Children are naturally curious, playful, and full of energy. One moment they are calm and focused, and the next they might be jumping, roaring, or climbing like little wild animals.

That’s exactly why animal yoga works so well for kids.

Animal-inspired yoga poses are one of the easiest and most joyful ways to introduce yoga to children. Whether at home, school, in a park, or during a playdate, these playful yoga games can turn movement into a fun adventure. Children get to explore their creativity while learning how to move their bodies, release energy, and calm their minds.

Some of these games are drawn from the Yogi Beans Kids Yoga Teacher Training manual, where playful techniques help teachers bring yoga to life for children.

Yogi Beans has also created a book featuring 108 awesome yoga poses for kids, designed to make yoga fun, creative, and accessible for young learners and parents.

Animal Yoga Games for Toddlers:

A. Dog tunnel adventure 🐕

Best for: ages 2+

This group activity turns yoga into a playful obstacle course.

How to play:

Some children come into Downward Dog to create a tunnel.
The other children take turns moving through the tunnel.
They can crawl like a cat, slither like a snake, or sneak through like a fox.

Why kids love it:
This is a really fun game for children and their grown-ups. Kids really enjoy both building the tunnel and exploring it in creative ways.

B. Monkey Swing: Shake Out the Energy 🐒

Best for: ages 2+

Perfect for kids who have lots of energy to release.

How to play:

Stand with feet slightly apart.
Bend the knees and let the arms swing side to side like a playful monkey.
Add silly monkey sounds or small jumps.

After about 30 seconds, freeze like a statue and take a deep breath.

Why kids love it:
It’s playful, active, and feels more like a game than an exercise.

C. Giraffe Moves: Reach for the Sky and Dance 🦒

Best for: ages 2+

Inspired by the book Giraffes Can't Dance, this listening and movement game gets kids stretching tall while following playful instructions.

How to play:

Invite children to stand tall like giraffes with their arms stretched high above their heads.
Start with this simple stretch, especially for the youngest ones. You can ask them some silly and easy questions to make it funnier and engaging, such as “who is the tallest giraffe?”, “who likes giraffes?” or “who is hungry and wants to go higher?”
Depending on how the children respond, call out different leg movements such as marching, tiptoeing, squatting low, or jumping. Children keep their “giraffe necks” tall while following each instruction.

Why kids love it:
Kids enjoy pretending to be tall giraffes while moving their bodies in different ways. The changing directions keep the game exciting and help build coordination and listening skills.

Animal Yoga Games for Preschoolers:

If you’re practising yoga with preschoolers, you can have a look at the toddlers’ games in the above section. Our 2+ games can be enjoyed by older children!

A. Animal Freeze Dance 🐥

Best for: ages 3+

This high-energy game combines music, imagination, and body awareness.

How to play:

Give each child an animal to move like.
Play music and invite the children to move around the space like their animal.
When the music stops, everyone freezes in their best animal pose and holds it for three deep breaths.

Why kids love it:

Children love dancing and being silly with their animal characters. The freeze moment adds a fun challenge while helping them practice balance and stillness.

B. Secret Animal Buddy 🧸

Best for: ages 3+

A gentle and imaginative activity that helps children feel calm and safe.

How to play:

Invite children to sit quietly and imagine their favorite stuffed animal.
This is their secret animal buddy who makes them feel safe and cozy.
Encourage them to sit calmly so their animal buddy feels calm too.
They can silently share their worries, stories, or dreams with their buddy.

Why kids love it:
It combines imagination and comfort while helping children settle down.

C. Caterpillar to Butterfly 🦋

Best for: ages 3+

This imaginative activity takes kids through the magical transformation from caterpillar to butterfly.

How to play:

Invite children to crawl around the space like caterpillars.
Play the Yogi Beans We Are Butterflies song (Spotify and Apple Music’s link), and practice butterfly pose together, stretching, fluttering, and flying.
Then they roll themselves up in their yoga mat to become a cozy cocoon.
After a moment of rest, they slowly emerge as butterflies and come into butterfly pose, stretching their wings and fluttering around the room.

Why kids love it:

Kids absolutely love rolling up in their mats to become cocoons. The transformation into butterflies feels magical and gives them a chance to stretch, move, and fly around the room.

Download our free Butterfly Kit for even more fun while practising Butterfly Pose with your little beans!

D. Animal Story : Choose Your Own Adventure 🐱

Best for: ages 4+

This creative storytelling game encourages imagination while bringing animal movements into the yoga class.

How to play:

Give each child an animal.
Start the story with: “Once upon a time there was a…” and let the first child add their animal.
Then pass the story around the circle, with each child adding one sentence before passing it along.
Encourage kids to act out their animals with movements or sounds as the story unfolds.

Why kids love it:
Kids love the freedom to be silly, creative, and unpredictable. The story often takes funny turns, and children enjoy seeing how their ideas become part of the group adventure.

Animal Yoga Games for Grade Schoolers:

A. Jungle Sound Shaker 🐯

Best for: ages 5+

A creative listening game that explores sound and imagination.

How to play:

Sit in a circle and close the eyes.
Choose a theme such as jungle, rainforest, or zoo.
One child begins making an animal sound to start a rhythm.
Each child adds a new animal sound to the growing jungle orchestra.

Why kids love it:
They enjoy creating silly animal sounds and building a playful soundscape together.

B. Om, Om Pose Game 🦆

Best for: ages 5+

This playful yoga game is inspired by the classic children’s game “Duck Duck Goose.”

How to play:

Children sit in a circle while one child walks around saying “Om… Om…”
Instead of saying “Goose,” the child calls out a yoga pose.
For example: “Om… Om… Downward Dog!”
Both children then move around the circle in that pose until one is tagged.

Why kids love it:
It mixes movement, laughter, and surprise while practicing fun animal poses.

C. Animal Memory Challenge 🐘

Best for: ages 8+

This game requires that children listen closely and use both memory recall skills as well as adaptive learning techniques.

How to play:

Choose four animal poses such as Giraffe, Frog, Downward Dog, and Cat.
Start by simply calling out the movement to allow children to familiarize themselves with the game
Once children are comfortable, switch two of the movements with each other (e.g., “Giraffe” = ”Frog”).
Once children figure out this new pattern, switch three of the movements. For example: Change two of the commands, e.g. "Giraffe"="Frog" and "Frog"="Giraffe." "Dog" and "Cat" remain the same.
Finally, switch all the commands so children must think quickly.

Why kids love it:
It turns yoga into a fun challenge that keeps them focused and engaged.

Animal yoga invites children to use their imagination while developing important skills like balance, coordination, and body awareness. Because the poses are playful and familiar, children naturally engage with them without feeling pressured to “do yoga.”

At Yogi Beans, playful movement and storytelling are at the heart of teaching yoga to children. By turning yoga into a game inspired by animals, kids can explore mindfulness, movement, and creativity all at once.

And sometimes, the best way to introduce yoga is simply to invite a child to roar like a lion, stretch like a giraffe, or rest quietly like a caterpillar in a cocoon.

For more animal-inspired kids’ yoga poses, check out our book “108 Awesome Yoga Poses for Kids” ! Inside, your children will discover plenty of playful poses that show how fun it can be to move their bodies. Let their imagination take the lead as they become a bouncing frog, a magical mermaid, or even a soaring rocket ship through simple and silly stretches. They’ll also learn calming breathing techniques to help when big emotions arise, with practices like Lion’s Breath or Sun Breath.