Throughout April, DCAEYC will be celebrating the Month of the Young Child, a fun-filled month celebrating early educators and young children. As part of our celebration, we'll be hosting virtual field trips and in-person events centered around the following themes:
Music Monday: When children sing, dance, and listen to music, they develop their language and early literacy skills while being active and encouraging movement.
Tasty Tuesday: Cooking together connects math with literacy skills, science, and more. It can also encourage healthy nutrition and fitness habits at home and in the classroom.
Work Together Wednesday: When children build together they explore math and science concepts and develop their social and early literacy skills.
Artsy Thursday: 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.
Family Friday: Engaging and celebrating families is at the heart of supporting our youngest learners. DCAEYC applauds family members' role as young children's first and most important teachers.
Month of the Young Child Calendar and Resources
To stay on top of all our events, download a pdf version our Month of the Young Child calendar.
For full event and activity idea details click on the links below.
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Are you looking for ideas for activities during Month of the Young Child? Check out our DCAEYC Month of the Young Child Activity Inspiration Resource featuring videos and one-pagers highlighting previous Month of the Young Child activities. Additional activity ideas and resources below.
Work Together Wednesday, April 10:
STEM Resources and Materials for
Engaging Learning Experiences"
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Sip & Paint at Brightwood Elementary School
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Family Friday, April 12:
Activity Resource: Replicate This!
Create Your Own Card Game for Family Night
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Work Together Wednesday, April 17:
Activity Idea: Replicate This!
Creating Your Own Family Album
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Artsy Thursday, April 18:
Activity Idea: Replicate This!
Explore the Sea with a Paper Plate Aquarium
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Work Together Wednesday, April 24:
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Family Friday, April 26:
Activity Idea: Replicate This!
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Saturday, April 27:
Event Descriptions and Registration
Week of April 1 - April 5
Music Monday with Mama Sylvia
Music Monday, April 1 | 10:00 am - 10:45 am
In-Person Event at Host Site
Mama Sylvia Soumah of Coyaba Dance Theater will showcase the majesty of West African drumming and rhythms. The music will dazzle the energy and senses of young children and their teachers. Appropriate for all ages.
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UDC Snap-Ed MyPlate Nutrition Lesson with Ms. Cassidy
Tasty Tuesday, April 2 | 10:30 am - 11:00 am
In-Person Event at Host Site
UDC SNAP-Ed presents a MyPlate Nutrition Lesson with Ms. Cassidy. This lesson will introduce MyPlate and the five food groups in a kid-friendly way. Participants will walk away with a new, healthy snack option and ways to help them make healthy food choices in the future!
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Physics Play, the STEMearly Way!
Work Together Wednesday, April 3 | 10:30 am - 11:00 am
In-Person Event at Host Site
In this session preschool-aged children will dive into the world of physics in an engaging and interactive way. Led by Dr. OH and collaborating classroom teachers, this session is all about sparking curiosity and discovery.
The session begins with an introduction to basic physics principles using carefully selected literature. Through engaging literature, children will be introduced to concepts such as gravity, motion, and spatial relationships, setting the stage for hands-on exploration.
Then, it's time for hands-on exploration at three different STEM stations. In Rolling Ramps, they'll send toy cars and balls zooming down ramps to learn about gravity. Marble Run challenges them to get creative and build their own marble pathways. And in Maze Madness, they'll navigate through tactile mazes, sharpening their problem-solving skills along the way.
Throughout the session, Dr. OH and the teachers will be right there to guide the kids, encourage questions, and celebrate discoveries. It's all about laying the foundation for a lifelong love of science in a fun and approachable way.
Artsy Thursday with Discount School Supply:
Friendly Skies and Sunny Days
Artsy Thursday, April 4 | 10:30 am - 10:30 am
In-Person Event at Host Site
Enjoy storytime with Discount School Supply, followed by creating an artsy Sunny Skies mobile to take home and hang in a favorite location. This activity is specially designed for Pre-K3 through 1st grade.
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Storybook- Friendly Skies and Sunny Days by Reuben Watson
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2024 DC Early Educator Experience
Family Friday, April 5
Join DCAEYC and other early childhood education partners for the 2024 DC Early Educator Experience. This exciting free and virtual event connects early childhood educators who work in the District of Columbia for a full day of learning, networking, advocacy and celebration. Learn more and register at dcearlyedx.org.
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Key Note Speaker: DJ Pryor, Actor and Comedian
Week of April 8 - April 12
Music Monday with Wolf Trap:
"Stories and Songs from the Tre with Penny Russell
Music Monday, April 8 | 10:00 am - 10:30 am
In-Person Event at Host Site
Join Ms. Penny and her puppet friends as they sing songs and tell stories about the animals found in and around the great, big tree. An interactive puppet adventure!
