Once a month I hold yoga storytime for ages 3-6 and their grown-ups. This storytime is 30 minutes in length with an additional 15 minutes for a craft or mandala coloring at the end. We read one book and then act it out in yoga poses; repetition is SO good for learning! We also practice some form of sun salutation, dancing, pranyama (breathing exercises), and savasana (final resting pose).
Abner and Ian Get Right-Side Up
Hugs and Kisses for the Grouchy Ladybug
If You’re Groovy and You Know It, Hug a Friend
Thank You for the Little Things
yogibrarian 
Yay, so glad to be of help! And I’m thankful to you for the lion song too! RAWR!
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This is really great – love the introduction of breathing patterns to kids.
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Do you think you could do a yoga storytime if you’ve no experience in yoga?
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Hello! Sorry it took me so long to respond; I was on vacation last week. You can definitely lead a yoga storytime without being a registered yoga teacher (although, of course, it helps!). Some experience in yoga is helpful though, as you need to know the names of the poses and how to execute them in order to teach them to the kiddos! 🙂 There are plenty of DVDs and youtube videos for learning basic yoga. Also, there are also studios and teachers who hold classes on how to teach kids – and you don’t need to be certified in yoga to take them! I went through training through Kids Yoga Guide in Denver (http://kidsyogaguide.com/). Where are you located? I can see if there are trainings near you. There are some that travel around the country as well.
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Hi,
I’m going to be doing a yoga story time for 6-8 year olds this October. I’ve practiced yoga on my own for a few years, and have run a story time for infants up to 30 months old, but have never done a yoga story time before and with this particular age group. I was wondering if you had any tips or recommendations for good resources or books I could use during the program? Any advice/info you can give me would be much appreciated. I’m not a certified yoga instructor and am a little nervous to try this new program.
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Hi there! Congrats on the yoga storytime! Take a deep breath, and have no fear: you don’t need to be a certified yoga instructor to add yoga to your storytimes. While of course it would be delightful if all kiddos were in perfect alignment in all poses, in reality they are KIDS! They are bendy and won’t try to push themselves into poses that hurt them. (That does change in upper elementary when they get more competitive or self-conscious about what their friends can do vs what they can do so be a little more mindful with your 8 year olds and older kids.) Kidding Around Yoga, Karma Kids Yoga, and Kids Yoga Guide are all wonderful resources, as is Storytime Yoga and Yoga in my School. As far as books go, anything about breathing, nature, friendship, the environment, animals, fairy tales, or myths make great sources for yoga storytimes. Feel free to use the books that I have done and use the movements I did until you are comfortable and confident on your own. And the movements don’t all have to be actual yoga asanas; just getting the kids up and being in touch with their bodies is so beneficial! Make sure to include breaks for breathwork and grounding. These are wonderful stress management tools for kids to have in their back pockets for when times get rough. If you have any questions about any of this, please feel free to ask. Hope this helps!
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Thank you so much for your advice and suggested yoga resources! I really appreciate it, and will try to keep in mind, as you said, that they are kids and won’t likely push themselves to do any poses that hurt. I’m very excited about this and am going to try and just have fun with it. 🙂 Thanks again for all your help!
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Congrats again, and keep me posted!
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We stumbled over here by a different web page and thought I should check things out. I like what I see so now i’m following you. Look forward to checking out your web page for a second time.
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Thank you! Hope to spread the joy of yoga and reading to kids of all ages so glad you enjoy!
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Thank you for compiling this all together! I recently finished a two day Level 1 course through YogaFit, and I’m excited to bring my new knowledge to the kids at our library. I’m very much looking forward to the journey and so glad I found your blog. Thanks again!
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Absolutely! I’m so glad you are sharing yoga with kids – the more kids doing yoga, the better! If you have any wonderful ideas that work well for you, please share them with me as well. Namaste!
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This is so cool! We have our daughters doing a yoga class by zoom in the other room because of COVID-19 and then I found you – thank you for so thoughtfully sharing this resource!
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Thank you so much! I’m so glad you are doing yoga during these stressful times.
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