Books are a great way to teach children yoga and mindfulness. Children love Curious George because he is always on the move and getting into mischief. Read a short story such as Curious George by H.A. Rey and infuse it with yoga, breath work, and mindfulness. At the end of the story give your child a “pop quiz” on the content. Have them show you the yoga poses, breath work, and mindfulness activities they remember, as they explain what happened in the story.
For inspiration, here is a list of ideas from my book, Mindfulness for Children, to incorporate into Curious George:
- Butterfly Breath (page 4)
- Fruit Roll-Up (page 10)
- Boat Pose (page 12)
- Eagle Pose (page 16)
- Fish Pose (page 22)
- Cross Crawls (page 22)
- Mummy Pose with Counting Breath (page 28)
- Child’s Pose (page 38)
- Cat/Cow Pose (page 42)
- Balloon Breath (page 44)
- Down Dog (page 44)
- Tree Pose (page 54)
- Lion’s Pose/Breath (page 54)
What are the Benefits?
Curious George Yoga enhances creativity, focus, and attention. It builds working memory and concentration, development of logic, and mindfulness. Reading Curious and doing the above poses promotes yoga pose practice and review.
What to Say.
We are going to read a story about Curious George. Curious George is always very curious and sometimes it is hard for him to stay out of trouble. As we read the story we will engage in mindfulness and movement activities. Sit up tall in Easy Seated Pose. Ready? Let’s begin.
Brain Challenge
After children have reenacted the story have them take it a step further by asking them what they think happened after the story. Have your child show you what happened next with movement, breath, and mindfulness.