How Does Yoga for Kids Help Children Calm Down, Focus, and Feel Better? A Guide for Teachers and Parents

MindfulnessMusicYogaTeacher ResourcesSchoolsBreathing ExercisesKids Yoga Poses

Sep 2

What if you didn’t have to choose between covering curriculum and creating a calm, connected classroom?
What if you could actually support focus, emotional intelligence, and better behavior…in just a few minutes a day?

Yoga for kids isn’t a trend. It’s a proven, practical tool for emotional regulation, classroom management, and real connection. And the best part? You don’t have to spend years training to be a yoga teacher. You don’t even need yoga mats!

You just need the willingness to meet your students where they are and to try something new that actually works.

Don’t feel like reading? Watch our vlog on YouTube!

Kids Yoga Builds Emotional Regulation

Here’s the truth: emotional regulation isn’t something kids are born knowing how to do. It’s a skill. Like reading. Like tying shoes. And it needs to be taught…explicitly, consistently, and with compassion.

But most children today haven’t had enough chances to build that skill (yet). Especially our younger learners, those COVID-era babies now entering kindergarten without the same social exposure, co-regulation, or play-based foundations.

So what happens while children are still learning? Tantrums. Shutdowns. Outbursts. Sensory overload. Not because they’re “bad kids” but because they’re dysregulated and they need our support.

Yoga for kids gives children a language for feelings and a practical toolkit for handling them. Yoga helps us teach kids “You’re allowed to feel big things. And here’s how we move through them, together.”

Try This: Breathing Ball Name Game

Sit in a circle and pass the breathing ball (aka hoberman sphere) around. Have each child take a turn saying their name, how they are feeling today and then leading the group through one inhale and exhale with the breathing ball.

Get 7 fun breathing exercises for kids that actually work!

Connect Body, Brain + Behavior With Yoga

While we want to encourage kids to talk about their feelings and deepen their emotional skills, sometimes that’s not available. Often, regulation has to start in the body. Not the brain.

When a child is flooded with emotion or stress, their “thinking brain” goes offline. They can’t access logic, consequences, or even words because their body is in survival mode. Too often the tools adults are encouraged to use to correct behavior are not even accessible to the child in the middle of a meltdown moment.

That’s why movement matters. We can help children regulate using a bottom-up approach. With consistent practice, yoga connects the dots between emotion and expression, between movement and mindset.

When teaching yoga for kids, we use:

Cross-lateral movements to support brain integration
Grounding poses to calm the nervous system
Rhythmic breath to activate the parasympathetic “rest and digest” state
Heavy work poses (pushing, pulling, lifting, jumping) for organizing proprioceptive input and sensory integration

kids yoga cross lateral plank variation classroom picture

So many behavior challenges are actually sensory challenges in disguise. The child who can’t sit still during morning meeting or story time? They may be under-responsive to movement or sensory seeking. The child who starts melting down when the room gets noisy during choice time? They may be overwhelmed by auditory input.

Yoga for kids is a sensory powerhouse. It supports:

Proprioceptive input (body awareness)
Vestibular input (balance/motion)
Tactile integration (touch + grounding)

Poses like Downward Dog, Turtle, or Cat-Cow can help children feel more “in their bodies” which helps them feel safer, calmer, and more able to learn.

It’s not woo-woo. It’s brain science…made playful, musical, and accessible for kids.

Try This: Bought Me A Cat

It’s a fun combination of heavy work and sensory supportive poses, while teaching children pattern and sequencing. The repetition also helps with regulation!

Learn more about kids yoga for sensory integration!

Breathing is a Superpower (And Yes, Even 3-Year-Olds Can Learn It)

We’ve all said it before: “Calm down and take a deep breath.” But this doesn’t work for two reasons…

First, most kids feel they can’t take a deep breath IN when they are upset. They may already have taken several gasping inhales. We actually need to help them to take a long and slow breath out.

Second, mid-meltdown is not the best time to reach for a random breathing exercise if it’s not already second nature.

Here’s the game-changer: when we teach mindful breathing techniques in playful ways consistently when kids are not activated…kids will start using those tools on their own in moments of stress.

Breathing exercises help:

Lower heart rate
Reduce anxiety
Improve impulse control
Build the “pause” between trigger and reaction

The most effective breathing exercises are simple, visual and tactile. They help kids learn to regulate without even realizing it.

Try This: Dragon Breathing

This breathing exercise is super fun and helps children release tension, regulate emotions, and return to calm.

Sit comfortably, cross-legged, kneeling, or in a chair, with a straight spine.
Breathe in quietly through the nose.
Exhale through the mouth with a “HAHHH” - like a fire-breathing dragon.
(Optional) Stick out the tongue and open the eyes wide.
Repeat 3–5 times, breathing out longer than you breathe in.

Dive deeper into Dragon Breathing and practice some fun variations!

Movement = Learning (Not a Distraction From It)

Let’s be real…young kids are not designed to sit still for hours. In fact, neither are grown-ups! And when we ask kids to sit quietly for long periods of time, we often get the exact opposite instead: wiggling, shouting, fidgeting, and meltdowns. Not because they’re defiant and not because they’re troublemakers, but because they’re developmentally overwhelmed.

Here’s the radical shift: Movement isn’t a break from learning - it’s how kids learn best.

When we bring yoga-based movement into whatever lesson we are teaching:

Focus improves
Participation increases
Information retention goes up

Add music? You just engaged the brain’s motor cortex, auditory cortex, AND memory systems. Welcome to multisensory, multimodal learning that sticks.

Try This: Music + Math Series

These activities use beat patterns and rhythmic movement to support foundational math skills in a playful, interactive way. Watch this to spark ideas for your next multi-sensory lesson.

Get more musical yoga STEM curriculum inspiration with our kids yoga water cycle, seed cycle and outer space lessons!

Routine = Regulation

Structure is soothing. When kids know what’s coming next, their nervous systems can relax. That means fewer meltdowns, more focus, and smoother transitions.

By adding mini yoga sequences or breathing breaks into your daily rhythm, you:

Create safety through predictability
Anchor transitions (goodbye post-recess chaos)
Provide nonverbal regulation tools students can return to anytime

It’s not about perfection. It’s about consistency. Even one daily kids yoga practice can shift your classroom culture.

At Yo Re Mi, we begin every class with our “Hello My Friends Song.” It’s more than just a warm-up - it’s a routine that sets the tone for connection and belonging. Through call-and-response singing, students hear their voices reflected, feel part of the group, and know: “This is a safe space. We begin together.”

That’s the power of ritual. It grounds the body, calms the mind, and prepares kids to learn.

Read more about the impact of belonging on learning.

Yoga Doesn’t Just Help the Kids. It Helps You, Too.

Teachers are exhausted. Parents are overwhelmed. Burnout is real.

We’re expected to be the calm in the storm while managing increased needs, reduced resources, and systemic pressure.

Yoga isn’t just for your students. It’s a lifeline for you, too.

Co-regulating by breathing and moving with our students sends a powerful message: “I’m here. I’m grounded. And we’re in this together.”

Here’s the beauty of this work…You don’t need to somehow cram a 60-minute yoga block into your day. You don’t need a special yoga room, yoga mats or a fancy outfit. You just need a few poses, a breathing exercise and the courage to try something different.

Yoga for kids isn’t about doing it “right.” It’s about showing up with curiosity, creativity, and compassion.

So start small, let it be messy and begin today!

And if you’re feeling inspired to take the next step, our Yo Re Mi Children’s Yoga Teacher Certification gives you all the tools, songs, and playful strategies you need to teach yoga with confidence and ease.

Learn More about Kids Yoga Certification