Welcome to the Week of the Young Child Guide!
2017 theme for Week of the Young Child:
Honoring Diverse Families
April 24-28, 2017
A Chair for My Mother by Vera Williams
After their home is destroyed by a fire, Rosa, her mother, and grandmother save their coins to a buy a really comfortable chair for all to enjoy. A Chair for My Mother has sold more than a million copies and is an ideal choice for reading and sharing at home and in the classroom. "A superbly conceived picture book expressing the joyful spirit of a loving family." -The Horn Book
Story times and events will be held at Rasmussen University campuses, local child care centers, or other organizations. Contact your campus for further information!
Rasmussen University is celebrating Week of the Young Child 2017 with the theme of Honoring Diverse Families. Mary Muhs, Rasmussen University School of Education department chair, highlights the importance of celebrating early childhood education successes together.
Read more about Rasmussen University’s WOYC celebrations and Early Childhood Education program here: https://rasmussen.co/2otgRQN.
Use the link below to register for the webinar and the webinar access details will be emailed to you.
Monday, April 24th: Music Monday
Sing, dance, celebrate, and learn! Through music, children develop math, language, and literacy skills - All while having fun and being active! This year, make up and record your own unique version of a song or write your own, and share it on NAEYC's Facebook page or post to Twitter using the hashtag #woyc17.
Try this: Find the beat to connect music, movement, and math! Practice clapping, drumming, or stomping to the beat of the music while counting.
Music resources for families and teachers
Tuesday, April 25th: Tasty Tuesday
Healthy eating and fitness and home and school! This fun, food-themed day is about more than just cheese and crackers. Cooking together connects math with literacy skills, science, and more. With the rise in childhood obesity, you can encourage healthy nutrition and fitness habits at home and in the classroom. Create your own healthy snacks and share the recipes and photos of your creations on NAEYC's Facebook page or post to Twitter using the hashtag #woyc17.
Try this: Measure your ingredients while making your tacos! Ask children if they'd like the same or different amounts of each ingredient.
Cooking and nutrition resources for families and teachers
Wednesday, April 26th: Work Together Wednesday
Work together, build together, and learn together! When children build together they explore math and science concepts and develop their social and early literacy skills. Children can use any building material—from a fort of branches on the playground to a block city in the classroom, or a hideaway made from couch pillows at home. Build and share pictures of children’s creations on NAEYC's Facebook page or Twitter using the #woyc17 hashtag.
Try this: Practice organizing blocks by size! Try building a block tower with large blocks on the bottom and little blocks on the top.
'Building Together' resources for families and teachers
Thursday, April 27th: Artsy Thursday
Think, problem solve, and create! Children develop creativity, social skills and fine motor skills with open-ended art projects where they can make choices, use their imaginations, and create with their hands. On Artsy Thursday celebrate the joy and learning children experience when engaged in creative art making. Use any materials—from crayons to paint, clay to crafts! Create and share a photos of your children’s creations on NAEYC's Facebook page or Twitter using the #woyc17 hashtag.
Try this: Bring art outdoors! Offer dark and light paper, chalk and pastels, and suggest children create their own versions of the day and night sky.
Open Ended Art resources for families and teachers
Friday, April 28th: Family Friday
Sharing family stories! Engaging and celebrating families is at the heart of supporting our youngest learners. NAEYC applauds family members’ role as young children’s first and most important teachers. Share pictures and stories about your family on NAEYC's Facebook page or post to Twitter using the hashtag #woyc17 as we celebrate the unique role families play in their children's learning and development.
Try this: Invite parents for a Family Friday breakfast, where children can prepare and share breakfast treats with their families!
Resources for engaging and celebrating families
The Week of the Young Child™ is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the world's largest early childhood education association, with nearly 80,000 members and a network of over 300 local, state, and regional Affiliates.
The purpose of the Week of the Young Child™ is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.
NAEYC first established the Week of the Young Child™ in 1971, recognizing that the early childhood years (birth through age 8) lay the foundation for children's success in school and later life. The Week of the Young Child™ is a time to plan how we—as citizens of a community, of a state, and of a nation—will better meet the needs of all young children and their families. https://www.naeyc.org/woyc/faq#
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