Teaching Yoga and MIndfulness To Children, Pre-K - Grade 5
Embark on a joyful journey with Yoga Child RCYT’s and E-RYT’s Gail Silver, Elizabeth Zack, Maureen Heil, and Heather Marie Miller, to acquire an in depth understanding of yoga and mindfulness as related to children as well as an appreciation of the developmental and behavioral needs of preschool and elementary children so that 
you are perfectly positioned to engage and educate your yoga students. Depending upon the location of your training, one or more of our lead trainers will facilitate your training in conjunction with our coveted anatomy trainer, Heather Marie Miller.
The Yoga Child training curriculum was developed by Gail Silver, the award winning author of the Anh’s Anger Children books. Lessons for integrating the teachings of these books into your yoga and mindfulness classes is a unique and integral a part of this training.
Whether you enroll in our traditional Level 1 and Level 2 format or in a Composite Training, you’ll enjoy the same 95 hours of training and obtain the same skillset. The Composite training simply enables you to do it in a shorter period of time. Here’s the difference:
Level I Training
A Level I training is 50 hours, with 36 of the training hours being contact hours. The remaining hours are completed through reading, assignments and some supervised practicum. If you wish to become a Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT) with The Yoga Alliance, you will want to consider enrolling in Level II (45 hours) to complete the 95-hr Yoga Child Teacher Training. Level 2 has a separate cost and provides you with highly individualized supervision and feedback as you gain field experience as a children’s yoga teacher. As of January 2023, all Level 2 trainings will take place remotely.
Composite Trainings
Simply put, a Composite Training combines Level I and Level 2 into one action-packed week. Typically held in retreat settings, a composite training is a 95 hour Yoga Alliance Approved training, with 65 hours being direct contact hours. Reading, assignments and practicum account for an additional 20 hours. The remaining 10 hours are supervised practicum and in most cases, take place remotely at 3-6 months post training. The appeal of a Composite Training is its flexibility and fast track to teaching, while maintaining the support of your Yoga Child family. Because this training combines Level I and Level 2 into one training, it is priced accordingly for a 95-hour training from a Registered Children’s Yoga School.
As someone who’s taken a handful of children’s yoga trainings I can confidently say this one is worth the time. If you’ve never taught a class before, you’ll walk away with all the tools you need to get started. If you’re well versed and need a creative spark, you’ll get that too. I really enjoyed this training and highly recommend it.
Amanda Daley, 2018 Training Graduate
LEARN
How to teach a thirty six-week curriculum using Yoga Child lesson plans and methods, including:
- Inspirational Yoga Themes
- Magical meditations
- Over 100 simple, child-safe yoga poses
- Yoga Games
- Original Yoga Child music and songs
- Asana Stories
- Yoga Journaling and thematically significant crafts
- Off the mat lessons in mindfulness
- And so much more
How to enable children to discover and enjoy the benefits of Mindfulness Meditation on and off the mat.
Mindfulness practice allows one to be fully present in each moment so that we are able to find more fulfillment in life, process our feelings with greater ease and communicate with others more compassionately. Many trainees learn and practice mindfulness for the first time when they enroll in the Yoga Child training and are pleased to find it to be a useful practice for reducing stress in their own lives as well as in the lives of their students.
How yoga and mindfulness can be employed as a behavior tool
Teaching yoga to children consists of more than teaching children yoga poses. You will learn how to tap into your own inner child and learn how to see the world through the eyes of your students so that you can communicate effectively, set appropriate limits, and enable your students to benefit physically, emotionally, and to look forward to the lessons you will teach.
How developmental anatomy relates to informed use of asana in children, and how to overcome the challenges inherent in working with children and to embrace the joy .
EXPERIENCE
A renewed relationship with your inner child
Mindfulness practice in your own life
Practicum and Teaching as part of your training.
Hands on experience is a distinctive and essential part of learning to teach yoga. You will be introduced to this during the training with the opportunity to observe and participate in signature Yoga Child yoga classes. Whether in Level 2 or as part of your Composite Training, you will prep your own classes, teach them and receive constructive feedback on your teaching.
Upon Completion of Your Training
You will be able to
skillfully create and teach
thematic yoga and mindfulness classes
that are safe, fun and
developmentally tailored for specific age groups
within the range of ages three to ten
I am so happy to have been part of such a welcoming, engaging, and fun training program and I’ve experienced the joy of integrating yoga into kids lives ever since!”
Courtney D'Avella
Explore A Peaceful Place Inside, our Parent’s Choice award-winning playlist of magical meditations and mindful movement.
Upcoming Teacher Trainings
Registrants Will Need to Acquire the Following Materials
- The Yoga Child Teacher Training Manual inclusive of sample lesson plans and guides for integrating Ahn’s Anger and Steps and Stones into classroom settings.( Link to Purchase will be posted 30 days prior to training)
- The Yoga Child PlayList: A Peaceful Place Inside (an instructional compilation of original music and meditations.
- Kid Lit and additional materials below are recommended as we will reference them during the training and use them as a springboard for teaching various mindfulness practices.
Recommended Reading Materials
It is recommenced that trainees purchase these books prior to the training as we will reference them during the training.
- Anh’s Anger, by Gail Silver
- Steps and Stones, by Gail Silver
- A Pebble for your Pocket, by Thich Nhat Hanh
- Spinning Inward, by Maureen Murdock
- Learn more about these mindfulness books for children at gailsilver.com.