Kids Yoga and Bedtime Stories

Welcome to our second post in the Learn Spanish and Kids Yoga through Books monthly series, which we will be co-hosting with Spanish Playground. On Kids Yoga Stories, we will be featuring books on a particular theme and provide you with matching yoga sequences. On the Spanish Playground site, you will find the sequences in Spanish, along with other fun, creative activities to go along with one of the books.

This month’s theme is Bedtime stories. All these books below are available in English and Spanish. They are some of our favorite bedtime stories to read with our daughter. You find five kids yoga poses for each book in a specific yoga sequence to invite flow from one pose to the next. Can you act out the other animals in the stories as well through yoga poses?

Goodnight Moon
Buenas Noches, Luna
by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd

Bear – Bear Walk or Downward-Facing Dog Pose

(Step back to hands and feet, with buttocks high like an upside-down “V”, and walk like a bear.)

Kitten – Cat Pose

(On all fours, tuck your chin into your chest, and round your back.)

Cow – Cow Pose
(On all fours, look up, open your chest, and arch your back.)

Rabbit – Hero’s Pose

(Come to rest upright on your heels, rest your hands on your knees, and practice bunny breath. Bunny breath is taking a few short, quick breaths in through your nose. Then, breath out a long exhale and sigh.)

Mouse – Child’s Pose

(Come to sitting back on your heels, slowly bring your forehead down to rest in front of your knees, rest your arms down alongside your body, and take a few deep breaths.)

I Love My Mommy Because
Quiero a mi mama porque

by Laurel Porter-Gaylord and Ashley Wolff

Koala – Eagle Pose

(Stand tall in Mountain Pose, wrap one leg around the other, bring your bent arms out in front of you, wrap your arms together the opposite way, and slightly bend your knees. Perch on a tree like an eagle.)

Kangaroo – Chair Pose
(Stand tall in Mountain Pose with your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees, and hop like a kangaroo.)

Elephant – Standing Forward Bend
(From Mountain Pose, bend your upper body, reach for your toes, and sway your arms like a jellyfish.)

Sea Lion – Upward-Facing Dog Pose
(Lay on your belly. Place the palms of your hands next to your shoulders and look up. Then straighten your arms and expand your chest.)

Panda – Happy Baby Pose
(Lie on your back with your chin tucked in, hug your knees into your chest, then grab the outer part of your feet with both of your hands, and rock like a happy baby.)

Can you act out the other animals in the book through yoga poses? How would you “be” a cat, sheep, deer, dolphin, whale, polar bear, hen, pig, alligator, raccoon, skunk, and sea otter?

Big Red Barn

El Gran Granero Rojo

by Margaret Wise Brown and Felicia Bond

Bat – Standing Forward Bend
(From Mountain Pose, bend your upper body, reach for your toes, and hang like a bat.)

Donkey – Three-Legged Dog Pose
(Step back to hands and feet, like an upside-down “V”, and gently kick one leg up at a time.)

Cat – Cat Pose

(On all fours, tuck your chin into your chest, and round your back.)

Goose – Pigeon Pose

(From Downward-Facing Dog Pose, bring right foot to rest behind right hand, placing right foot slightly inwards, and sit like a goose.)

Butterfly – Cobbler’s Pose
(Sit on your buttocks with a tall spine, bend your legs, place the soles of your feet together, and gently flap your wings like a butterfly.)

Can you act out the other animals in the book through yoga poses? How would you “be” a cow, sheep, goat, dog, pig, chicken, horse, mouse, and pigeon?

Time for Bed

Es hora de dormir

by Mem Fox and Jane Dyer

Pup – Downward-Facing Dog Pose
(Step back to hands and feet, like an upside-down “V”, and bark like a dog.)

Sheep – Cat Pose

(On all fours, tuck your chin into your chest, and round your back. Waddle like a sheep.)

Fish – Locust Pose

(Lie on your tummy, lift your chest and shoulders up, look up, take your arms back behind you, and glide through the water like a fish.)

Bee – Hero’s Pose

(Come back to rest upright on your heels, and flutter your hands like a bee. Making a buzzing sound like a bee.)

Mouse – Child’s Pose

(Come to sitting back on your heels, slowly bring your forehead down to rest in front of your knees, rest your arms down alongside your body, and take a few deep breaths.)

Can you act out the other animals in the book through yoga poses? How would you “be” a goose, cat, calf, foal, bird, snake, and deer?

Visit the Kids Yoga Poses for images and descriptions of the poses.

Downloadable a printable version of these bedtime yoga sequences.

A Kids Yoga Stories Bedtime Storybook

Stay tuned for our next bedtime yoga book, Good Night, Animal World. The book is currently being reviewed by several families. It will be released in November, 2013. My daughter and I have been having fun saying “good night” to the animals around the world. Acting out the animals before bed has helped to release the energy in her body after a busy day. Reading the bedtime yoga book has become part of our nightly bedtime ritual. A blessing to see our active toddler find a way to calm her body for sleep time. Another mom said about the book:

“We received the Good Night yoga book while we were in the midst of packing to move. Our lives were in chaos, with me starting a new job in a few days and our new home still a few weeks away from being available for us to move in to it. My three year old’s already fluid routine was completely out the window and she was refusing to go to bed each night. The first day we received the Good Night book my daughter and I sat down in the afternoon and read through the book without doing the poses. I told her when we got ready for bed that night, we would read the book again and practice the poses. I kind of forgot about the book until Sofia reminded me at bedtime. We got the book out and went through the whole thing twice. For the first time in weeks, she settled right down and went to bed. We continued this routine for the next four days, until I had to leave to start my new job. My husband and daughter stayed behind. My husband stated that every night after I left, Sofia requested the Good Night yoga book each night before bed. I am so excited that Sofia has connected so well with this book. One of my long term goals, once we are settled is to establish a more consistent routine for her. Good Night yoga is definitely going to play a major role in that new routine.”

Dianne Osmun

Spanish Bedtime Stories

Visit Spanish Playground for activities to go with reading Buenas Noches Luna, by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd. Sample activities are saying good night to the different objects, making your own book, playing with picture cards, creating your own rhyme, or doing a night sky craft. The suggested activities could be done in English as well.

Join us next month for kids yoga, Spanish, and Australian stories. Check out our schedule for the year:

2013-2014 Spanish and Kids Yoga Monthly Book Themes

August: Bill Martin Jr
September: Latin America
October: Bedtime
November: Australia
December: Farm
January: Africa
February: Zoo
March: World
April: Ocean
May: Asia

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