Week of the Young Child will be celebrated from April 6th-12th. This is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), with the goals of focusing public attention on the needs of young children and their families and of recognizing the programs that meet those needs.
During this special week, NAEYC shares daily classroom themes to encourage playful learning and engagement with the children in your early care & learning program. Below, we share links to inspiring ideas and resources related to each daily Week of the Young Child theme. We hope they help you celebrate playful early learning with the little learners in your care!
Through music, children develop math, language, and literacy skills—all while having fun and being active! Inspiration for incorporating more music into your day can be found below.
Cooking together connects math with literacy skills, science, and more while encouraging healthy nutrition and fitness habits at home and in the classroom.
Check out the Healthy Snacks section of the G2K website to find fun, child-friendly recipes to try with the children in your care! You’ll find nutritious treats to prepare together, like friendship fruit salad and apple chips.
When children work together they explore academic concepts in math, science, and literacy, while developing important social skills. Invite the children in your care to work together on a community-building collaborative art project.
Children develop creativity, social skills and fine motor skills when they engage in open-ended art projects that allow them to make choices, use their imaginations, and create with their hands. Some of our favorite open-ended art project ideas are included below.
Engaging and celebrating families is at the heart of all we do to support our youngest learners. Here are some fresh ideas for connecting with families:
