Looking for ways to celebrate the Week of the Young Child in your Family Child Care Home? Read these tips from Vanessa Gilliam, proud Early Childhood Educator and owner of Nessa’s Young’uns Child Care for Infants & Toddlers, in Hendersonville, NC.
The main event for families on April 17th will feature activity centers for parents to participate in play with their children, and to experience the ways that young children explore and learn from their environment. These activities will take place outdoors and include…
2) Water Play: tubs of water with a variety of tools & toys for fine motor play.
3) Dirt Don’t Hurt Play: large area for sand & dirt play with assorted toys including trucks, shovels, buckets, dramatic play attire, and more.
4) Mud Pie Station: area for combining water and dirt to make creations.
4) Log and Rock Hop & Climb: area with logs, rocks, and wooden stepping stones for hopping, climbing and crawling.
5 ) Plant a Seed Table: flower seed packets, dirt, and small containers.
6 ) Nature Art: area for creative art with assorted natural items to paint with such as pine cones, twigs, plants.
Vanessa has also planned a number of activities to involve families throughout the Week of the Young Child. These ideas include:
1) Invite family members to come and read a book, participate in a cooking event, an art, music, gardening, or any other age appropriate activity with the children.
2) Parents could bring their pets from home to show one day.
3) Present a Celebration Board for families to display special pictures from home of their child/family and to post something specific they want to share about their child. “Sam was so funny last week when he tried to say the word “potato” it came out “ah-oh”. “We love when Ann sings Amazing Grace, she sings it with her eyes closed.”