Yoga for Children: 200+ Yoga Poses, Breathing Exercises, and Meditations for Healthier, Happier, More Resilient Children (Yoga for Children Series)

In this gem of a book, Lisa Flynn combines her extensive expertise in kids' yoga with her firsthand experience in parenting a child with special needs. Yoga for Children provides a wealth of well-balanced, research-based information in an easy-to-understand format that will be a wonderful resource for any parent, teacher, or therapist who wants to help the kids in their life experience the power of yoga to promote whole child wellness! Here's what I love about the book: * provides a wealth of well-balanced, research-based information in an easy-to-understand format * includes tips on working with kids at particular developmental levels (2-4 yrs., 4-6 yrs., 7-10 yrs., 10-12 yrs.) * includes tips on setting up a good yoga space & materials (love the idea for making a "yoga wand"!) * includes info about teaching 9 "yoga principles". In the settings I work in, these are referred to as "character education". In more traditional yoga terms, they are called "yamas" & "niyamas". Essentially they are positive ways to treat yourself & others. My favorite part about this section is that Lisa made it very kid-friendly by giving simple examples of what the principle looks like & includes book suggestions for each one. * includes "mindfulness" activities with benefits, "what to do" & "what to say" for each. Many also include great color photos. * includes breathing activities with benefits, "what to do" & "what to say" for each. Most also include great color photos. I love that this section is divided into "energizing" & "calming" breathing activities. * over 100 pages of the book are devoted to poses & partner poses. I love that they are listed alphabetically and included in the index in the back (so easy to find what you are looking for!). Includes benefits, "what to do" & "what to say" & a fabulous color photo for every pose. Many include suggested modifications or variations for the pose. Some information about contraindications for particular poses is included. * includes 24 yoga games with benefits, "what to do" & "what to say" for each. Four include a color photo . So many fun new ideas to try! * includes 16 song & chant activities. Many go along with the I Grow With Yoga Music CD. * includes tips and 7 transitioning into relaxation activities, 7 relaxation activities & 9 guided visualizations (love, Love, LOVE the simple rhymes & scripts included! It helps to have these scripts as inspiration to then personalize these experiences to meet your own kids needs. I can't wait to try out "yoga wand" "sea scarf" "gratitude rock" & more!) * includes tips for putting it all together into yoga flow sequences (love that the pics are included on these pages rather than just referencing where the poses were found earlier in the book. This makes this book so easy to just pull & use! I also love that Lisa includes info about "setting an intention" for a class & using themes) * while this is not a book specifically about yoga for kids with special needs, the details Lisa included about the "benefits" of each activity will make it easy for any parent, teacher or therapist to find those that will best suit a particular child's special needs. As she shares in the introduction of the book, Lisa has a son with Sensory Processing Disorder & Attention Deficit Disorder. She has gone to great effort to include evidence-based information in this book and has even more research available on her Yoga 4 Classrooms website. Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2 Speech-Language Pathologist Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC - inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities Facebook: OMazingKidsYoga

Wonderful book! It is full of practical ideas for making yoga fun for children, with helpful photos for every pose. But not only the poses, there are also a sections on yoga ethics, breathing exercises, group poses, sequencing, meditation,.. all giving practical ideas for practicing yoga with children. This book is a serious work. I took yoga teacher training this year and one of my first opportunities was to teach a class of grade 6 & 7 girls yoga as an after school activity in the school gymnasium. The first class was an eye opener for me, I was struggling to keep them focused, so I looked around the internet and found some ideas and also bought this book. It has been my bible ever since. I love the suggestions for having fun with poses, for example 'surfs up': lying on your 'surf board' then jumping up into warrior 2 pose to 'ride the wave'. Then there is the art of creating stories to sequence poses together; child friendly versions of breathing exercises, the yogic ethic principles, which I use as basis for a 5 minute discussion at the beginning of each class, ideas for games,... A must for anyone working with children new to yoga, from 2 to 13 years old.

Great book for anyone wishing to share yoga with children. The pictures are of children in the pose and the description of the pose is concise and clear. There is even a "What to Say" section for proper languaging (this is key when teaching). I love the variations or games that are added at the end of each pose. There are suggested sequences at the end that are perfect for teachers just starting out. I have been teaching yoga to children for over six years and I still go back to this book over and over for new ideas, sequences, or ways to change up my teachings. This is the only book I recommend to parents that are also looking for ways to share yoga at home.

As a kids yoga teacher, this is the book that I most frequently reference. I have used it so much that the pages are beginning to fall out! For a parent who wants to introduce their child to yoga or someone who is going to start teaching yoga to kids this is the perfect primer. It clearly and concisely covers asanas meditation and breath work. The advice she gives about introducing children to yoga is solid. She offers many kid friendly poses and even describes a very simple method by which you can sequence class if you're a teacher or a home practice if you are a parent. By far, my favorite book on kids yoga.

The book has some excellent parts to it. It really is geared toward a parent who wants to share yoga with his or her child, rather than a professional who wants to teach yoga to groups of children. I am a social worker and was looking for something that included lesson plans/ sequences I could use with the groups of children. There are some parts of the books I can use though, especially the guided meditations. I can see this being a great resource for parents, but it was not what I was looking for.

I have been teaching children's yoga for many years. It was my good fortune to meet Lisa Flynn several years ago and I've been studying with her ever since. She is extremely knowledgeable about sharing yoga and mindfulness with children in a variety of settings. Her work with yoga in classrooms is groundbreaking. Lisa's book presents yoga for children in an easily accessible format, that meets the needs of both families and professionals who work with children. This book far outshines many resources currently available on the market. It is truly a gem!

I discovered this book when I first considered teaching children's yoga classes. After reading it cover-to-cover I was encouraged to get my training! The photographs of each pose listed alphabetically are wonderful. The book guides the reader in how to present the basic principles of yoga to children. Information includes teaching meditation, breath work, songs, games, and relaxation. In short, it has it all. I have looked at many books available but I recommend Yoga for Children to any parent asking about a resource to have at home for sharing yoga with the entire family.For those teaching little yogis it is a must-have.

This is a fabulous reference for anyone interested in bringing yoga into their life to share with children. Lisa has a beautiful way of making this ancient practice understandable and accessible, even if you never stepped foot on a mat, but you are curious and want to try. She explores and opens the reader up to a wealth of knowledge which even the seasoned yogi will appreciate. This is a book that I know I can share with teachers, therapists and parents and feel confident that they will have honest, safe tools that they need to begin introducing yoga to the children they love.