Pilates for Kids Instructor Course
About This Course
Pilates for Kids Instructor Course | Online Certification, EFWA
How this programme is delivered
This programme is delivered entirely online. Lectures and assessments are completed remotely at your own pace, with tutor support through the course Q&A. There is no in-person practical observation.
About this course
Children are not small adults. Their skeletons are still growing, their proportions differ from an adult’s, and the loading a growing body tolerates is not the loading an adult body tolerates. Teaching movement to a child safely requires understanding those differences.
This course focuses on children aged 5–12, covering the developmental anatomy behind age-appropriate programming and the teaching methods that hold a child’s attention long enough for the movement to be learned.
The academic foundation
Every EFWA Pilates programme is built on the same theoretical core, included here in full:
Foundation 1 — Locomotor System Anatomy: the skeletal and muscular systems, with a knowledge assessment.
Foundation 2 — Exercise Physiology: energy systems and the mechanisms of muscle contraction and movement production.
Foundation 3 — Systems Anatomy and Physiology: respiratory and cardiovascular function, with a knowledge assessment.
The children’s module builds on that foundation rather than replacing it. This is why the guided learning time is considerably longer than the demonstration videos alone.
Essential details
Certificate awarded: EFWA Certificate in Pilates for Kids Instruction
Format: 100% online, self-paced
Endorsement: International Pilates Federation (IPF)
Support: Tutor support through course Q&A, unlimited access
Guided learning time: Approximately 10 hours
The EFWA Anatomical Overlay
Every practical demonstration runs alongside an anatomical panel prepared by Dr Mert Eray Onen, author of Anatomy of the Locomotor System. For each exercise the panel identifies the joints involved, the movement occurring at each, the muscles producing that movement, the muscles stabilising isometrically, and the muscles being lengthened.
Working with growing bodies makes this knowledge particularly important: understanding precisely what a position loads is what allows you to judge whether it is appropriate for a child at a given stage of development.
Who teaches what. Theoretical modules — anatomy, kinesiology and exercise physiology — are delivered by Dr Mert Eray Onen, who has taught these subjects at university level since 2004. Practical demonstrations are delivered by Melisa Arslan, with the anatomical analysis for each exercise prepared by Dr Onen.
What you will learn
Developmental anatomy. How a child’s skeletal and muscular systems grow, what that means for load tolerance, and why certain adult exercises are inappropriate at certain ages.
Age-appropriate repertoire. Pilates movements adapted for the 5–12 age group, with progressions suited to different stages of development.
Teaching method. How to instruct, correct form and maintain engagement with children, including the use of play-based movement.
Session management. Structuring a class that stays safe, focused and enjoyable.
Safeguarding and professional practice
Working with children carries responsibilities that go beyond movement instruction.
In the UK, anyone teaching children in a regulated setting requires an enhanced DBS check, and most schools, clubs and leisure providers will require a written safeguarding policy, appropriate insurance and parental consent before you teach. Requirements differ in other countries, but equivalent expectations usually apply.
This course does not provide a DBS check or a safeguarding qualification, and it does not qualify you to work in a clinical or therapeutic capacity with children. Please make sure you have the correct checks and permissions in place for the setting in which you intend to teach.
Who this course is for
Practising Pilates instructors who want to extend their teaching to children.
Fitness professionals and PE teachers looking to add age-appropriate movement work to what they already deliver.
Those preparing to teach, studying this alongside foundation Pilates training.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start teaching children in the UK?
Requirements vary by setting. Schools, clubs and leisure centres will generally require an enhanced DBS check, safeguarding training, insurance and, depending on context, a regulated fitness qualification. EFWA is an independent education provider, so our certificates sit outside the regulated framework — as do most specialist courses in this field.
We say this plainly because we would rather you enrol knowing exactly what you are buying. What this course gives you is the part no regulator issues: the developmental anatomy behind every decision you make about what a child should and should not be asked to do.
Do I need existing Pilates training?
Familiarity with the mat repertoire is recommended. If you are new to Pilates, we would suggest studying the Mat Pilates course first, or taking the Master Pilates Programme, which includes both.
Will this certificate be recognised?
Your EFWA certificate is issued by EFWA and can be verified by QR code. Recognition varies by country and by setting, so it is worth checking local requirements before you enrol.
Join learners in more than 60 countries studying Pilates with EFWA.
ENROL NOW: Get Your International Pilates for Kids Certificate Today
Learning Objectives
Material Includes
- Video lectures with anatomical overlay panels · Knowledge assessments · Tutor Q&A access · Unlimited access to course materials · EFWA certificate on completion.
Requirements
- Familiarity with the mat Pilates repertoire is recommended. No prior qualification is required.
Target Audience
- Practising Pilates instructors extending their teaching to children.
- Fitness professionals and PE teachers adding age-appropriate movement work.
- Those preparing to teach, studying alongside foundation Pilates training.
Curriculum
Locomotor System Anatomy
Skeletal System36:15
Muscular System00:35:53
Locomotor System Anatomy Quiz
Exercise Physiology
Anatomy and Physiology
Pilates for Kids
Your Instructors
Dr. Mert Eray Onen
PhD · Founder & Academic Director, EFWA
Dr Mert Eray Onen is the founder of the European Fitness and Wellness Academy and the author of Anatomy of the Locomotor System, 2022.
He has taught human anatomy and kinesiology at university level since 2004, delivering these subjects across all departments of the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Kocaeli University, where he remains a member of the teaching staff. He holds a PhD in Sport Health Sciences from Marmara University and an MSc in Coaching Education from Celal Bayar University, where he graduated first in his cohort.
Published work
Alongside Anatomy of the Locomotor System, his books include Doping in Sport, second edition 2014. He is editor and contributing author of Training Physiology, 2026, for which he wrote the chapters on muscle physiology, neuromuscular control, and the peripheral and central mechanisms of exercise-induced fatigue. He has contributed chapters on muscle physiology and fatigue mechanisms to Exercise and Sport Physiology. His research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, most recently on the effects of massage practice on low back pain and physical fitness.
Teaching in Pilates and movement
In 2011–2012 he delivered the anatomy, kinesiology and exercise physiology curriculum across all International Pilates Federation instructor programmes — Matwork I–II and Reformer I–II — and served as the Federation’s Vice President for Education and Chair of its Education and Science Board. He has taught sports anatomy on Turkish Gymnastics Federation Pilates instructor courses in 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016.
Beyond Pilates, he has delivered anatomy, physiology and nutrition modules on national coaching certification courses across more than fifteen sports, including swimming, athletics, tennis, judo, boxing, handball and bodybuilding. Since 2004 he has been programme coordinator and anatomy lecturer on the massage therapist training courses run jointly by the Turkish Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Ministry of National Education.
In 2025 he received the Best Educator award at the 9th International Achievement and Career Award.
At EFWA
Dr Onen writes and delivers the theoretical modules of EFWA’s programmes, and prepares the anatomical analysis that accompanies every practical demonstration: the joints involved, the movement occurring at each, the muscles producing it, the muscles stabilising isometrically, and the muscles being lengthened.
£149.00
Material Includes
- Video lectures with anatomical overlay panels · Knowledge assessments · Tutor Q&A access · Unlimited access to course materials · EFWA certificate on completion.
