Celebrate the day by playing together! 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.
Did you know…?
- Children learn to communicate and behave by watching their parents interact with each other and other family members
- Family time builds a child’s self-esteem by making them feel important and loved and strengthens family bonds
- Having fun as a family is a chance for you to be a kid again, which will reduce every family member’s stress. Plus, you’re building memories you’ll always cherish!
Here are 5 fun ways to have fun together as a family:
- Play games! Any type of game is fun when we play as a family. Simple card games, building block competitions, beginner board games, puppets, dress up, even games like peek-a-boo, patty cake, and hide and seek are all great ways to spend time together.
- Explore nature! Go to the park, zoo, or farm, and see how many animals you can find. Take a hike, go for a bike ride, go fishing, or go camping. Play in the rain or the snow! Plant and harvest a garden, plant and pick flowers, or pick fruit. Make a leaf pile to jump in. Collect rocks. The possibilities are endless!
- Go Visit: the zoo, the museum, botanical gardens, a ninja or gymnastics gym, the library, the swimming pool. Also visit cousins, grandparents (great grandparents too!), aunts, uncles, and friends.
- Get messy! Remember, children learn by playing and exploring the environment around them. Find ways for everyone to get messy! Play in the mud, the sand, the water, the sprinklers. Do art with chalk on the sidewalk. Fill a wading pool with bubbles.
- Make music! Sing together. Have a dance party. Get the family band together. Listen to music together (live or recorded). Attend a festival. Make your own instruments to play.
Explore these NAEYC resources and more online!
For Educators:
- Five Rs for Promoting Positive Family Engagement
- Building Strong Family and Professional Partnerships from the Start: Highlights from the ASD Literature – Member Only
- Engage Children’s Communities with Friends and Family Day!
- Message in a Backpack™ Helping Your Child through Change
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