Hello, families! Welcome to April!
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has been celebrating the the Week of the Young Child since 1971 and this year will be no different! The Week of the Young Child celebrates children, their families and their caregivers during the period between birth and age 8 . This year, the Week of the Young Child is April 24th-28th and each day has a different focus:
Music Monday-April 24
Tasty Tuesday-April 25
Work Together Wednesday-April 26
Artsy Thursday/Family Night-April 27
Family Friday-April 28
Every classroom will be celebrating these days with projects and fun activities. Join us the morning of Friday, April 28th for some breakfast treats to says thanks to our amazing parents and families!
You can celebrate the Week of the Young Child at home, too! Here are some suggestions to help get you started:
Music Monday
Make homemade musical instruments
Have a dance party with some fun songs for children
Tasty Tuesday
Martha Stewart approved recipes to make with your kids
Children’s books paired with recipes
Work Together Wednesday
Build a structure with popsicle sticks and clothes pins
Using shaving cream as a “mortar” with blocks
Build something with giant blocks (cardboard boxes)
Artsy Thursday
Easy (and beautiful!) tissue paper transfer art
Family Friday
Here are a few suggestions for some fun things to do as a family on Friday or any day!
Choo Choo Bob’s Train Store (has a play area that is open every day to the public and a weekly story hour)
Public libraries (the St. Paul and Minneapolis libraries offer many free events like movies, story hours and even arts and crafts for free. They also have lots of fun books, of course!)
The Works Museum (an interactive engineering museum with activities for kids of all ages. They offer a half-priced ($4.25) admission on their Pre-K days that feature activities for kids age 3-5)
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge (Free, with fun activities for kids)
Children’s Theatre Company (offers classes as well as wonderful performances for children, including sensory-friendly programing. Check out their ACT Pass program for scholarships and $5 dollar tickets to performances.)
We hope you will join us in celebrating our littles learners!
YMCA ECLC Midway Families 