Back to School brings lots of anxiety both for kids and parents. For the younger set it’s hard to change their routines and be separated from mom.

This lovely book, The Kissing Hand, captures this feeling and gives kids (and parents) a sweet, simple tool to help ease the transition.

I used this book when my kids were young and also teach it in my preschool classes every year in September. It’s a great reminder that we are not alone and we have others looking out for us even when they are not close by.

Make the story into a fun yoga activity and get your child or your classroom of students to move and groove while reading it. This will help lighten the mood plus get them loving books.

The Kissing Hand – Yoga Lesson Plan

Where: With your own child or with your whole class at circle time.

How Long: 10 minutes

Grades: Grades Preschool – Grade 2

Purpose: Relieve anxiety about going back to school and have fun reading.

Read the story together and act out a pose together for each page. Notice how well they will remember and understand the story after you have added actions in.

Page 1:
“stood at the edge of forest and cried” – Finger Dancing pose can symbolize the tears.

Page 2:
Act out the pictures in this one by using Bunny Breath to play the curious squirrel and Flamingo/Airplane Pose to be the robin.

Page 3:
Use Ladder Climbing for the raccoon climbing in the tree. Squat for playing in the sandbox. Butterfly to open up your books (legs) and Swinging Pretzel for the swing.

Page 4:
Emphasize the movement of the hands by using Tree Frog pose. To do this pose start in a squat, then use your sticky tree frog hands to climb up the “tree” in front of you.

Page 5:
For the kissing palm, have the kids kiss their hand, the follow the warmth up their arm with their other hand right into their heart.

Page 6:
Place kisses on boo-boos to act out the text, then you can do Beezing for the bee in the picture.

Page 7:
To show you can’t lose the kiss, act out washing your hands, then kiss them again on the face.

Page 8:
“his mother’s love would go with him wherever he went” – Frog Hop (squat and jump around) to school.

Page 9:
Tree Pose represents the school.

Page 10:
Repeat the kissing palm action from before, but on the other hand.

Page 11:
Dance away in Bunny Hops, Fox Pose and Donkey Kicks.

Page 12:
Be the teacher by using Owl Pose.

Page 13:
Do your favourite animal pose, all ready to learn.

Get the a printable PDF version of this lesson plan to make this super easy in your class.

How did this work? Share your experience in comments below…

Want more ideas for using yoga in your classroom?

Check out: 21 Days of Feeling Good – Yoga Tools for the Classroom for a whole month of ideas from reading and yoga, games, visualizations and incorporating mindfulness into your classroom.