, turn to the other and do the same.

It is time to make our special Halloween Witch’s Brew. Stand in a wide stance Mountain and begin stirring the pot clockwise then counterclockwise. What will we put into our brew this Halloween? Let’s add some bugs!

Bug Pose or Happy Baby – Lie on your back. Bend your knees into your belly. Open your knees as you grip the outsides of your feet. Bring your needs toward your armpits. Gently rock from side to side.

Stir the pot! Next, let’s add 4 large green lizards…

Lizard – Lie on your belly. Place your hands under your shoulders. Spread your fingers out like lizard claws. Bend your lizard toes forward. Push up until your arms and legs are straight in Plank Pose. Draw your shoulders back and away from your ears. Walk like a lizard, slowly and carefully.

Can you say, “Large Lucky Lizards Land in our Witches Brew?” Stir the pot! Next, we can put in two twisted twigs from an Oak tree…

Tree Pose – Begin in Mountain Pose. Lift one foot and press your foot against the inside of your other leg. You can use your hand to place your foot anywhere between your ankle and inner thigh. Avoid the knee joint. Bring your hands to your chest, palms together in Namaste position. Then raise your arms up above your head. Stretch them out wide, like the branches of a tree. Separate your fingers. Balance and breathe. Now repeat on the other side.

Stir the pot! Now, let’s reach down into our pockets and pluck out two eyeballs and throw them into the brew!

Ball Pose – Have the children roll back and forth on their mats.

Stir the pot! Next, let’s add in the skull of an eagle…

Eagle Pose – Begin in Mountain pose. Lift your right leg and wrap it over your left leg. If you can, hide your right foot and toes behind your left calf. Bring your bent arms up in front of you and place the right elbow on top of your left. Twist together your forearms bringing your palms together. You can also interlace your fingers. Bend your knees. Untangle yourself and change sides, bringing your left leg over your right leg and your left elbow on top of your right.

And a handful of feathers from a wise old owl…

360 Degree Owl – Roll up your yoga mat and turn it into a tree branch. Bend your knees and perch on your branch. Find your balance and sit as upright as you can. Tuck your arms behind you. Gently flap your wings. Turn your head from side to side, opening your eyes wide. Make a gentle “who” sound.

And stir the pot! Now, let’s add two wings of a magic butterfly…

Butterfly – Begin in L-Sitting pose. Bring the bottoms of your feet together, with your heels close to your body and your knees out to each side. Stretch your neck and the top of your head toward the sky and make your spine longer. Place your hands at the sides of your head and stick up your pointer fingers to make antennae. Pull your arms back like they’re your wings. Breathe in and out as you flap your wings forward and back, up and down.

Ask the children if they have anything they want to put in, going around the circle and putting in their ideas with or without doing yoga poses to go along with what they come up with.

And now our last two ingredients… two shells of a snapping turtle!

Turtle – Begin in L-Sitting pose. Open your legs wide. Flex your feet and lift your knees. Place your hands on the floor inside your legs. Spread your fingers wide. Slide your hands and arms under your knees, as far away from each other as possible. Bend forward at the hips and lengthen your chest along the floor. Lift your head and look from side to side. Say “hello” as you stretch your arms and legs as far out as you can. Now, tuck in your chin and retreat retreated into your shell. Pull all of your senses inward and rest. Stay in your shell as you breathe in and out. Repeat.

Turtles have been on the earth for more than 200 million years. Several species of turtles can live to be over 100 years old. The oldest documented turtle lived to be over 200.

Stay sitting with wide legs and stir making big circles in both directions. Then do a Magic Spell together — saying softly at first, then repeating getting louder and louder…. Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Laugh together like witches! HAHAHAHA! Now let’s be a witch’s hat!

Witch’s Hat Pose (Down Diggety Down Dog) – Begin in All Fours pose. Bend your toes forward. Spread your fingers wide. Press your doggy paws and heels downward as you lift your hips and tail to the sky. Lengthen your spine. Stretch your arms and legs as long as possible. Let your head hang down.

Now let’s be a dog howling at the moon!

Up Uppity Doggie Up – Drop your hips and lift your chest forward with an inhalation. Drop your shoulders away from your ears, broaden your chest and keep your arms strong. Keep your legs up from the floor if you can.

Howl at the moon. Go back and forth between Witch’s Hat to Up Dog several times.

Now that all our work is done, let’s take a rest in a pumpkin patch.

Have the kids lie down and take 13 breaths. Expand the belly like a pumpkin It is time for us to celebrate Halloween with some Trick or Treating. Repeat the mantra as the do the pose:

Trick or Treat (clapping feet on floor), Smell My Feet (hands and soles of feet clapping)

Row Row Row Your Boat – Begin in L-Sitting pose and place both hands, palms down, alongside your hips. Lengthen your arms and spine. Lean back and lift your legs up. Balance. Stretch your arms forward, palms up. Breathe in and out. Row your arms forward. Reverse, and row your arms backward.

If you have time, play the Yoga Freeze and Flow Game. When the music stops, take turns having each child wear the Witch’s hat and teach a yoga pose to the group.

Sunrise/Sunset – Same as before!

The sun is setting on our spooky Halloween night, time for us to sleep…

Twist and Blow – Lie on your back with your knees bent. Stretch your arms out to each side, in line with your shoulders, palms up. Drop your bent knees over to the right and up towards your armpit. Turn your head to the left as you breathe out. Breathe in and bring your knees back to the center and across your belly. Drop your legs to the left side, turn your head to the right, and breathe out. Do several continuous rounds. Then, relax for at least a minute with your knees on one side and head rotated in the opposite direction. Change sides and relax again. Then relax for at least a minute on each side.

SAVASANA

VISUAL VIGNETTE

Have the children color a Halloween coloring page, or decorate mini-pumpkins. You can download one here! coloring page.

Learn to write and teach your own Halloween lesson plans with YogaKids!