This one is a big big favourite of the kids and can be played at any age, so if you play this one in your classes be prepared to have it requested for the next couple of weeks. I personally love playing this one with the kids because it helps to improve their co-ordination and concentration. As you play it you can see a real improvement in the kids who at the beginning couldn’t stay still.

There is one giant (usually me) who stands at one end of the room with my back to the children behind me on the ground sits a piece of treasure (I use a rubber duck most of the time but you can use a prize or even your car keys). When I am looking away towards the wall the children slowly start to creep forward I then turn around. If I spot any of the children moving I get them to take three big steps backwards. The winner of the game is the child that reaches the treasure first.

For older groups

For older groups you can get them to jump into a yoga pose and stay as still as they can (tree pose is a good option but also quite a hard one for the children.)

Who should be giant?

The child who gets the treasure usually wants to be the giant next, in some cases I will let them and in some cases I will not. Sometimes having one of the children as the giant causes arguments as the child usually wants to send all the children back three steps for moving and the other children begin to protest that the game is to hard, and that they didn’t move. In this case I usually tell the children that they can only send one or two children back so they need to choose the ones who move the most.

Letting children be the giant as in some cases has benefits, it begins to teach the older children to help some of the younger ones out by not always “catching”them and understanding that they are younger and have a harder time staying still.
It also teaches the children respect for each other, if you are hard on the other children chances are that when they are giant they will be hard on you too, the game is will finish, there will be a winner so there is no point on sending every one back.

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