Follow along as your child's favorite animals lead them through fun and gentle stretches that feel great and are great for them!

As an Athletic Trainer and Performance Coach, there are two questions my clients who are parents ALWAYS ask me - how they can get their children invested in health and fitness, and why we seem to lose so much flexibility as we age. Big Stretch is a fun way to address both with your child, facilitating a healthy bedtime (or playtime) routine that’s led by their favorite animals. The stretches in this book will help your child develop strength, balance, and mobility, all while having fun doing it. Help your child learn that fitness isn't boring, or about aesthetics and competition - exercise-as-play started at an early age will help them build a foundation that will benefit them for life!

Animals pandiculate - we humans sometimes call it“dynamic stretching.” Pandiculation involves contracting a set of muscles, slowly lengthening them, and then returning to a neutral position. Pandiculation is relaxing, but also prepares animals for healthy movement through their full range of motion, and it’s so beneficial that it has even been called “nature’s reset button.”

If you have a pet at home, you’ve seen them pandiculate, (and you might even say, “Biiiiig Stretch!” when they do it!). If you’ve ever done a little backbend after hunching over your laptop, or stretched your arms out wide after sleeping curled up - then you’ve done it too.

The movements in this book feel great and are great for you, so if you’re looking to increase your flexibility, regulate your nervous system, and engage in a little bedtime bonding, you may even want to join your child in their pandiculations…or should we say, panda-culations!

This book is primarily designed for children ages 3 - 8, but the stretches feel great at any age!

With your purchase, you’ll also get access to a video tutorial, where each stretch is demonstrated by Erica as she reads the book aloud.

people are over the moon about big stretch!

“My kids love this as a bedtime routine, and I plan to use it at the studio with my mommy-and-me and yoga classes!”

“I love both the idea and the beautiful illustrations! I will be buying this book for all the little ones in my life!”

“This book is so kid-friendly - it rhymes, is straight to the point, and the pictures are great too!”

“I can’t wait to incorporate this book as an activity this year at summer camp!”

About the author

Erica is an Athletic Trainer & Strength Coach with two decades of experience helping athletes connect with their strongest, most capable selves. Throughout her childhood, Erica’s parents encouraged a love of both reading and exercise-as-play, and she is excited to share that love with young readers. Erica lives and works in Brooklyn, New York, with her Alaskan Klee Kai, Luna Bean.

If you’d like to purchase wholesale copies of the book, please reach out to erica@thenotoriousatc.com