Get ready for our second DharmaKids’ Yoga Lesson—this time inspired by the playful classic Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. In this session, little yogis will bring the alphabet to life through movement, sound, and imagination. Kids will do poses and activities that match the fun of the story. They will strengthen their bodies, spark creativity, and learn mindfulness. All of this happens while they have a blast climbing their own “coconut tree.”
Download your printable pose guide (PDF) featuring a few highlighted poses from this sequence!
Recommended Tools:
- Hoberman Sphere (a.k.a. Breathing Ball/balancing ball)
- Bird Timer
- Yoga Dust Brush
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom By Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert
Lesson Plan: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
1. Opening with Namaste
We begin by greeting each other with Namaste, which means:
“The light in me sees the light in you.”
For young children, we explain this as:
We each have something special about us—something we’re really good at, something we enjoy doing, or something we’re learning to do. Examples of this are, jumping high, running fast, drawing, cooking or learning to read.
We hold out one hand and say,
“This hand reminds me of something that makes me special.”
Then talk about how we all do kind things for others—like helping a friend who is sad, putting recycling in the bin, or cleaning up the classroom. Hold out the other hand and say,
“This hand reminds me of all the kind things I do for others.”
We put our palms together, showing that we are both special and kind. That is our light. When we begin and end yoga, we honor that light in each other with Namaste.
2. Breathing Practice
We sit criss-cross applesauce and begin to breathe deeply to prepare our minds and bodies for yoga.
- Inhale through the nose like you’re smelling a beautiful flower, hands on our bellies, which get bigger as we breathe in.
- Exhale through the mouth, gently, making our bellies smaller again.
We repeat this three times. To help visualize the breath, we use the Hoberman Sphere, which expands and contracts like our bellies do when we breathe. Children can open the ball slowly or quickly to match their breath. This “breathing ball” is also a useful focusing tool in later poses.
3. Story Yoga Lesson
We read the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom one page at a time. After reading each page, we pause to do the corresponding pose together. Once we’ve completed the pose, we return to the book and continue reading. We repeat this pattern—read a page, do the pose—until the story is complete. Then we transition into Savasana.
1. Coconut (Balasana), pages 1-2: Kneel on floor, bringing your big toes together, and sit back on your heels. Gently lower your forehead to the floor with your arms resting by your sides, curling up like a small coconut.
2. Frog (Malasana), pages 3-4: From standing, step your feet wider than your hips with your toes turned out and bend your knees to lower into a deep squat, bringing your hands in front of you. On each exhale, press through your feet and jump up like a frog, landing softly back into your squat.
3. King on a throne (Utkatasana), pages 5-6: From standing, bend your knees and sit your hips back as if you’re sitting in a great big throne, keeping your knees behind your toes. Reach your arms up alongside your ears and put your crown on your head.
4. Lion’s Breath (Simhasana Pranayama), pages 7-8: Sit comfortably on your knees or cross-legged, place your hands on your knees, and take a deep breath in through your nose. Open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue, and roar out your breath like a brave, funny lion. Repeat a few times, imagining you are a mighty lion stretching and letting out a big, happy roar.
5. Snake (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana), pages 9-10: Lie on your belly with your legs stretched out long behind you and your hands placed under your shoulders. Press your hands into the floor, straighten your arms, and lift your chest up high like a big snake looking at the sky. Inhale, and as you exhale, hiss like a snake while bringing your chest back down to the ground.
6. Valley (Navasana), pages 11-12: Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat. Lean back slightly, keeping your spine long, and lift your feet off the ground so your shins are parallel to the floor, then try straightening them to turn your body into a V. Can you stretch your arms forward alongside your legs, balancing on your sit bones, and hold while taking three steady breaths?
7. Warrior (Virabhadrasana II) pages 13-14: Step one foot forward and one foot back, keeping your front knee bent and your back leg strong and straight. Stretch your arms out wide like airplane wings, and look over your front hand. Pretend to be a brave warrior standing tall and strong, holding the pose while taking three big, confident breaths.
8. CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM (Boom boom- horse Utkata Konasana) pages 15-16: Chica Chica- Stomp your feet and then JUMP to Boom Boom, feet come wide, bend your knees and bring your hands to stretch out wide.
9. Hugs (Sukhasana), pages 17-18: Sit cross-legged on the floor with your back tall and your shoulders relaxed. Wrap your arms around yourself for a big, cozy hug, and take three slow, deep breaths, imagining you are giving yourself a warm, happy squeeze.
