Coming up with entertaining and age appropriate yoga books for babies and toddlers can be a challenge. Recently I began teaching a baby/toddler Mommy and Me YoGalore class. I was unsure how it was going to go because I usually work with children a little bit older, but now I feel like I have found my groove and I am more aware of their needs and abilities.

One resource I have found that’s invaluable for my class is Yoga Bug  — Simple Poses for Little Ones by Sarah Jane Hinder. First and foremost, it’s a board book which is essential at this age. The book has a very short story which is on one page (the same page as the yoga pose is demonstrated) and then the opposite page has the bug that the pose resembles or is named after. So you can choose to read the story or just use the poses in the book. All the poses are based on bugs and with nature being such an important part of yoga, its a natural fit. It’s also easy to do an entire bug lesson plan based on the book too, which is a great way to reinforce the yoga plus an introduction to bugs. Right now in our Baby Yogalore class, we’re just using the poses in Yoga Bug (which you can easily take a photo or photocopy the last page of the book which as all the yoga poses in the book at a glance). My hope is that our last lesson (in three weeks) we can actually sit and read the story. I can dream, right?

But I knew it was a keeper when I looked over during Sensory and Creative Exploration and saw my friend Kennedy engaged in Yoga Bug:

All that exciting, fun stuff to play with — birdseed in a sensory bin, a long tunnel to crawl through, music and scarves, play dough and slime, and all she wanted to do was sit by herself and read Yoga Bug. That tells me everything I need to know!

If you’re looking for a way to introduce yoga to a little friend, Yoga Bug  — Simple Poses for Little Ones is a great way to start!