🧠 Yoga & Play-Based Learning: How Movement Supports Brain Development

Jordan Concannon
May 5
8 min read

📖 Table of Contents

What Is Play-Based Learning?
How Movement Fuels the Brain
Why Yoga Is a Perfect Fit
The Neuroscience Behind Movement & Learning
Tips for Integrating Yoga into Play-Based Environments
Final Thoughts

Yoga and play-based learning go hand-in-hand—boosting focus, creativity, and brain development in early childhood.

🧩 What Is Play-Based Learning?

Play-based learning is a developmentally appropriate, child-centered approach that uses active exploration, imagination, and creativity as the foundation for meaningful learning. While it may look like simple fun from the outside, neuroscience and educational psychology confirm that play is a vital part of how children build the cognitive and emotional architecture necessary for lifelong success.

According to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), play is the primary vehicle through which young children develop early literacy, numeracy, social-emotional intelligence, and even executive functioning—the set of mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control.

Through play, children learn to:

Test new ideas and take safe risks — pretending, role-playing, and experimenting help build flexible thinking.
Strengthen memory and focus — repeating games, navigating pretend rules, and engaging in playful routines boost attention span and recall.
Regulate emotions and resolve conflict — play teaches social skills like turn-taking, patience, and empathy.
Problem-solve creatively — open-ended activities encourage critical thinking and innovation.

📊 A study published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly (2018) found that children who engaged in guided play (where adults support but don’t control the play) demonstrated stronger learning outcomes than those in direct instruction or unguided play environments.

🧘‍♀️ Why Add Yoga?

When yoga is layered into this kind of play—through storytelling poses, animal shapes, or breathing games—it elevates the experience by combining physical movement, sensory regulation, and focused attention.

This combination helps the brain “light up” across multiple regions at once:

The prefrontal cortex (responsible for decision-making and focus)
The amygdala (emotional regulation and stress response)
The hippocampus (learning and memory consolidation)
The cerebellum (coordination and motor control)

In short, play-based yoga isn’t just beneficial—it’s neurologically potent. It gives kids the space to express themselves freely while building essential brain pathways for focus, learning, and resilience.

🚶 How Movement Fuels the Brain

Movement is not just physical exercise—it’s a critical ingredient in brain development and learning. For children, especially in early childhood, movement is one of the most effective tools for supporting healthy brain growth and cognitive development.

From a neurological perspective, movement influences multiple systems that work together to support learning, behavior, and emotional regulation.

🧠 Here’s how movement fuels the brain:

Stimulates the vestibular systemLocated in the inner ear, the vestibular system is responsible for balance, posture, and spatial orientation. Movement-rich activities like spinning, balancing, jumping, and yoga poses like Tree Pose or Downward Dog activate this system and improve a child’s sense of stability, coordination, and body awareness—all of which are foundational for focus and learning.
Improves blood flow and oxygen deliveryPhysical activity increases circulation, delivering more oxygen and nutrients to the brain. This enhances mental alertness and primes the brain for learning. Movement breaks and yoga transitions are like “brain boosters,” refreshing a child’s ability to concentrate and retain information.
Enhances neuroplasticityNeuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning or experience. Repetitive physical movement combined with mindful attention—such as yoga flows or breathing exercises—strengthens these neural pathways, helping children process and retain new information more effectively.

📚 Scientific Evidence:

A pivotal study published in Pediatrics (2016) found that children who participated in daily movement-based activities showed significant gains in executive function—specifically in working memory, cognitive flexibility, and impulse control. These are the same mental skills children need for success in school, relationships, and self-regulation.

Another study from the Journal of School Health (2018) concluded that integrating movement into classroom routines—even for just 10 minutes per day—improves attention span, academic performance, and classroom behavior in early elementary students.

“Movement is the gateway to learning. A child must move to learn.”— Dr. Carla Hannaford, author of Smart Moves: Why Learning Is Not All in Your Head

💡 Takeaway:When yoga is used as part of play-based or learning routines, it doesn’t just help kids stay calm—it builds better brains. Through playful movement, children develop not only physically, but cognitively, emotionally, and neurologically.

🤸‍♀️ Why Yoga Is a Perfect Fit for Play-Based Learning

Yoga aligns beautifully with play-based learning because it naturally blends imagination, movement, and mindfulness—three essential ingredients for whole-child development.

In contrast to structured fitness programs or academic drills, yoga encourages free exploration, emotional expression, and embodied experiences. It offers a safe, creative space for children to engage both their bodies and minds—without pressure or competition.

🧠 Why it works so well:

✨ Imaginative StorytellingYoga with kids often sounds like this: “Now let’s become tall trees… and now a sleepy lion… and now we fly like airplanes!”These imaginative sequences activate creativity while improving motor planning and language development. Movement storytelling also builds narrative skills, spatial awareness, and confidence.
🧍 Body Awareness & Self-RegulationAs kids shift between poses, they begin to notice how their bodies feel—tight or loose, energetic or tired. This self-awareness leads to better emotional regulation and impulse control, especially when paired with breathing exercises like Balloon Breath or Bumblebee Breath.
🔁 Repetition and SequencingRepeating simple flows (e.g., Cat-Cow to Downward Dog) reinforces pattern recognition, memory, and sequencing—skills essential for reading, math, and executive functioning. Over time, children begin to predict what comes next, creating a rhythm that supports their cognitive growth.
🌬 Breathwork to Calm & CenterBreathing techniques like Rainbow Breath or Counting Breath offer accessible tools for calming the nervous system. These moments teach attention redirection, emotional pausing, and self-soothing—all crucial for both learning and life.

💡 What makes yoga special:

Unlike most physical education activities, yoga is non-competitive. There’s no winning or losing. It’s about participation, not performance.