10. “Help us up” Partner Tree Pose (Vrksasana), pages 19-20: Stand side-by-side, hold each other’s inside hands.. Lift outside foot to ankle, shin or thigh (not knee). Hold the outside arms wide for three breaths. Balance by looking at the Hoberman Sphere or another visual focus point. Switch legs.
11. “Stubbed-toe E” Toe Massages, pages 21-22: Sit with your legs stretched out in front of you and give your stubbed toe a little massage!!
12. “H and J are about to cry” Take 5 Breath, pages 23-24: Sitting in a cross legged position, hold one hand out in front of you and make a fist.. Take a big breath in as you open each finger on your hand, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Breath out as you close them back up, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Repeat three times. This is a great breath to use when we are sad or mad to get our brains calm.
13. “O is twisted alley-oop” Turtle Pose (Kurmasana), pages 25-26: Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you and reach your arms forward or under your knees like a turtle hiding in its shell. Take three deep breaths in and out.
14. “Loose-tooth T” (Uttanasana), pages 27-28: Stand tall with your feet together, then bend forward from your hips, letting your arms and head hang down like a loose tooth.
15. “Coconut Tree” (Vrkasana), pages 29-30: Stand tall on one leg, keeping your spine straight and your shoulders relaxed. Place the sole of your other foot on your standing leg’s inner calf or thigh (never on the knee), and bring your hands together at your heart or stretch them up like branches reaching for the sky. Balance carefully, take slow breaths, and imagine you are a strong, Coconut tree swaying gently in the breeze.
16. “Look there’s a full moon” (Urdhva Hastasana), pages 31-32: Stand tall with your feet together and arms by your sides. Inhale and reach both arms up overhead, stretching your fingers toward the sky and bringing palms together overhead. Lean to one side, making a crescent moon shape out of your body while you exhale. Inhale and bring yourself to the center. Exhale and lean the other way.
17. CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM (Savasana), pages 33-34: Jump up and then down to lying on your back for Savasana, rest pose.
4. Savasana (Final Rest)
After we finish our story and poses, we quiet our minds and calm our bodies with Savasana. “Savasana helps our brains become calm and clear, making room for new thoughts and ideas.”
Using the Yoga Dust Brush show the kids how the glitter swirls when the brush is moving and settles when the brush lies still. Explain:
“Our thoughts are like that glitter—when we lie still, they settle down and our minds become clear.”
Children lie on their backs, breathing gently.
- Gently “brush” a little yoga dust on each child’s forehead to help them relax.
- Guide them to breathe in through their noses, expanding their bellies to rise, and out through their mouths, letting their bellies fall.
Optional tools: Eye pillows or breathing buddies (stuffed animals) on bellies. You can also use a star machine with calming music or a bird timer.
5. Magic Yoga Hugs & Closing Namaste
After a few quiet minutes, we begin to wake up:
- Stretch arms overhead for a full-body stretch.
- Hug knees to chest, and slowly roll up to a criss-cross seated position.
We bring our hands to our hearts and think of someone or something we love—family, friends, pets, even a favorite toy or blanket. It can be someone alive or someone who’s passed on.
- Breathe in and raise your arms up.
- Breathe out and give yourself a hug.
As we breathe out, the person or thing you were thinking of will get a magic yoga hug, no matter where they are! Repeat this once more, either with the same person or someone new.
Then, we place our special and kind hands together and bring them;:
- On our hearts: “We respect each other with loving hearts.” Have the children repeat “loving hearts”
- On our mouths: “We respect each other with kind words.” Have the children repeat “kind words”.
- On our foreheads: “We respect each other by trying new things with open minds.” Have the children repeat “open minds”.
Finally, we all say together:
“Namaste.”
Stay Tuned: DharmaKids' Yoga Lesson
Mark your calendars — our November DharmaKids lesson plan is all about practicing gratitude in a fun and engaging way! Next month we’ll be centering our yoga lesson around The Thankful Book by Todd Parr — a colorful, heartfelt story that celebrates gratitude in everyday life.
If you’d like to follow along with us, now is the perfect time to pick up a copy of the book. You can purchase it online, check your local bookstore, or even borrow it from your community library. That way, you and your little ones will be ready to dive into our lesson as we explore mindfulness, movement, and the power of thankfulness together.