The Best Picture Book for a Kids Yoga Class

Jul 04, 2024

“One day down on the farm, Duck got a wild idea. ‘I bet I could ride a bike!’ he thought. He waddled over to where the boy parked his bike, climbed on, and began to ride. At first he rode very slowly, and he wobbled a lot, but it was fun!”

So begins Duck On A Bike by David Shannon, my all-time favorite book to read in a kids' yoga class. In the book, Duck rides his bike past a variety of animals who also live on the farm. Each one answers back to his enthusiastic, “Hello!” as he rides by, and each one has their own thoughts about this duck on a bike. The horse thinks he’s faster, the cat couldn’t be bothered riding a bike and the goat wants to eat that bike.

Each animal in the book translates into a yoga pose – waddling around in a squat as a duck, stretching like a cat and kicking from Down Dog pose to be a horse or a goat (one leg at a time for the horse and both together for goat). Even the bike is a great pose to support digestion – lying on the back and peddling the legs in circles each time you hear the word “bike” in the book.

Not only do children get to explore yoga poses while following along with an adventurous and gregarious duck, they also get to explore a variety of emotions. I ask the kids and let them share their insights. How was the horse feeling? Jealous, prideful? How about the cat? Indifferent, aloof? And the goat? Hungry! Maybe a little impulsive too?

Using a picture book as a theme in a kids yoga class adds dynamic elements of reading comprehension, sparking imagination and insight along with the ability to move and learn – which is how most people learn best.

The sky’s the limit. There are millions of great pictures books to use. I look for books with heroes, dogs, trees and mountains. Animals in story books in general make great yoga poses. If there’s a character or feature in a book that doesn’t correspond to a yoga pose you know, the kids will love to make one up!

Themes are another wonderful way to keep children engaged in a yoga practice. We created a Lesson Plan based on Hawaiian mythology where two sisters Pele and Poli’ahu hurl fire and ice at each other when they fight. Do you have a sibling? Can you relate? This again gives children opportunities for emotional intelligence, perspective on relationships and cultural empathy while exploring interesting poses and myths.

Or, how about Soaring Through the Chakras? A class to engage older students with the balancing bird poses they love while exploring the energy centers of the body.

Themes and stories are the threads that tie the traditional practice of yoga together for children. They get the benefits of the practice while being submersed in a great adventure.