Kids yoga should be a priority in preschools and daycares

Updated: August 9, 2023

By Robyn Parets, founder of Pretzel Kids

Looking for a preschool or daycare center for your child can be stressful.

I’ve been there, done that.

But even though your preschool checklist may be long, there’s one more thing you should add to the list: Kids yoga!

In fact, we think kids yoga should be a priority in preschools (We can dream, right?)

In fact, research shows that yoga helps children manage anxiety. Yoga also helps foster a healthy preschool community. 

Mindfulness Matters, Even in Preschool

Young children and toddlers learn to use yoga, mindfulness, and even breathing techniques to cope with their emotions. Plus, yoga helps kids learn how to share and be more mindful of others. This, in turn, helps kids improve their social skills as well. 

Mindfulness and social skills are also particularly important when you consider that social and emotional development are two of the most important aspects of preschool. While academically prepared for kindergarten, preschoolers often don’t succeed because they lack the social and emotional skills needed for elementary school. And, according to research, mindfulness positively affects the mood and stress levels of students who practice it in school. 

Children Learn through Play

Many preschool yoga curriculums and toddler yoga programs are play-based as this is how kids learn best. The Pretzel Kids yoga curriculum, for example, was developed by two preschool teachers and the Pretzel Kids yoga teaching method is designed to help kids tap into their creative genius. Each lesson plan is based on a theme, like rain forest adventure, a day at the beach, or jungle safari. This way kids use their imaginations while learning important breathing techniques and poses in a fun way.

Here’s another major reason you should look for a preschool with kids yoga: Children learn through play and yoga for kids is fun! 

Learn More about Kids Yoga

We recently wrote an article for Paper Pinecone on the importance of yoga in preschools.. Give it a read here to learn more. And, click on the big teal button below to learn how to teach kids yoga!