Inside: 20 of the best yoga books for kids to help bring a little more peace, joy, and calmness into your day. Moving the body is the best way to help your kids reset their moods and minds!
One of the best ways to help the mind — with focus, with reducing racing thoughts, when stuck in an emotion or — is to move the body. Yoga is such an easy way to engage kids in movement.
Yoga is one of the best ways to re-center and to generate self-energy. Moving the body activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which resets and re-centers the body and the mind.
When we feel upset or stressed or even bored, we can change how we feel by moving our bodies. Through movement, we can send calming and energizing signals to our brain. Moving is a powerful way to regain a sense of peace, joy, and calmness in our day.
When we teach children to move their bodies intentionally, we are also teaching them how to pause between a potential trigger and their response. This builds a solid and strong foundation for self-awareness and emotional and mental well-being — including focus and attention.
A great way to introduce your child to Yoga and fit it into the rhythm of your day with books. Here are some of my favorite Yoga books for kids!
The 20 Best Yoga Books for Kids
Good Morning Yoga: A Pose-by-Pose Wake Up Story/ Good Night Yoga: A Pose-by-Pose Bedtime Story
Both of these books are good for older preschoolers through age 7. Good morning Yoga helps kids get positive energy flowing morning through a set of salutations:
“Calm and awake, “I can do this!”
is all I need to say.
A deep breath in, a long breath out―
I am ready for the day!”
Goodnight Yoga moves through relaxing poses and deep breathing with imagery of the natural world going to sleep. A gentle way to settle down in the evening.
“The stars sparkle brightly.
As I breath in, as I breath out,
my arms reach out
wide toward the stars.”
Hello, Sun! A Yoga Sun Salutation to Start Your Day
By Sarah Jane Hinder, who illustrated the two above books, this a beautifully illustrated sun salutation flow that kids will love. There is a “Sunshine Meditation” included as well. What a beautiful way to start the day! Great for toddlers and younger preschoolers.
“Stand tall as a mountain.
Reach high as can be.
Bow down to the ground.
What do you see?”
Zoo Zen: A Yoga Story for Kids
This is a cute story about Lyla who learns poses from her friends at the Zoo! The book leads children through an 11-pose flow with rhyming and counting to help them learn. Perfects for toddlers and younger preschoolers.
“Lyla is ready
to try something new!
Can she learn yoga
from her friends at the zoo?”
Feelings Yoga : A Mindful Kids Yoga Series
This is a lovely book that takes children through a 10-pose flow. Each pose represents a feeling and the flow ends with grounding, breathing, and a hug pose. This is a good book for older preschoolers through about age 7.
Yoga is a great way to move through feelings. I can imagine parent’s picking up this book when their child is mad or sad and moving through the poses…
“Sometimes we feel so sad
or even a little bit mad.
Sometimes we can barely
lift our heads at all.
And sometimes we
curl into a tiny ball.”
The ABCs of Yoga for Kids
This is a fun book for younger kids to reinforce the alphabet and vocabulary while moving! A great way to learn the ABCs and yoga poses. Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.
56 different poses are included and well-described. This is a good reference book to have around. There is also a coordinating poster and set of cards.
“Bb Bird
High on my tiptoes
I am bird preparing to fly,
Flapping my wings repeatedly,
I give flying a try!”
You Are a Lion!: And Other Fun Yoga Poses
There is something about animals and yoga poses that go together like magic for preschool aged kids!
Pretend to be like a fluttering butterfly, to roar like a lion, or hiss like a snake.
I love how the author guides children through each part of the pose.
“Sit on your heels.
Hands on your knees
tongue out! You are…
A Lion
King of the jungle
Roaring so loud
make the woods rumble.”
Good Morning YogaGood Night YogaHello, Sun!Zoo Zen: A Yoga Story for KidsFeelings YogaThe ABCs of Yoga for KidsYou Are a Lion!: And Other Fun Yoga Poses
Yoga Book Series for Kids
I Am Yoga and Other I Am Books: I Am Peace, I Am Human, I Am Love, and I am One
This is a beautiful series of books by Susan Verde and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds that are great for older children and introduce several of the more philosophical aspects of yoga: mindfulness, empathy, compassion, and action or service.
These are great additions to your at-home library (the box set). The I am Yoga book encourages children to express themselves and their creativity through yoga. Good for ages 5 through 10.
“When I feel small in a world so big
I calm my mind,
my body,
my breath,
I can create and imagine.
I am Yoga.”
Yoga Bug Board Book Series: Yoga Bug, Yoga Bear, Yoga Whale, and Yoga Bunny
This is a great series for to introduce yoga to toddlers. Each one has a set of authentic yoga poses presented as animals in a way little kids will love.
“Octopus
Happy Baby Pose
Waving tentacles in the sea.
Eight hellos to you and me.”
I Am YogaI Am PeaceI Am HumanI Am LoveI Am OneYoga BugYoga BearYoga WhaleYoga Bunny
Yoga Activity Books for Kids
Yoga and Mindfulness Toolkit for Kids
This is an immersive workbook that parents can do with their kids (ages 4 to 8) to teach their kids about their self-energy, a more meaningful concept than self-esteem or self-confidence. This workbook also shows how yoga can help them move their feelings through their body and re-center.
With 12 pose cards and three different flow posters, children can move through poses to feel calm, centered, balanced, joyful, strong, content, rooted, still, quiet, slow, relaxed, and rejuvenated!
“Moving is a powerful way
to regain a sense of peace, joy,
and calmness in our day.”
Yoga For Kids: Simple First Steps in Yoga and Mindfulness
This is a good reference and activity guide with photos that shows the poses in more detail, presents poses in sets of flows (calming sequence, energetic sequence), and also includes mindfulness activities.
Yoga Pretzels (Yoga Cards)
This is a fun set for older kids and their grown-ups to do together. 50 poses, breathing activities and other activities make up this card set. But what I like most is that there are a set of guided partner poses (yoga pretzels) that you can do together with your kids.
Yoga for Kids and Their Grown-Ups: 100+ Fun Yoga and Mindfulness Activities to Practice Together
This is really more a guide for parents with activities on how to truly incorporate yoga into your daily routine. Through games, poses, and activities you can create a “family yoga time” in your family. There are tips on how to structure family sessions, how to incorporate all ages in your family, and so much more!
Yoga and Mindfulness Toolkit for KidsYoga For Kids: Simple First Steps in Yoga and MindfulnessYoga Pretzels (Yoga Cards)Yoga for Kids and Their Grown-Ups: 100+ Fun Yoga and Mindfulness Activities to Practice Togethe
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