Ways to Celebrate WOYC at Home!

When we ask our teachers, “What do you love about working with children?” some of the things they say are…

“Having the opportunity to receive the most genuine and sincere smiles, love, and affection.”

“The day to day interactions, the unconditional love they show, and above all, the joy they bring me.”

“To see how children eagerly discover the world and learn new things.”

Working with children is both rewarding and the best medicine for anything happening in life. When you enter one of our classrooms, you feel the uncontrollable urge to smile, laugh, and be present. Children give us their all, and we should do the same. That is why we are excited to celebrate NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child!

Week of the Young Child (WOYC) is a week-long event sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. This event sheds light on the needs of young children and their families while celebrating early learning supporters. This is one of the children’s favorite weeks, filled with fun events and surprises to make them feel extra special. 

Want to keep the celebration going at home? Keep reading for some great ideas!

Music Monday

Music Monday celebrates the importance of music in early childhood education. When children play with instruments or listen to music, they are working their brains and developing language, math, and coordination skills. As a result, connections in the brain begin solidifying, helping them grow and learn new skills faster. 

If you have extra time on your hands, we recommend making a musical instrument with your child! You might need recyclable materials such as cereal boxes, toilet paper rolls, markers, glue, tape, scissors, and other fun decorations like buttons and shells. Please remember, when using small objects, monitor your child at all times, use more oversized objects, or handle them yourself. 

Some musical instruments you can make are rain shakers, guitars, maracas, or hand drums. This website and this video give some great ideas! You also do not need to make something to celebrate this day. You can use your surroundings or home items like pans and Tupperware to make music or sing along to your favorite soundtrack. Whatever you choose in the end, make sure you are both having fun and making great memories!

Tasty Tuesday

Tasty Tuesday is a day to acknowledge the importance of a healthy and balanced diet. Over these last few years, we have learned that our diet impacts many things, such as our mood, energy levels, and hormones. In addition, as our children grow, it is vital to provide them with nourishing whole foods that will sustain their rapid growth and teach them to make healthy choices. 

You can celebrate this day by inviting your child to make dinner with you! Here are some fun and healthy dinner ideas children will love. You can ask your child to help you mix ingredients, roll burritos, or measure. Whenever possible, use plastic tools in case something is dropped! As you cook with your child, ask them questions such as “Which of these is your favorite vegetable?” or “Which measuring cup says ⅓?” Talking with your child as you cook will allow your child to be curious and try new things. Cooking together also builds relationships and teaches children responsibility.

When you cook, keep a close eye on your child and remind them to stay away from harmful surfaces and tools. And when you finish, you can also teach your child about responsibilities by washing dishes together. 

Working Together Wednesday

Working well with others and working in teams are valuable skills. Employers look for people with such skills because learning how to communicate, delegate, and empathize with others takes work. That is why it is best to start from an early age. 

One of the things you can do to promote working together is build structures with your child. Use paper boxes, Legos, or magnetic pieces to build safe structures. Use phrases such as “Can you help me do this…” or “Do you need help with …” to encourage teamwork. Remember to say thank you, so your child learns that helping people is positive. 

Other things you can do to promote working together are signing up your child in a team sport such as soccer, organizing playdates, and modeling the behavior. Children learn through observation, so ensure you and your partner, older child, or relative do tasks together and show that you support one another!

Artsy Thursday

Why do children love art projects? Because they get to let their imagination run wild and get to express themselves in different ways other than speech. At Casa, art projects bring out big smiles, laughs, and lots of questions! Unfortunately, whenever we think of an art project, we might think of something time-consuming and messy, thus making us shy away from doing them. Here are some tips to help you build a creative atmosphere and love this activity. 

One of the things we recommend is letting your child take over the project. You can give them guidelines and suggestions but most of all, let your child have fun! They will amaze you with what they can create with a couple of materials and different colors. Another thing to remember is to focus on how happy your child is when doing an art project. It can be easy to think of what you must clean afterward, but if your child is immersed in the activity, that is all that matters!

Visit this website for some engaging and mess-free art activities! 

Family Friday

The last day in WOYC is Family Friday! This day celebrates the importance of families in a child’s educational journey. 

You can celebrate your family in many ways such as having a family dinner, saying out loud what you are grateful for at the end of the day, or making a family collage. Families are our central support unit, and building trusting and positive relationships will benefit everyone in the long run!

Let us know how you plan to celebrate NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child by messaging us on Instagram @casaearlylearning or Facebook @CasadeCorazonEarlyLearning.