This activity should only to be done if you have a sensible group of kids that are not going hurt each other and are old enough to understand that some peoples arms do not bend at certain angles.

To play this game you need to stand almost shoulder to shoulder in a big circle, everyone puts their hands into the centre of the circle and grasps the hand of any other child. You have to choose a different person for the right and left hands. Once every child’s hand is holding another hand you begin to ‘untangle’ the knot.
The group of kids ‘win’ the game when the person they are holding onto with their right hand is standing on their right hand side and the person they are holding onto with their left hand is standing to their left hand side. You will find that it is impossible to get every one facing the one way so you might have children facing in to the middle and some facing to the out side of the circle, that’s fine.

This exercise is a real team building exercise and I try very hard to explain the aim of the game and then to stay out of it and let the children work it out together. Some times I will even let one child lead the whole thing making sure that the other children stay quiet. This can often be good if you can get a shy child to lead as the loud children have to practice listening and the shy one get a chance to speak up and tell people what to do.

You will find this game is especially great if there is a big divide in your yoga group. It helps promote respect, understanding, and team work as its a problem that the children have to work together to solve.
Aside from watching and making sure every one is safe the game has very little to do with the teacher and thus changes the class situation from a teacher student relationship to a group of students with a teacher there to guide them.

Other children’s yoga games you can play are … Giants treasure, Yoga poision ball, Musical  Mats, Triangle Tiggy, Upset the crocodile, I went to a yoga class and I did, Yoga heads