Customer Reviews

The Yoga Adventure for Children: Playing, Dancing, Moving, Breathing, Relaxing (Smartfun Books)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"The Yoga Adventure for Children" by Helen Purperhart

I thought this book would help me get some new ideas of movement to do with kids. I am not a "yoga" person. It is not my cup of tea (herbal or black!) So the sections on the five abstinences, five precepts, and which chakra the movement works on were lost on me.

What I did like was the easy to read and understanding Icons at the top of each page telling the reader what age group the movement was good for, size of group needed, and if a large space or props were needed. I also liked the simple drawings that illustrated the moves for me (as a non-yoga person this was really appreciated.) As someone that works with kids, I loved the imitating animals and adventures in the forest sections the most. My kids enjoyed the new movements, role playing and experiencing something new.

I think this would be a great book for someone that loves yoga and wants to know how they can share that love with their children. I know it is a good book for people who are NOT into yoga and still want to share new concepts and movements with young children.

Barbar's Yoga For Elephants is great fun, but The Yoga Adventure for Children offers much more. Many more poses carefully described, advice for teachers and parents, and activities designed to engage children. Many poses are given animal names - lion, eagle, crab, penguin. My five year old granddaughter immediately grabbed the book and followed the illustrations.

Physical activity is natural to children and vital for their healthy development. But in today's mechanized society--with TV, computer games and competitive sports--it is becoming difficult for some children to get the exercise they need in a natural, healthy, and enjoyable way. Being that I enjoy yoga so much there are times when my kids would join in and quickly become frustrated and strain ness with some of the positions that they put themselves. So this little book have made there little lives a whole lot easier.

Beside this, Can you think of an activity that promotes concentration, motor skill development and self-confidence for kids? And, is fun and healthy for kids and adults to enjoy together? It's "Yoga Adventure," Why do I feel like (I'm in a infomercial) you can learn how to get kids interested and started in yoga, teach them how to stretch, concentrate and express creativity using their mind and body. This book is full of various stretching exercises, poses and activities for adults and kids to enjoy together or individually. Kids will love to use their imagination to pose as a tree, a camel, from caterpillar to butterfly and many others! "Yoga Adventure" provides simple exercises and games you and your children can do together that can help your kids.

The poses emphasize coordination, flexibility, strength, and good posture, while increasing concentration and body awareness. Yoga promotes self-esteem and the development of inner joy and peace for all children, but especially those with physical, emotional, or developmental disabilities. Parents, childcare workers, and healthcare workers will find this book perfect for introducing a fun new form of fitness to children as well as a meaningful group activity.

These exercises are suitable for kids from age four and up--no matter what their physical abilities are, Yoga adventure is a safe, healthy, and fun way for families to exercise, play, and grow together. My own kids learned the positions fairly easily. They are 6 and 8 years old. My daughter enjoys doing the cobra, shark, owl, elephant and the flower meditation. And my son takes well with the circles, teddy breathing, eagle, walk in the woods and balloon meditation. They really enjoy imitating animals through out the whole session which is a great way to not only stretch but also reflect. Highly recommended.

I bought this book with great hopes of new ideas for games and activities to incorporate yoga into my lessons for young children. Unfortunately, the book does not contain a lot of information. Much of the book is entire pages devoted to one pose and not a lot of variety. There are only a few actual "games" in the book and the rest is mini-stories, breathing exercises, and background information about yoga, all of which is boring for young children. There is also a lot of blank space on the pages, so while it seems like a big book, it's a lot of empty space.

I do enjoy the forest adventure, a story paired with a few animal yoga poses (though it is very short) and a couple of the games are cute.

Ultimately, I would recommend this book only if you have lots of money to spend on other resources as well, because this book is not kid-user-friendly, nor is it a stand alone resource.

This is an excellent book to use when working with elementary special education students. I use many of the activities in my therapy program with my students.

Reviewed by Brianne Plach (age 10) for Reader Views (8/07)


Have you ever practiced yoga? Yoga has been around for many years. Many grownups have practiced yoga to calm their emotions and increase physical strength. Helen Purpehart has created a book which focuses on children doing yoga as a way to gain self-confidence, coordination and flexibility.

"The Yoga Adventure for Children" is a valuable resource. There are many pages of yoga exercises for kids to try. Each exercise is illustrated with step-by-step instructions. There are many child-friendly stories included to help the older children with the concepts presented. Kids of all ages will enjoy the many yoga exercises in this book. Teachers may even use this as a manual to assist them in introducing yoga to their classrooms.

I found many of these exercises to relax me. I tend to get nervous when taking tests. Maybe I will be able to use some of the techniques presented in this book to calm me down and receive a better grade. There are so many games in this book both for small groups and larger ones. There are also many stretching exercises which can help me become more flexible before competing as part of a sports team at school.

Note from Brianne's mother: Brianne loved "The Yoga Adventure for Children." She is always looking for new ways to play and new ways to relax in stressful situations. I could see her using this book both for herself now and throughout her growing into adult years.

Book received at no charge to Reader Views