Week of the Young Child (WOYC) plans for April 8-12, 2019 are already underway!
Check out these ideas to make your WOYC Celebration Rock!

NAEYC has announced the themes for each day of Week of the Young Child in 2019!
The TXAEYC Week of the Young Child Committee is pleased to offer the following suggestions for you to celebrate each day:

Monday, April 8: Music Monday Celebrations

Have a maraca dance party with the children
Invite a dancer to visit or a dance troop from your local neighborhood or the dance team from your local high school
Invite a band or a mariachi group to visit from the local high school
Make your own guitar out of Kleenex boxes and rubber bands
Make your own tambourines out of paper plates and beans
Make a stage with a microphone and have children do karaoke or pretend to be on "America’s Got Talent".

Tuesday, April 9: Tasty Tuesday Celebrations

Have a parent or community volunteer come to your class to give a cooking lesson. 
Do a taste test with lemons and oranges and compare them on a chart. 
Have an ice cream sundae for snack and let children put on their own toppings.
Or have an ice cream social and invite the parents and siblings
Have a snow cone vendor park outside your school today to offer snow cones to your families. 
Have families bring healthy items for salad and then have the children make their own salad from items brought from home.
Invite a chef to come visit your school to do a cooking activity.

Examples of great cooking projects that could happen this week: Make your own ice cream, make your own pizza using English muffins as the crust, have a taco breakfast for parents in the morning, make jello, make mixed snack mix having all children bring different ingredients to add to the mix, or make a fruit salad having children bring in a different kind of fruit. 

Wednesday, April 10: Work Together Wednesday Celebrations to Include Your Community

Have parents come and volunteer to fix or paint some playground items
Have a multi-cultural event where different classroom families bring food from different countries.
Have some community helpers come read to your classes today. 
Have a field day with the children doing different fun activities around the playground. 
Or if you have after-school children: Have a kickball tournament at the park against another childcare centers after-school program. 
Have a photo booth set up in your hallway today with several props and when families drop off they can snap some photos.
Organize a trash clean up with families at a nearby park or around the property of your childcare center.
Call your local radio station and see if they will interview you or your local association to help spread the word about the importance of early childhood
Plan a city event where many early childhood educators and children can come together to celebrate early childhood

Thursday, April 11: Artsy Thursday Celebrations

Wear colored or different designed socks today
Have families do an at home activity together and bring it in today (like a shoe box parade float all about Texas or maybe fiesta if that is your theme).
Have the kids bring a plain white shirt to tie-dye in your class. 
Make family picture collages
Have children model the artist Jackson Pollack and do a splatter paint mural
Have children spray paint with mini spray bottles outside with a sheet tied to the fence.
Create a family picture that  can be cut up into a puzzle 

Friday, April 12: Family Friday Celebrations

Invite a family member to come have lunch
Invite a family member to come and do an art project with each child.
Invite a family furry member to school today (a dog, car or hamster) and have a parade.
Have a family picnic on Saturday where each family brings a dish
Have family members visit each hour on a schedule and share a talent with your class.
Send home the family picture you did on Artsy Thursday today or have families do them together at drop off or pick up.

For more suggested activities that incorporate each day's theme, visit NAEYC's WOYC Overview website

Share your activities with TXAEYC and post on our Facebook page!