One of my favorite ways to engage a group of children is to incorporate a storybook into the yoga class. The children become enthralled with the characters and storyline as they act out the pages through yoga poses.
Yoga stories are a wonderful way to teach, bringing together imagination and creativity through storytelling and movement. But while storytelling comes naturally to some, others enjoy using a children's book to set the theme of a class or to engage children in discussion.
There are basically two ways I suggest using children's books as part of a yoga class or home practice. First, choose books with various characters, objects or images, which can be easily imitated in the form of a yoga pose. Since children are easily drawn to animals, and yoga includes dozens of animal poses, this is a sure-fire way to capture a child's attention.
The second option is to choose a book which contains a meaningful message, such as gratitude, selflessness, peace, love, self-respect and self-confidence, earth care, etc. You can read these books to lead to a discussion, tying in yoga principles and combining with several poses. For example, you may find a story on love and use the book as a way to get kids talking about what it means to love others or to love one's self. After the discussion move into several heart-opening poses, such as camel or cobra.
Many books offer both a meaningful message and inspirational characters to lead poses. A great one for kids aged 3-6 is It's A Good Thing You're Not an Octopus by Julie Markes. Amazon.com's editorial reviewer Emilie Coulter says, The world of small children is filled with day-in, day-out challenges and tiresome activities. If someone's not telling you to get dressed, they're making you eat lunch, climb into the car seat, or take a nap. However, young humans should count their blessings. Baby birds have to eat worms for lunch. Tigers may not ever have to climb into a bathtub, but that's because their mothers are always licking them clean! And imagine being a shark when it comes time to brush your teeth--all 200 of them. Julie Markes hits her mark with this clever picture book, which will probably make at least a few human children appreciate their relatively simple daily routines (at least when compared to shoeless caterpillars).
Markes' book has an engaging and entertaining storyline which includes vivid illustrations of animal characters, while teaching an important value: gratitude. With this book, you could read it once, slowly, allowing for lots of giggling and absorption of the beautiful illustrations. Ask the kids if they ever feel frustrated or irritated when they have to do things like brushing their teeth and remind them, as the book says on the last page, "It's a good thing you're you...phew!" The yoga practice could follow with the adult asking the kids to recall the animals and situations in the story, and perform the poses together.
Here are a few more book suggestions:
My Many Colored Days by Dr. Suess
The Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
Old Turtle by Douglas Wood
