The preschoolers and teachers in our class are having fun expressing themselves, being creative, and learning together. How are we doing this? Recently, we’ve been trying yoga.

Yoga is challenging and fun. It helps children build large and small motor skills. This time also allows children to focus on breathing, moving, and feeling calm. Yoga lets us practice social and emotional skills, thinking about what we do and why we do it.

Lots of adults do yoga, and more and more children try yoga, too. While some yoga is best just for adults, other poses are good for the whole family. The yoga we do every day in our classroom is fun, and it helps children focus and learn.

Your children may have already shared with you some of the yoga they’ve learned. They may have been getting their sillies out with monkey breath or calming themselves by growing roots. Ask them to show you how to go into a turtle shell or make eagle wings.

You can do yoga at home with your children. Invite them to teach you some of the poses they learned at school, or try the pose described here.

Big dog

• Stand and fold the body forward
• Place hands on the ground
• Step backward
• Bend the knees and alternate raising and lowering the heels
• Walk feet toward the hands
• Pause in this inverted position for several breaths, arms in line with ears
• Put hands on thighs and straighten the back
• Inhale, raise torso, and stand straight

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