Tasty Tuesday with DCAEYC
Tasty Tuesday, April 9 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am
In-Person Event at Host Site
Food can be out of this world good. Join DCAEYC for storytime about a picky eater who learns to love food using her imagination and creativity. A tomato food study to follow. This activity is designed for Pre-K3 through 3rd grade.
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Storybook- I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
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Yoga with Angel: "Let's Go to the Happy Place!"
Work Together Wednesday, April 10 | 9:00 am - 9:30 am
In-Person Event at Host Site
Children will participate in a storytelling experience to create their own magical adventure to 'The Happy Place'! On their journey, they will take up space through the encouragement of creative movement and explore with their breath to invite calmness into the body.
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Early Educator Appreciation Sip & Paint at Brightwood Elementary School
Work Together Wednesday, April 10 | 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Brightwood Elemenatry School | 1300 Nicholson St NW, Washington, DC 20011
Early Educator Appreciation Event
Let's relax and destress while you sip and paint. You’ll follow a step-by-step painting guide to create a preprinted art masterpiece. You'll have time to paint, snack and mix and mingle. If you’re concerned about your ability, don’t worry – this event is meant to be fun and relaxing.
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Note: There is an alternative date for this event on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at Eastern Market
Movin' and Groovin' Through Gross Motor Movement
Artsy Thursday, April 11 | 10:00 am - 10:30 am
In-Person Event at Host Site
Get movin’ and groovin’ with DCAEYC! Infants moving their arms and legs and rocking their bodies helps them to develop body awareness and gross motor skills. In this activity infants will use musical bells attached to their bodies to discover the connection between the sound and their movement. This session is specifically designed for infants 6 weeks to 18 months.
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Candle Making Meet and Mix
Artsy Thursday, April 11 | 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Early Educator Appreciation Event
Join early educators from all over the city for food, fun, and candle making. Relax while making a signature candle to take home using botanicals, stones, and an assortment of aromatic fragrances.
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Week of April 22 - April 26
Tasty Tuesday with FoodPrints
Tasty Tuesday, April 23 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am
In-Person Event at Host Site
DCAEYC and FoodPrints partners for a delicious Tasty Tuesday activity!
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Roll and Bounce with DCAEYC
Work Together Wednesday, April 24 | 10:00 am - 10:30 am
In-Person Event at Host Site
STEM activities for young children put science and math into action through scientific inquiry. Toddlers will explore ways in which balls are propelled into motion using various forces. This activity is designed specifically for toddlers, ages 18 months to 2 years.
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Early Educator Appreciation Sip & Paint at Eastern Market
Work Together Wednesday, April 24 | 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
The Yard at Eastern Market | 700 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003
Early Educator Appreciation Event
Let's relax and destress while you sip and paint. You’ll follow a step-by-step painting guide to create a preprinted art masterpiece. You'll have time to paint, snack and mix and mingle. If you’re concerned about your ability, don’t worry – this event is meant to be fun and relaxing.
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Note: There is an alternative date for this event on Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at Brightwood Elementary
Artsy Thursday with Discount School Supply:
Friendly Skies and Sunny Days
Artsy Thursday, April 25 | 10:00 am - 10:30 am
In-Person Event at Host Site
Enjoy storytime with Discount School Supply, followed by creating an artsy Sunny Skies mobile to take home and hang in a favorite location. This activity is specially designed for Pre-K3 through 1st grade.
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Storybook- Friendly Skies and Sunny Days by Reuben Watson
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STAR Fest 2024
Saturday, April 27 | 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
MLK Library
DCAEYC will be at DC Library's STAR Fest! Be sure to stop by our table and say hi!
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DC Public Library's Books from Birth program proudly presents STAR Fest 2024! STAR stands for Sing, Talk and Read, three of the key early literacy practices. For families across D.C., Books from Birth is a huge part of the "R" in STAR! That's because with Books from Birth D.C. residents with children ages Birth to 5 can get a free book delivered to their home each month. If you sign up when your child is born, you can receive up to 60 high-quality children's books to add to your home library!
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STAR Fest is a FREE family festival that celebrates all the ways you can help your child grow into a confident learner as you complement reading with singing, talking, writing and playing. At STAR Fest your family will learn about all of them as you go to each station to enjoy many activities. For the full details click here.
Week of April 29 - April 30
Dr. Yum's Food Adventure
Tasty Tuesday, April 30
In-Person Event at Host Site
Dr. Yum and Mrs. Cannon will teach a lesson from Dr. Yum’s Preschool Food Adventure. It’s a fun, multi-sensory, interactive nutrition and cooking lesson with parent feedback and research to prove it works. They will use a novel and practical approach to talking about trying new foods, including powerful language used by Coach Mel, a world-renowned feeding therapist, in her treatment of extremely picky eaters who often become obese teens and adults. Additionally, extension activities deepen the experience and familiarity with the new food through art, literacy, movement, music, science, and community connections. The lesson concludes with the students preparing a healthy and delicious snack for the entire class to enjoy together.