Children's Yoga Teacher Training Courses
6 courses · 5 instructors · 6 schools
Children's Yoga Teacher Training
Children’s yoga teacher training builds credentials specifically for teaching yoga to kids — covering age-appropriate sequencing, classroom management, and the credential alignment that schools and studios increasingly require. The training develops both the kids-yoga teaching foundation and the credential depth that recognized children’s yoga teaching expects, with online study allowing working teachers to earn the credential alongside current teaching practice.
Online children’s yoga teacher training: playful, age-appropriate, and Yoga Alliance-recognized
Teaching yoga to children is a craft of its own. It is less about perfect postures and more about play, story, and holding the attention of a room of three- to twelve-year-olds — and a children’s yoga teacher training gives you the tools and the recognized credential to do it well. Through Yoga Alliance, that credential is the RCYT (Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher).
Most people look for a kids yoga teacher training online so they can study around work, and the programs available in 2026 range from standalone children’s courses to the 95-hour training that leads to the RCYT. The most useful thing to understand first is how a kids-yoga course relates to the Yoga Alliance children’s credential.
What the training covers
A children’s yoga training covers age-appropriate methodology across developmental stages: how to sequence for short attention spans, teach through games, story, and imagination, use breath and mindfulness with kids, and manage a lively, mixed-age room safely. It also covers the practicalities — trauma awareness, inclusivity, and working within schools and studios.
The teaching skills are genuinely different from adult classes, which is why a dedicated training matters even for experienced teachers. Children’s yoga sits within the wider field of online yoga courses, and shares an inclusive, adaptive spirit with styles like chair yoga. The Yoga Alliance standards define the RCYT and RCYS credentials.
Good to know
Yoga Alliance’s children’s credential is the RCYT (Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher). It requires an existing RYT-200, plus a 95-hour children’s yoga training and a number of teaching hours with children. A standalone kids-yoga course can be excellent preparation for teaching, but the RCYT specifically needs that RYT-200 foundation underneath it.
How children’s yoga credentials fit together
Programs sit at different points, and only some lead to the Yoga Alliance children’s credential:
| Credential | What it requires | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Kids yoga course | No prerequisite | Teaching children in schools and studios |
| 95-hour children’s training | Taken toward the RCYT | Age-appropriate methodology and practice |
| RCYT | RYT-200 + 95 hours + teaching hours | Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher |
| RCYS | A registered school standard | Schools training children’s yoga teachers |
If you do not yet hold the foundational credential, the 200-hour yoga teacher training is the starting point that the RCYT builds on. If you simply want to teach kids in a school or community setting, a strong standalone course may be all you need — the RCYT matters mainly where the Yoga Alliance credential is expected.
Five things worth checking before you enroll
Who a children’s yoga training is for
It suits yoga teachers wanting to add kids’ classes, and also teachers, parents, therapists, and youth workers who want to bring yoga and mindfulness to children. Foundational courses assume no yoga-teaching background; the RCYT pathway assumes an existing RYT-200. What matters most is genuine enjoyment of working with children and the patience the room demands.
How to choose a program
Decide whether you need the Yoga Alliance RCYT or simply the skills to teach children. If you want the credential, choose a 95-hour training and make sure you hold or are working toward the RYT-200. If you just want to teach in a school or studio, a strong standalone kids course may serve you perfectly well.
Look for real, practical methodology — how to hold attention, teach through play, and keep a room safe — rather than adult sequences shrunk down for kids. Confirm the program covers safeguarding and the age range you care about, and is honest about what its certificate does and does not qualify you for.
Often marketed as a kids yoga certification, the registered credential is the RCYT, with training from foundational courses through to master tier specialisms.
It is also offered as an online kids yoga teacher training for those studying remotely.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be an RYT-200 to teach kids yoga?
To earn the Yoga Alliance RCYT credential, yes — it requires an existing RYT-200 plus a 95-hour children’s training and teaching hours. To teach children informally in schools or community settings you do not strictly need it, since yoga is unregulated, but many studios and the RCYT itself expect the RYT-200 foundation.
What is the RCYT?
The RCYT is Yoga Alliance’s Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher credential. You earn it by holding an RYT-200, completing a 95-hour children’s yoga training with a registered school, and logging teaching hours with children. It signals that you are trained specifically to teach yoga to kids, not just adults.
How is teaching yoga to children different from adults?
Almost entirely. Children’s classes rely on play, story, imagination, and movement games rather than long holds and precise alignment, and they demand real classroom-management skill. Good training teaches age-appropriate sequencing, how to use breath and mindfulness with kids, and how to keep a lively room safe and inclusive.
Can I do a children’s yoga teacher training online?
Yes. Many schools offer children’s yoga training, including 95-hour RCYT-track courses, fully or partly online. Because teaching kids is a practical skill, look for a program that includes real teaching practice and feedback rather than recorded lessons alone.
What ages does children’s yoga training cover?
Most programs focus on roughly ages three to twelve, and good ones break that into developmental stages — toddlers, young children, and pre-teens — because what engages a four-year-old is very different from what works for a ten-year-old. Some trainings also extend into teen yoga as a separate specialty.
What do you learn in a children’s yoga teacher training?
A good kids yoga teacher training covers child development, age-appropriate sequencing, games, stories, and mindfulness, plus classroom management and trauma-informed basics — not just poses. Many programs lead toward the RCYT and, for some, a general kids yoga certification you can use in schools and studios.
Is there demand for children’s yoga teachers?
Yes, and it is growing — schools, studios, and wellness programs increasingly offer yoga and mindfulness for children. Demand is strongest for teachers who understand child development and can hold a playful, safe, and inclusive space, rather than simply adapting adult classes.