Winter Activities Yoga

Moving from the West Coast to the East Coast in November came with a big shock—snow!  Lots of snow!  But, surprisingly, we are loving it.  I never imagined that I could live somewhere where the trees are covered in white, fluffy snow, the sun is out, and the roads are clear.  It’s a winter wonderland here in New England.

But the weather does come with different challenges.  What to do with little ones indoors?  Why yoga, of course!  We have been slowly introducing our daughter to some winter activities by acting them out and reading about them indoors.

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Winter Activities Books

First, we went to the library and found a bunch of winter-activities books that my daughter and I both enjoyed.  Our top three favorite winter activities books all have adorable illustrations, rhyming text, and engaging language for little ones:

Snow Happy! by Patricia Hubbell and Hiroe Nakata

Snow Dance by Lezlie Evans

Let It Snow by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

 

A few more of our favorites are:

A Perfect Day by Carin Berger

Oh Snow by Monica Mayper

Snow by Cynthia Rylant

This Place in the Snow by Rebecca Bond

Frog in Winter by Max Velthuijs

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London and Frank Remkiewicz

Red Sled by Patricia Thomas and Chris Demarest

Sledding by Elizabeth Winthrop and Sarah Wilson

 

Winter Activities Yoga

Then, try this quick and easy winter-activities yoga flow sequence below in your home, studio, or classroom.  Don’t worry if you haven’t tried yoga before, just jump in and give it a go.  Focus on having fun with movement, not on perfectly aligned poses.  Encourage your children’s creativity.  What other winter activities would you add?

Snowshoeing – Mountain Pose variation

(Stand tall with legs hip-width apart and feet facing forward.  Gently swing your bent arms back and forth while walking on the spot as if you are snowshoeing.)

Skating – Warrior 3 Pose

(Stand on one leg. Extend the other leg behind you. Bend your torso forward and take your arms out behind you to pretend that you are gliding on the ice like a figure skater.)

Skiing – Chair Pose

(Stand tall in Mountain Pose with your feet hip-width apart, bend your knees, and pretend to ski down the slopes like a skier.)

Making a Snowman – Squat Pose

(Come down to a squat and pretend to pack the snow in your hands to make the base of a snowperson.)

Sledding – Staff Pose

(Sit with a tall spine and your legs straight out in front of you. Take your hands down beside you and pretend to hold on to the sled as you fly down a snowhill.)

Snow Angels – Resting Pose

(Lie on your back with your arms and legs stretched out like a star.  Move your arms and legs in unison as if you are making a snow angel.  Breathe and rest.)

For images of the poses, visit the Kids Yoga Poses page.

Download a printable version of this Winter Activities Yoga sequence.

 

Winter Yoga Book for Kids

Jenny’s Winter Walk
by Giselle Shardlow and Vicky Bowes

Act out what Jenny and her mother see and hear on a winter walk with this winter forest yoga book. Bring their winter walk alive through movement. This yoga book is a great springboard for acting out other things you might see on a winter forest walk together.

 

 

 

 

Images from Jenny’s Winter Walk, our winter yoga book

Download a 5-Pose Winter Sports Yoga Poster

DOWNLOAD YOGA POSTER HERE >>

DOWNLOAD POSTER HERE >>

 

Other Winter Links You Might Like

Check out these links below for your celebration of winter through story and movement:

Winter Forest Books for Kids	Arctic Animals Yoga
Winter Yoga	Winter Olympics Yoga

 

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