Kids Yoga with Phonics DVD (New 2011) ABC, Alphabet Video, Letters, 26 Fun Poses, Kids Fitness

I saw this as a recommendation when I was checking out another recommended ABC type yoga video. My 6 year son is having difficulty with phonics and reading in school and is a very active child and I was trying to find another way to help enforce and entertain him in a way I know Hooked on Phonics may not be able to do on it's own. Let me just say that this video delivered in a big way, not only did my 6 years stay attentive but my 8 year old also loved this video as well. I think that it has to do with the fact that this video contained children of various ages and my 8 year old could relate to the older kids while my 6 year old could relate to the younger kids. They each had a blast with the different poses, and although it did not have a flow like an adult yoga video, it works well for kids, who may get bored with a regular yoga routine. My son was singing along with the songs, and doing all the letter sounds with the different poses and the breathing exercise while learning the vowels is just brilliant. I don't think he had a clue that he was learning, and the very plus side was we did this in the evening just before bed and he was so worn out that he went to sleep with no problems.

My autistic daughter is 4, with very low muscle tone, so we got this in an effort to work more physical-therapy-type activities into her day.I'll tell you quite honestly, I find the DVD irritating. There is this cutesy little phonics song that plays between every single letter, like "B-A bay, B-E bee, B-I bicky-bi..." and it gets old fast. Plus one of the kids has a speech impediment like Elmer Fudd ("weach for yoah toes, then stwetch to the sky...") BUT, my daughter LOVES it. The repetition of the music is appealing to her, plus of course she has an obsession with the alphabet so she really likes associating each position with a letter. The kids on the screen often wobble and stumble, which I think makes it less intimidating.At first she wouldn't do any of the positions, but she kept requesting to watch it and by the fourth or fifth viewing she was doing every move through the whole thing. Now she does it at least once a day, without any prompting to move from one pose to the next. Which means I can leave the room and not listen to the music! :) A huge success.

Teacher review: I love doing alphabet yoga with kindergarteners! This video is not my favorite alphabet yoga. In my classroom yoga is calm and quiet. this video encourages loud sounds like roars. If you do not have a yoga mat for students or another way for the students to easily define space several of the hopping poses can quickly get out of hand. The video starts our with a warm up that includes wild jumping that repeats again on the letter Y. There is no resting pose at the end. A resting pose, like corpse pose is essential for a calm transition to the next activity. The video does not leave the letter in the sight of the students as they are trying to copy the pose. With all that being said I do love the breathing excercises, especially the vowels. I would highly recommend the Number 1-20 yoga that is from this series. For an alphabet yoga take I would suggest the Beginning level of I Can do Yoga. I give this video a C+!

My 2 year old really enjoys this disc. It is nice, though there is downtime between each letter and the poses don't really flow into a routine. Several of the poses are too difficult for both of my children (4 and 2) to do and there is not enough instruction from the children leading the poses. The pose for "U" is "upside down" which is quite advanced indeed! The boy who shares instruction with a girl may have a hearing disability which makes his voice a bit hard to understand. Several of the poses are quite similar, being on all fours, and are not necessarily traditional yoga poses. But it gets my kids moving instead of just sitting in front of the t.v.

My almost 3-year old boy loves this DVD and asks for it every day. Some of it is a little advanced for his age, but he still likes the music, and he runs / dances around, even when he doesn't do the moves. There are times he'll enjoy and do most of the moves for all 30 minutes, but I usually just put it on for about 5 - 10 mins. at a time, for him to do some stretching/exercising. Don't get this if you want something with a calming effect...at least, it has the opposite on my son, anyway. It riles him up, but it's a good treat for him, and, unlike standard TV, he can be active at the same time. There's not a ton of learning going on, from what I can tell, but there are basic letter and phonic (and breathing) lessons intertwined throughout.

Fun, Fun, Fun! Learning the alphabet while you "exercise." My soon to be 4 year old loves this DVD! We get to learn her letters and move. It can seem slow for me since it incorporates the letters before each new pose but my girl loves it. Since each letter has a distinct pose we can practice ANY time. If we are practicing writing her name at her desk, we take a break and "Yoga" write her name for a mini break.The best review: When she wakes up in the mornings she asks if we can go do our yoga. It's a hit!Biggest drawback - There is one pose that is VERY advanced but they show a little tyke that doesn't master the pose. Even with that illustration my daughter gets VERY upset that she can't do the headstand thingy (heck - I can't do it either)

I purchased this video for my two-year old daughter because she likes to do yoga poses with me. The poses are reasonably easy for her to follow and it gives her a little exercise. She already knows her alphabet but this is an additional tool since there is a pose for every letter. I would totally give this video five stars except for the incredibly irritating song preceeding every single letter. It gets old after the letter 'A'. There should be an option to skip the idiotic song.

Bought this to do w my 28 moth old daughter since she likes to "excercise" to my DVDs. Many of the moves are difficult for her to execute properly, but she likes to try them. She really enjoys it (asks to do it daily). She especially likes the music sequence between each letter-she dances to that part. I imagine an older child would be able to do all the moves. It's nice that they have children as the "instructors".