The Joys and Challenges of Teaching Yoga to Preschoolers

2. Which stories are the most popular among your kids and/or students?

One story I can tell to any age group is “The Peddler’s Dream.” I love it because it’s easy to follow it with art and imagery. After telling the story, we act it out with yoga poses, then pass around a small treasure chest. Each child closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and imagines a treasure inside.

I ask the kids what treasure they have in their hearts. Is there someone or something that makes them happy? It doesn’t have to be rubies, diamonds and pearls. It can be a person or a favorite pet. They can choose to open the box and share their thoughts with the class, or keep the image for themselves.

This always leads to an enthusiastic discussion. At the end of class, we draw our treasures.

3. Describe one of your most memorable Storytime Yoga classes. What happened?

One of my fondest memories is when I volunteered to teach yoga for my son’s preschool class. It was a class of 10 energetic boys. This was my very first class and, even though I knew the kids, I was nervous. The story was “Bravery Soup,” and I had way too many typed notes in front of me. I lost my place a few times, but the boys didn’t mind. Kids can be very forgiving!

After acting out the story, we had a nice discussion about the foods they might be brave enough to try. I remember reading about Sydney’s experience telling stories and how they can magically hold a child’s attention. I was amazed that I could actually do it myself! When it came time for relaxation, there they were – ten 4-year-old little boys, lying peacefully on the carpet. They really enjoyed it and my little guy was grinning from ear to ear!

4. Kids sometimes say the most interesting things. Describe something “interesting” a child has said to you during or after a Storytime Yoga class.

At the end of one class, beautiful, relaxing music was playing. An adorable little girl came to me and said, “That song thinks of my mom.”

I asked her, “Why does the song think of your mom?”

She said simply, “Because it’s her.”

In another instance, while playing “Namaste Ball”

[see question #7 below] another child passed the ball to me. She said she loved me even though I was not part of her family.

My treasure chest of memories expands every time a child says something to me that touches my heart. I love my job!

5. What is your favorite story of all time?

My favorite story of all time is “The Country Mouse and the City Mouse.” When I was in 5^th grade, I discovered this story in the school library. It was written in the form of a play and it was all in rhyme.

I’m forever grateful to my 5^th grade teacher, Mrs. Smith, for letting me organize and perform the play for our class. Not only did we have our school performance, but we also got the chance to take it on the road to a nursing home.

I’ll never forget our class parading down the street in costumes, me wearing all of my mom’s jewelry and a long black dress trailing behind me. I was the city mouse and my best friend, Missy (who just happened to live on a farm) was the country mouse. You would never have known I was one of the shyest kids in my class, and no one ever would have expected this performance to come from me! Maybe it was the fact that I could be someone else on the stage.

I still remember some of my lines after all these years. The city mouse asked the country mouse, “Have you ever tasted beef? A roast of beef done to a turn or coffee spilling from an urn?”

I poured my heart into the performance and loved every minute of it. Looking back, I like to think that story found me. I was forever changed because of it. When a story comes to life, it creates an impression and the experience of it can stay with you for a long time. This is what happens when we combine story with yoga. I would love to tell this story for a future Storytime Yoga class.

6. What do you find most challenging about teaching yoga to preschoolers?

One of my biggest challenges is time management. In the beginning, I worried about how I would fill a 45-minute class. Now I sometimes have the opposite problem – I have so many great ideas, I can’t possibly fit them all into a single class.

It’s hard to say no when all the kids want to play a game twice. We always wind down each class with a short meditation, followed by reflective drawing. I like to spend time with each child, listening to them tell me about their drawings. The stories, along with the art, help them connect to the lesson.

Last week, I misjudged the time and there was no time for reflective drawing. The children were disappointed, but I gave them a coloring page to take home. I’ve learned that it’s better to save a different segment of the class for another time. They really look forward to the art!

7. What advice would you give to aspiring yoga teachers who wish to teach yoga to local preschools?

• Be prepared to change your lesson plan to meet the needs of the children.

One time, I had prepared a lesson where I was going to tell Margaret Read MacDonald’s story, “The Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle.” It was the first class of an 8-week session and the kids were really lively.

I realized the kids needed something less structured that day, so I pulled out my bag of stuffed animals, and had them each pick one. Then we did the poses.

Also, having an iPod is useful. If the mood of the class calls for something different than what I have planned, I can change the music easily. Also, you don’t have to take time to change CDs or bring a bulky CD player with you.

• Tune in to your “inner preschooler.”

One morning, while doing arm circles, I was thinking about my next fall-themed class. I imagined myself as a scare crow on a pole with arms outstretched. Only certain parts of my body could move. First my eyes, then my head and lower arms, then my whole arms, which led to jumping off the pole and dancing around like a big floppy scare crow.

• Go shopping!

There are creative ideas all around. At Five Below, I found a large bouncy ball with bright yellow sparkles like a snow globe. I thought it could be a “Namaste Ball,” because the sparkles reminded me of light and the meaning of Namaste.

I used the ball in class and the kids love it! We started with the Namaste Song, and I asked them if they’d like to try a new game. Their eyes lit up when I took the sparkly ball out of my bag. We sat in a circle and passed the ball around to each other, saying each friend’s name and then, “The light in me sees the light in you.”

Each child would say something they liked about the other child. We passed the ball around until everyone had a turn. They didn’t want to stop, so we kept going for another round. Such nice things they said to each other (and to me too!)

8. Closing comments

I just want to say thank you, Sydney, for being there for me with your e-courses and the League of Yogic Storytellers (LOYS). I love being part of such a caring and insightful group of yoga teachers. Your friendships have become a soft place for me to land when I have questions ranging from business practices to class themes. You are so generous with your ideas.

I’m very grateful to my students. Without you, none of this would be possible. You continue to inspire and bring out the light in me. Namaste.

-Margaret Ricciardone

Read more about Margaret here.