7/7/11

Things to Read and Do - Yoga For Kids & Toddlers

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Lately F has become "really into yoga." I know this because she keeps telling me "mom, I'm becoming really into yoga." Sometimes during playdates she takes out her mat and starts downward dogging (which really confuses her friends). I love yoga, so I (of course) find this whole thing adorable.

In order to encourage F's new hobby, we've been taking yoga classes through my friend Susannah's company, Go Bananas Dancing (which also has wonderful ballet and dance classes that the girls LOVE). Go Bananas just hired Ms. Kim, a children's yoga instructor, and her adult/children classes are fantastic. Ms. Kim transforms an ordinary yoga workout into an imaginative playland - warrior poses become zebra stripes, boat poses become car rides (you use a paper plate to steer). So far in class we've imagined trips to the zoo, camping, and a traveling adventure, all while completing yoga poses and listening to music. So much fun. This fall, Go Bananas is offering yoga and dance classes through Arlington and Falls Church park districts, so make sure to check the website for scheduling.

When we're not at yoga class, F's also enjoys the following kids' yoga books:
Babar's Yoga for Elephants
This is probably F's favorite yoga book as it describes the poses through various series that she can work through. Other than this we've never read Babar, so an elephant background isn't a prerequisite.

Yoga Pretzels (Yoga Cards)
These cards are great as they contain lots of poses and yoga games to play with your kids (P loves the games). On the downside, there are A LOT of cards, which means we tend to lose our favorites. Plus T loves to take them out of the box and throw them everywhere.

The ABCs of Yoga for Kids
We don't own this book but a friend recommended it as one of her 5 year old son's favorite books. So we need to check it out.

Little Yoga: A Toddler's First Book of Yoga
We bought this for F as a baby and all three kids have loved it. Toddlers and babies really enjoy seeing simple pictures and realizing that they can mimic what's on the page. All the poses are simple and appropriate for really young kids.

Yoga Kids: For Ages 3-6
We lost this DVD about a year ago (after many many scratches) but when F was 4 she could spend hours watching it and mimicking the poses. Hours.
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What about everyone else? Any good kids' yoga recommendations?

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2 comments:

  1. I have been wanting to get my daughter and myself doing yoga. I am going to check out your resources. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. How adorable! My daughter and I began yoga a month ago and are now converts. Oh how wonderful for your daughter to have an appreciation at such a young age. Hopefully she will have a blissful time through her teens :)

    ReplyDelete

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