A calm-down basket with 12 printable kids yoga pose cards — pull a card, strike the pose, and take three slow breaths together.
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I started these cards on a rainy afternoon when the energy in the living room had nowhere to go. Stretching like a cat or standing tall like a flamingo gave it somewhere soft to land.
Now the cards live in a basket by the couch. The kids pick one, we all try it, and the giggles usually do the rest.
Download the printable Kids Yoga Cards PDF from the resources below and print both pages on plain white paper (card stock lasts longer).
Cut out the 12 cards along the outer borders. If you have a laminator or clear sleeves, it's worth it — they get handled a lot.
Slip the cards into a small basket and tuck the basket somewhere easy to reach: the shelf near the rug, the corner of the playroom, or by the bed.
When you're ready to play, roll out a soft mat or blanket and invite your child to pick one card from the basket without looking.
Read the pose name and the little 'like a…' cue together, then try the three simple steps at the bottom of the card.
Hold each pose for three slow breaths — in through the nose, out through the mouth. A small stuffed animal on the belly makes breathing visible.
Take turns pulling cards. Six cards is a lovely little flow; the whole deck is a full pretend adventure through a mountain, a forest, and the sea.
End every session with Child's Pose for one long minute — it's the built-in reset button.
Want more? Browse all our free printables for kids.
Great for after-nap grumps, rainy mornings, and the ten minutes before bedtime. If your child is more into stories than exercise, spread the cards out and ask them to arrange the poses into a little journey: 'first we're a mountain, then we're a tree…' then act it out together.
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