This opens the door for kids who might feel overwhelmed by team sports or traditional classroom pressures. Whether they’re practicing solo or with a group, yoga fosters:

Embodied learning (learning through the body)
Social-emotional development
Safe expression of big feelings
Inclusive participation, regardless of ability

“Yoga turns play into presence. It teaches kids to notice, to feel, and to connect—with themselves and the world around them.”

🧠 The Neuroscience Behind Movement & Learning

Modern neuroscience confirms what many educators and yoga teachers have long observed: movement fuels learning.

Children aren’t meant to sit still all day—their brains develop through physical exploration, playful motion, and sensory engagement. In fact, movement is one of the brain’s most powerful tools for encoding memory, regulating emotions, and sharpening focus.

🧩 What the research says:

Harvard Center on the Developing Child emphasizes that executive functions—which include attention, self-control, emotional regulation, and working memory—develop best through interactive and embodied learning.These skills are essential for academic success, and the report highlights that structured movement activities like yoga can foster these capacities in early childhood and beyond.
A 2021 study in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology found that physically active children outperformed their sedentary peers in key areas like attention control, working memory, and processing speed.The researchers concluded that movement-based interventions should be integrated into educational environments to enhance learning outcomes.
During yoga, coordinated movement, breathwork, and visualization stimulate both the prefrontal cortex (linked to logic, planning, and focus) and soothe the amygdala (which manages fear and stress responses). This dual activation helps children stay calm while staying alert—an ideal brain state for learning.
Neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to form new neural pathways, is enhanced through multi-sensory, body-based activities like yoga. Repeating yoga poses and breathing techniques actually strengthens brain circuits that support self-regulation and cognitive flexibility.

🧠 “Cognitive development is not separate from motor development. They are deeply intertwined.”— Dr. Adele Diamond, developmental cognitive neuroscientist

💡 Why This Matters for Parents & Educators

When yoga is infused with storytelling, imagination, and breath, it becomes a full-brain workout—stimulating learning centers while calming emotional ones.

In practical terms, this means:

Children can better retain information after yoga
They show improved focus during lessons
They’re more capable of coping with stress and transitions

Whether it’s 5 minutes of movement before math class, or a morning family flow at home, yoga is a developmentally aligned tool for supporting the growing brain.

🌟 Tips for Integrating Yoga into Play-Based Environments

Blending yoga with play not only boosts engagement—it aligns perfectly with how children learn best: through movement, creativity, and hands-on exploration. Whether you’re a parent creating a mindful moment at home or an educator enhancing a classroom routine, these strategies make yoga feel like an organic part of the day—not an add-on.

🧸 Imaginative Pose Flows

Build short, theme-based sequences that encourage creativity and role-play.

For example:

Jungle Adventure: Roar in Lion Pose, slither in Cobra, swing like a Monkey.
Under the Sea: Float in Starfish, swim like Dolphin, glide into Mermaid.
Seasonal Flows: Grow in Tree Pose during Spring, curl up in Child’s Pose during Winter.

🧠 Why it works: Children connect movement with storytelling, helping them remember poses while deepening their sense of imagination and body awareness.

📚 Story Yoga

Pick a favorite picture book and act out scenes or characters through yoga. For example, in “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, curl into a ball like an egg (Child’s Pose), wiggle like a caterpillar (Cobra), and stretch wide like a butterfly (Butterfly Pose).

🧠 Why it works: Storytelling enhances language development, emotional understanding, and memory. Adding movement turns reading into a multisensory experience.

🎨 Pose Drawing & Creative Expression

After practicing, invite kids to draw the pose they liked most or decorate a “pose of the day” coloring sheet.

You can even let them invent a brand-new yoga pose, give it a name, and demonstrate it to the group.

🧠 Why it works: Linking physical movement to art strengthens cognitive associations and gives children ownership of their yoga experience.

🎵 Music & Movement

Use yoga-themed songs with built-in cues like:

“Reach up high like a rainbow”
“Take a balloon breath in… and blow it out slow”
“Shake your legs, wiggle your toes!”

Include songs during transitions (e.g., cleaning up, changing activities) or use them as part of a daily routine.

🧠 Why it works: Music stimulates auditory processing, rhythm awareness, and self-regulation—plus, it’s fun!

🧘 Mindful Transitions

Insert 1-minute breathing or grounding exercises between stations, before snacks, or after recess. Try:

Bumblebee Breath to calm after high-energy play.
Mountain Pose + breath before a circle-time activity.
Savasana with a feather or stuffy for rest time.

🧠 Why it works: Short mindful pauses help children reset their nervous systems, making them more receptive to learning and connection.

💬 Incorporating yoga into play doesn’t require a mat or a perfect plan. It’s about bringing presence, movement, and imagination into your everyday routines. Whether it’s a silly jungle flow in the living room or a calming breath before lunch in class, yoga becomes a bridge between joyful play and mindful learning.

“When we invite kids to move with meaning, we help them grow in every way—physically, emotionally, and cognitively.”

Stay groovy little yogis,

Jordan

📚 References / Sources

Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the Brain in Mind. ASCD.– This book highlights how movement boosts brain function, memory, and attention in children.
Ratey, J. J. (2008). Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. Little, Brown.– A comprehensive look at how physical activity, including mindful movement, supports learning and mental health.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The Association Between School-Based Physical Activity, Including Physical Education, and Academic Performance.https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/facts.htm
Diamond, A., & Lee, K. (2011). Interventions Shown to Aid Executive Function Development in Children 4–12 Years Old.Science, 333(6045), 959-964. doi:10.1126/science.1204529– This study shows how physical movement and mindfulness can enhance executive function skills.
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).The Case for Brain-Based Learning.https://www.naeyc.org/resources/topics/brain-development