Effective Ways to Incorporate Yoga and Movement in the Classroom

All kids need movement, our kids CRAVE movement. Allowing movement breaks is a proven proactive behavior management tool – get AHEAD of your kids and structure movement into your day!

Some of my favorite ways to incorporate movement are through yoga and GoNoodle. I interchange both throughout my day. Why? GoNoodle is a really fun, interactive way to give students a movement outlet. The buy-in is built in, I allow for choice (each child gets to choose one GoNoodle per day), and it gives both a brain break and a movement opportunity. Yoga on the other hand – also a brain and movement break, but it explicitly teaches mindfulness as well. I reiterate to my students daily that yoga and breathing exercises can go with them everywhere they go! 

How Do I Get Started with Yoga?

I love to start each school year off with a book that explains yoga to kids in a friendly manner. This year I used the book I am Yoga by Susan Verde. It’s kid friendly and opens up doors for questions and conversation. 

I have also completed the 15 Day Yoga Challenge with my class, run by The Teachers Passport. She provides a yoga pose of the day with a matching affirmation, as well as really helpful visuals. This is a great intro to poses and mantras! Starting small with one pose per day is a great way for your students to build understanding in confidence in what yoga is. 

We have a 10 minute block in our schedule each afternoon to practice yoga poses and breathing from our Calm Classroom book. I schedule this after our lunch and recess block because its a time my students often need extra support in regulating. We use lights off and “calm spray” (AKA water and essential oil in a spray bottle!) to set the mood of relaxation. With repeated practice, it works!

What About GoNoodle?

GoNoodle really is THE BEST. I just love this (free) resource. When you first sign up, all the channels and videos can be overwhelming. For our class, we created a routine and stuck to it. It has been instrumental in helping us organize brain/movement breaks and tame transition time. 

When creating my schedule, I ensured that we did a GoNoodle before and a GoNoodle after each transition. Sound like overkill? Maybe. Does it work? YES! If my students are headed to PE at 9:45, and 9:40 we do a GoNoodle and when it ends, the class knows to line up at the door to head out. When the class returns from PE, they know they go right to their seats and wait for a GoNoodle. These times in our schedule can be NUTS (transitions = epic chaos), and this routine has really motivated and helped my students manage these times. 

At the beginning of each school year, I review the channels with the students. The first week, I pick each GoNoodle and vary the channels, energy types, duration, etc. This reminds students of all the options GoNoodle has to offer. After that week, I create a popsicle stick with each students name on it and put it into a cup. When it’s time for a GoNoodle, I choose a student and they get to pick the activity we do! I make sure there is an opportunity for each child to pick an activity every day. This also increases buy in, as my students love the element of choice!

This could also be tied to a behavior system, homework system, morning work turn in – whatever! There are endless opportunities to create meaningful routines in your classroom.

My last tip? Create a system for physical space and boundaries on your classroom floor. GoNoodle and yoga activities require space – and often our students aren’t the most savvy at identifying personal boundaries! Personally, I use SitSpots in my classroom. 

Each student has their own SitSpot that gives them a visual for space. This has greatly helped decrease my students moonwalking/dabbing/mountain posing into their peers and causing chaos!

Time to get your kids moving!

Love, 

Allie