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 2019!
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 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".
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

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. 

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 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
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

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 
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

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.
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!

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