This month's DharmaKids yoga lesson is inspired by The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle, a beloved story that helps children explore emotions, kindness, patience, and self-awareness.
Through playful yoga poses, mindful breathing, movement games, and a story-based adventure, children will follow the grouchy ladybug's journey as it encounters animals of all shapes and sizes throughout the day. Along the way, we'll practice noticing our feelings, making thoughtful choices, and discovering that kindness often feels better than anger.
Download your printable pose guide (PDF) featuring a few highlighted poses from this sequence!
Recommended Tools:
- DharmaKids Yoga Bundle
- Zabuton & Zafu meditation pillow
- Yoga Dust Brush
- Hoberman Sphere
- Eye Pillows
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Bird timer
- Book: The Grouchy Ladybug? By Eric Carle
Follow along with this week’s DharmaKids mini lesson as we move through the highlighted yoga poses from our PDF. This short practice is designed to help kids connect movement, breath, and playful learning in a simple, approachable way. Roll out your mat, open the lesson, and enjoy a few mindful moments together.
1. Opening with Namaste
We begin by greeting each other with Namaste, which means:
“The light in me sees the light in you.”
For young children, I explain this as:
We each have something special about us—something we’re really good at, something we enjoy doing, or something we’re learning to do. Examples of this are, jumping high, running fast, drawing, cooking or learning to read. I hold out one hand and say,
“This hand reminds me of something that makes me special.”
Then I talk about how we all do kind things for others—like helping a friend who is sad, putting recycling in the bin, or cleaning up the classroom. I hold out my other hand and say,
“This hand reminds me of all the kind things I do for others.”
When we put our palms together, it shows that we are both special and kind. That is our light. When we begin and end yoga, we honor that light in each other with Namaste.
2. Breathing Practice
We sit criss-cross applesauce and begin to breathe deeply to prepare our minds and bodies for yoga.
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Inhale through the nose like you’re smelling a beautiful flower, hands on our bellies, which get bigger as we breathe in.
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Exhale through the mouth, gently, making our bellies smaller again.
We repeat this three times. To help visualize the breath, we use the Hoberman Sphere, which expands and contracts like our bellies do when we breathe. Children can open the ball slowly or quickly to match their breath. This “breathing ball” is also a useful focusing tool in later poses.
3. Reading A Grouchy Ladybug
We read the book The Grouchy Ladybug one page at a time. After reading each page, we pause to do the corresponding pose together. Once we’ve completed the pose, we return to the book and continue reading. We repeat this pattern—read a page, do the pose—until the story is complete. Then we transition into Savasana.
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Morning Sun- Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskar), page 2- *A great song to use for this section is Kira Willey’s Dance for the sun. The cues given here match her song-
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Tadasana- Stand tall with feet together- look up and wave to the sun!
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Uttanasana-Fold forward and bring your fingers to your toes. If you can reach, give them a tickle, if not just wave to them.
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Plank Pose- Jump your feet back to plank pose. BIG breath in.
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Chaturanga- BIG breath out as you lower your belly down to the ground. You can even hissssssss like a snake.
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Bhujangasana or Urdhva Mukha Svanasana- Inhale as you straighten your arms and look at the sun.
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Adho Mukha Svanasana- Exhale as you push yourself up on your hands and raise your bottom to the ceiling into downward dog. Take three deep breaths in and out.
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Jump your feet to your hands like a frog.
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Uttanasana-Fold forward and bring your fingers to your toes. If you can reach, give them a tickle, if not just wave to them.
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Tadasana- Stand up tall again and wave to the sun, then bring your hands down by your sides or to your heart center! Amazing job!
*If using the song, this sequence repeats itself one more time.
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Lady bugs on a leaf, pages 3-4- Put your hands on the ground and let your little ladybug feet climb up the wall. Crawl slowly and carefully like a ladybug exploring a leaf. Then tiptoe your feet back down to the earth.
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Yellowjacket, (Bhramari Pranayama), pages 5-6- Sit comfortably with a tall spine. Take a deep breath in through your nose, and as you breathe out, make a long gentle buzzing sound like a bumble bee: “mmmmmmmm.” Feel the buzz tickle your lips, cheeks, and head. Try covering your ears, how does it sound different?
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Stag Beetle, (Kurmasana), pages 7-8- Sit with your legs wide apart and knees softly bent. Crawl your hands underneath your legs and lower your head down like a strong stag beetle. Lift your “pincher” arms a little or wiggle your fingers like giant beetle pincers to show the grouchy ladybug.
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Praying Mantis, (Anjaneyasana variation), pages 9-10- Step one foot forward into a low lunge with your back knee resting on the ground. Bring your hands together in front of your chest like a quiet praying mantis waiting very still on a leaf. Sway gently and use your big mantis eyes to look at the ladybug.
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Bird (Dekasana), pages 11-12- Stand tall on one foot and stretch your arms out wide like bird wings. Lean forward slowly as your other leg lifts behind you and imagine soaring high through the sky like a strong bird gliding on the wind. Keep your eyes focused on one spot to help your bird balance. Try your other leg, lifted behind you. Show the ladybug your beak!
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Lobster (Ardha Purvottanasana), pages 13-14- Sit with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind you and lift your belly up high like a big lobster. Then lift one hand up into the air to make a giant lobster claw and show the grouchy ladybug just how big and strong you are! Put your hand down and lift the other one.
