Week of the Young Child (WOYC) plans for April 13-17, 2020 are already underway!

NAEYC has announced the themes for each day of Week of the Young Child in 2020! 
The TXAEYC Week of the Young Child Committee is pleased to offer the following suggestions for you to celebrate with a creative week of activities and events:

Monday, April 13: Music Monday Celebrations

Have a maraca dance party. 
Make a guitar out of shoe boxes and rubber bands.
Make tambourines out of paper plates and beans.
Make a playlist online of your favorite happy songs and share the link with others.
Step it Up: Make sure your state and local elected officials are all singing from the same songbook! Join the chorus for change and work with your local chapters and advocates to ensure proclamations and statements are signed to honor and advance the early childhood education profession as part of the Week of the Young Child!

Tuesday, April 14: Tasty Tuesday Celebrations

Try different kinds of fruits or veggies to find a new favorite.
Do a blindfolded taste test and see if you can identify the different foods. 
Share photos or videos of children's reactions to sour or sweet tastes.
Use a cookbook to make a new recipe with your family. Focus on literacy (letter or word recognition in the ingredient list) and math (measuring, counting, sequencing) while you work in the kitchen.
Take your lunch outside and have a picnic.
Examples of great cooking projects that could happen this week: Make ice cream, mini pizzas using English muffins as the crust, have a taco night or breakfast, make jello, make a snack mix or fruit salad where everyone in your class or family picks a different ingredient to add to the mix. 

Step it Up: Explore the culture-specific foods that your students may enjoy at home. Connect with families by engaging them in the history and tradition of meals from their countries of origin.

Wednesday, April 15: Work Together Wednesday

Work with classmates or family members to build a fort (blanket fort inside or used found materials outside).
Make cards to mail to community helpers. 
Have a field day with the children doing different fun activities around the playground. 
Sports teams work together on the field or court. Wear your favorite team's jersey or colors.
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.
Step it Up: Students aren't the only ones who succeed when they work together! Take a moment today to join NAEYC in advancing our profession by signing up for Power to the Profession; supporting your peers by posting on HELLO; making a call to an elected official about the importance of investing in early childhood education, or inviting someone new to become a member. Working together makes us stronger together and that means the impact we make can be monumental! 

Thursday, April 16: Artsy Thursday Celebrations

Fashion is art! Dress up in a fancy costume or wear silly socks today
Have families do an at-home activity together and share their final products on social media.
Tie-dye a plain white shirt for each member of your class or family. 
Use old magazines or paper scraps to make a collage of something you're thankful for.
Do a virtual tour of an art museum in your community or around the world and make your version of your favorite art in their collection.
Use masking tape and sidewalk chalk to decorate the sidewalk, fence, or driveway with a mural or make a sign to hang in your window.
Step it Up: Take your classroom art into the community! Find ways to display your classroom's art projects for your community and while you have their attention, take that opportunity to educate them about the importance of high-quality early childhood education.

Friday, April 17: Family Friday Celebrations

Put on a family talent show with each member participating.
Do a special art project with your child to send to another family member.
Look through old family photo albums and share stories or fun facts about family members in the pictures.
Call or Facetime with a family member and ask them to tell a story about when your parents were young.
Find where your family members live on a map and send a card to the one who lives the farthest away.
Step it Up: Extend your NAEYC family! The early childhood education community doesn't end outside the doors of your classroom. Connect with TXAEYC and your local chapter, encourage families to join NAEYC's Family level membership, learn how to engage with your local policymakers and more! There are endless opportunities to keep your entire community in-the-know about early childhood education.

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 
or use the hashtag #TXwoyc20 so we can find your photos!

This Week of the Young Child Celebration is going to Rock!