NAYEC Week of the Young Child 2025: Flexibility, Fun, and Child-Led Play

What is NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child?

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the leading organization in early childhood education, and every April they host Week of the Young Child. It’s a celebration that highlights the importance of early learning, young children, their teachers, families, and communities. Each day has a different theme to support development through fun, meaningful activities. I absolutely love this week. It’s such a special opportunity to spotlight the joy, creativity, and wonder that toddlers bring into our lives, and to celebrate the important work we do in early childhood education.

With that being said, this week was one of those weeks. If you’ve ever worked with toddlers, you know exactly what I mean! Big feelings, changes in routine, and plans that just don’t quite go the way you imagined. We had a packed plan for NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child, but as often happens in early childhood, flexibility was the name of the game.

While we did our best to incorporate as many of the themed activities as we could, the week ended up being beautifully child-led which, truthfully, is exactly what toddlers need most. Following a child-led approach supports development in so many ways: it encourages independence, builds confidence, fosters creativity, and aligns with how young children naturally learn through play and exploration. It’s what the majority of our day looks like here, but it’s not always what I highlight in the blog.

Here’s a peek at our perfectly imperfect Week of the Young Child:

Monday – Music Monday

We kicked off the week with Music Monday! We brought out the egg shakers and even found creative ways to use toys as instruments. Circle time songs turned into a full-on jam session, and the kids loved it. Music supports early brain development, especially in areas related to language and math, and helps children express their emotions and energy in healthy ways.

Tuesday – Art Thursday!

Tuesday was supposed to be Tasty Tuesday, but we swapped in our Art Thursday activity instead. (Spoiler alert: we didn’t get to Tasty Tuesday later in the week either, but more on that below!) Even though it wasn’t on the original schedule, the kids enjoyed diving into creative art play, and sometimes, that’s just what they need. I had a directed art project planned but this was NOT the week for it, so we got out the water colors, and I let them do their thing. Fingers, paint brush, whatever felt best is what they did, and they made some beautiful toddler art that they created all on their own!

Wednesday – Work Together Wednesday

Wednesday brought us a special treat, a visitor who came with a giant parachute! The kids had so much fun working together to bounce a ball on the parachute (and trying not to let them fall off!). We also teamed up to build forts and towers with the big blocks. No pictures of the parachute, everyone was too busy having fun! This day was all about teamwork, helping one another, cheering each other on, and learning how to cooperate.

Thursday – Flexibility Wins Again

Thursday was our make-up day for Tasty Tuesday (muffin baking was the plan), but it ended up being one of those rough days with a lot of big feelings. Instead of pushing through, we followed the children’s lead and enjoyed some unstructured free play, which ended up being just what everyone needed. Play is the most developmentally appropriate way for toddlers to process their emotions, practice social skills, and build their imagination. I was able to squeeze in a VERY short circle time to say goodbye to Hammerhead and meet Narwhal the Slumberkin, who helped us learn about teamwork through storytelling and cuddles. I originally planned for this to happen on work together Wednesday, but we’ll, you know…

Friday – Family Friday

We wrapped up the week with Family Friday, sharing pictures of our families during circle time. The children were so excited to show their friends pictures of their loved ones. It was a beautiful way to connect home and playschool, and support children’s sense of identity and belonging. We intended to hand out our homemade muffins to parents on Friday morning at drop off, but you all just read how well that went on Thursday. Sorry parents. It’s the thought that counts. Maybe next week.

We also began transitioning from our spring flowers unit into Easter fun. The Easter grass was a huge hit, and also incredibly messy! The kids are loving the plastic Easter eggs, and I’m loving all the fine motor skill development they’re getting from opening and closing them.

As always, I’m so grateful for the opportunity to spend my days with these amazing little humans. Even when things don’t go as planned, the laughter, learning, and love we share make it all worthwhile. Week of the Young Child is a beautiful reminder of just how important these early years are, and how lucky we are to be part of them. I can’t wait to see what adventures next week brings!

Warmly,

Ms Sarah

May the world be filled with beautiful, peaceful little children.

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