April 13, 2020

Week of the Young Child | Week of April 13

Week of the Young Child is celebrated annually to honor children and thank early childhood teachers, parents, and all those who make a difference in the lives of young children. We have lots of fun activities planned at the center to celebrate the daily themes – but if you’re home, we’d love to have you join us in spirit by giving some of these activities a try.

Music Monday

Music Videos – Provide children with instruments and a tablet. They can use the tablet to record themselves singing and playing the instruments to create their own music video! If you have paper and art supplies, children could make some stage décor and props, too.

Dance Party – Turn on some of children’s favorite music and dance with them! Dancing is a great way for children to engage in some active movement indoors, for days when the weather is inclement.

Tasty Tuesday

Watermelon Sensory Bags – Take a gallon-size Ziploc bag and squeeze in some hair gel, corn syrup, or another gel-like substance. Add some drops of red food coloring and squish around until it is combined. Cut out black “watermelon seeds” from paper, felt, or foam, and add to the bag. Shut the bag, and then seal it with tape. Use painter’s tape to attach to a surface, and invite children to explore the bag, using their fingers to squish the gel around.
Vegetable Garden Bin – Fill a shallow container with a layer of soil (or another dry material – if you shake it up in a bag with brown paint, you can dye it!). Add play vegetables and “plant” them in the soil. Add some scoops or children’s gardening tools, and invite children to pretend they are gardening. This is a great activity to take outside!
Baking with Children

Work Together Wednesday

How Many? – Set out a few Tupperware containers of varying sizes, along with some small toys that fit inside the containers (blocks, animal toys, little people, etc.). Work together with children to fill the containers with the toys – then, take them out and count how many fit in each container! Talk about which container can hold the most, and which can hold the least.
Puzzles – Puzzles are the perfect activity to encourage parents and children to work together, or even older children and younger children. Engage children in putting together some puzzles this week, helping them to see the way that the images on each puzzle piece match together. You can make your own simple puzzles by inviting children to color a picture on a piece of poster board or cardstock, cutting it out as you like, and then putting it back together.
iPad Scavenger Hunt
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Artsy Thursday

Easy Painting – Cover a table with a vinyl or disposable tablecloth. Squeeze paint onto paper plates, and provide children with paper and brushes. Invite children to paint as they desire! Depending on the age of your children, you may want to use an old t-shirt as a smock.
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Self-Portrait – Provide children with paper and writing utensils, along with a place where they can look in the mirror. You could put the paper on a clipboard so children can move the paper into a bathroom or bedroom, where a mirror is present. Encourage children to look at their facial features in the mirror and draw their own self-portrait!

Family Friday

Mail a Hug – Using a large piece of paper, have your child lay their head and upper body on the paper. Extend their arms out to the side like wings, and trace around the head and arms. Invite children to decorate what you’ve traced, then cut it out and mail their “hug” to a family member or friend.
Family Meal – Invite your children to help plan a family meal! Show them the kind of food options that you have available in your house. Then, give them paper and crayons to create the “menu” for the meal. Involve them in the cooking of the meal, and encourage children to take the lead in setting the table as they would like. Then, enjoy a family meal together! Children will take enjoyment in knowing how much they were involved in the creation.

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