Story, Rhyme, and Yoga for kids

Many parents have heard about the importance of reading to your children.



Not only can it be a chance to bond with your child, an experience that some parents feel they miss out because of today’s busy lives and hectic work schedules, but it can also help with learning.

Research is showing that reading, and especially rhyming, teaches kids the fundamentals that they need to learn to read. Children who have difficulty with learning to read often have a difficult time with breaking words down into the different sounds.



By reading and rhyming frequently, they can start to hear how the language is spoken, and older kids can gain an appreciation of how the written language is turned into spoken words.

The other part of rhyming and stories is that they are much easier for children to remember. One of the first songs that kids learn to sing on their own is the ABC’s.



Why? Because it is set to a sing-song tune that kids can remember easily. And while many a parent will get tired of sing “Ring Around the Rosie” and “Pat-a-Cake” long before their child has outgrown them, children enjoy the repetition and will remember these and other Mother Goose favorites long into adulthood themselves.

Yoga can teach kids crucial skills as well.



Doing yoga regularly has been shown to increase the power of the analytical part of the brain responsible for learning. This can help stimulate the learning of children, allowing them to do better in school.

Also, the relaxation techniques that yoga employs can be used well into adulthood.



Whether it is helping a child learn self control, through learning some basic breathing techniques to help relax, or teaching them to let go of things that are stressing them out, a more relaxed child is a happier child. Yoga has even been shown to be helpful with learning disorders like ADD and ADHD.

Plus, in a society that has fallen in love with the television and fast food, yoga can be a great way for kids to get active.



It can provide necessary exercise, without the competitiveness that bothers some kids and parents that sports include, and yoga has even helped overweight children to lose weight.

Some parents are choosing to combine rhyme and stories with yoga to give their child a rounded education. Some preschools and playgroups are creating combined programs that combine yoga, music, rhymes, stories, and even art to stimulate the sense of very young children. The success of Mommy and Me yoga classes has given new moms a way to get back in shape, relax from the stresses of becoming a mother, bond with their baby, and even get out and meet other mothers.

However, you do not have to go and join a class to enjoy yoga and rhyme with your child. Simply reading aloud to your child can help stimulate the parts of the brain needed for learning. There is also a variety of tapes and videos for sale that employ the use of yoga and music, and lead you step by step through yoga routines applicable for all ages of children.