Introducing Yoga to Kids with Rachel’s Day in the Garden

Jackson has been taking yoga at his school for the last 2 years. When I signed him up I thought it would be fun for him and give me a much-needed extra hour to myself. What I didn’t realize was that kids yoga was more than just poses. it was also about learning how to handle emotions and mindfulness. I love how much he has learned from yoga and how it has taught him coping skills for his anxiety.

I was excited when I got the opportunity to review (affiliate) Rachel’s Day in the Garden: A Kids Yoga Spring Colors Book by Giselle Shardlow, because I’ve been looking for ways for Jack to practice yoga at home and for him to show me some of the poses that he’s learned in school. Rachel’s Day in the Garden gave me a chance to introduce yoga at home and for us to learn some yoga poses together.

Introducing Yoga to Kids with Rachel’s Day in the Garden

At the start of the book there is a guide for parents on how to use kids yoga stories and how to get the most out of the book. The guide suggests that you familiarize yourself with the poses used in the books prior to reading the book. The book also comes with a parents guide at the end of the book for further information on incorporating the poses introduced in the book. These guides and suggestions are very helpful especially for parents like me who’s yoga experience is limited to that one class I took in college.

One thing that I really liked about the book, was that the story could be read without doing the poses. The story does not need the poses in order for kids to comprehend it, the poses enhance the story.

Each page features a pose that is associated with a keyword on the page. The word bird is paired with warrior 3 because this pose resembles a bird. The book incorporates each pose into the story so that the children can act out the poses while Mom or Dad read the story.

The pose guide at the end of the book, contains a list of keywords along with the poses so that you and your child can work through the poses together.

The parents guide at the back of the book contains lots of tips and ideas for introducing yoga and making it a fun, interactive experience for parents and kids.

Jackson and I had fun reading Rachel’s Day in the Garden and he enjoyed showing off the poses that he was familiar with along with learning some new ones from the book. He really got a kick out of watching me attempt warrior 3, and I quickly learned that he is much better at yoga than I am. We plan to keep practicing together and trying out more of the Kids Yoga Stories. Stories like Rachel’s Day in the Garden are a great way to introduce kids to yoga and hopefully start the first steps towards a lifetime of practice.

I was provided with a copy of Rachel’s Day in the Garden to review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.