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Skunk (Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana variation), pages 15-16- Start in down dog with your hands and feet pressing into the floor. Lift one leg high behind you, bend your knee, and open your hip like a skunk lifting its tail high in the forest. Hold very still and imagine your fluffy skunk tail swishing through the air while the grouchy ladybug carefully backs away!
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Boa Constrictor, (Bhujangasana) pages 17-18- Lie on your belly with your hands underneath your shoulders. Press into your hands and slowly lift your chest up like a giant boa constrictor rising up from the jungle floor. Take a deep breath in, and as you breathe out, hiss loudly at the grouchy ladybug: “SSSSSSSS!”
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Hyena (Marjaryasana–Bitilasana), pages 19-20- Come onto your hands and knees. As you breathe in, lift your head and chest like a sneaky hyena peeking through the tall grass. As you breathe out, round your back, bare your teeth, and give a silly little “laugh” at the grouchy ladybug before prowling quietly through the savanna.
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Gorilla (Padahastasana), pages 21-22- Stand tall and slowly fold forward, letting your head hang down. Slide your hands underneath your feet like giant gorilla hands and bend your knees softly as your big gorilla sways through the jungle. You can grunt, scratch your shoulders, or stomp your feet to show the grouchy ladybug how strong you are!
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Rhinoceros (Setu Bandhasana), pages 23-24- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips up high into bridge pose, then stretch your arms straight overhead and press your hands together to make one giant rhinoceros horn. Breath here for a few minutes to show the grouchy ladybug your scary horn! Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your hips up high into bridge pose, then stretch your arms straight overhead and press your hands together to make one giant rhinoceros horn.
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Elephant (Uttanasana), pages 25-26- Stand tall and slowly fold forward, letting your arms dangle down like a long elephant trunk. Sway gently side to side as your elephant walks heavily through the jungle. Then slowly lift your trunk high up into the air to show the grouchy ladybug your giant elephant tusks and give a loud elephant trumpet!
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Whale (Salabhasana variation), pages 27-36- Lie on your belly with your arms by your sides and lift your chest and legs up like a giant whale swimming through the deep ocean. Pretend your legs are a powerful whale tail and give one enormous flap to send the grouchy ladybug across the sea and across the land! Then lower back down slowly as your whale glides peacefully through the water.
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Ladybug (Balasana), pages 37-38- Kneel down and sit your hips back toward your heels. Fold forward and rest your head on the ground as the grouchy ladybug lands back on its leaf feeling wet, tired, and very hungry after its long adventure. Take slow quiet breaths and rest your tired little ladybug wings before it is finally time to eat. Kneel down and sit your hips back toward your heels. Fold forward and rest your head on the ground as the grouchy ladybug lands back on its leaf feeling wet, tired, and very hungry after its long adventure. Take slow quiet breaths and rest your tired little ladybug wings before it is finally time to eat. Kneel down and sit your hips back toward your heels. Fold forward and rest your head on the ground as the grouchy ladybug lands back on its leaf feeling wet, tired, and very hungry after its long adventure. Take slow quiet breaths and rest your tired little ladybug wings before it is finally time to eat.
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Star (Utthita Tadasana), page 39- Stand tall with your feet wide apart and stretch your arms out to the sides like a giant shining star in the night sky. Spread your fingers wide and sparkle brightly as the fall asleep. You can even twinkle or gently sway as your star lights up the sky.
4. Savasana (Final Rest)
After we finish our story and poses, we quiet our minds and calm our bodies with Savasana.
“Savasana helps our brains become calm and clear, making room for new thoughts and ideas.”
I demonstrate with the Yoga Dust Brush—a clear-handled brush filled with floating glitter. I show the kids how the glitter swirls when the brush is moving and settles when the brush lies still. I explain:
“Our thoughts are like that glitter—when we lie still, they settle down and our minds become clear.”
Children lie on their backs, breathing gently.
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Optional tools: Eye pillows or breathing buddies (stuffed animal) on bellies, and/or star machine with calming music or the bird timer.
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I gently “brush” a little yoga dust on each child’s forehead to help them relax.
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I guide them to breathe in through their noses, expanding their bellies to rise, and out through their mouths, letting their bellies fall.
5. Magic Yoga Hugs & Closing Namaste
After a few quiet minutes, we begin to wake up:
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Stretch arms overhead for a full-body stretch.
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Hug knees to chest, and slowly roll up to a criss-cross seated position.
We bring our hands to our hearts and think of someone or something we love—family, friends, pets, even a favorite toy or blanket. It can be someone alive or someone who’s passed on.
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Breathe in and raise your arms up.
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Breathe out and give yourself a hug.
“As we breathe out, whoever or whatever you were thinking of will receive a magic yoga hug, wherever they are!”
Repeat once more, either with the same person/thing or someone new.
Then, we place our special and kind hands together and bring them;:
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On our hearts: > “We respect each other with loving hearts.” Have the children repeat “loving hearts”.
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On our mouths: > “We respect each other with kind words.” Have the children repeat “kind words”.
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On our foreheads: > “We respect each other by trying new things with open minds.” Have the children repeat “open minds”.
Finally, we all say together:
“Namaste.”
