The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) celebrates the Week of the Young Child every year from April 1st through April 7th. While this serves as a great time for early childhood advocates to remind policymakers and community leaders about the importance of early childhood education, it’s also a great time for families to celebrate their own young children, and learn how to support their education now and for the rest of their life.

The PRE4CLE team celebrates Week of the Young Child every year, and this year we wanted to make sure you and your children had a chance to get involved! As a team, we found resources, activities, and fun places to enrich your kids’ educational journey. Follow along through this week with the guide below to celebrate with us!

Music Monday

Studies show that musical experiences in early childhood accelerate brain development. Beyond language and reading skills, music boosts intellectual, social-emotional, and motor skills, all areas that are critical for school readiness.

This Music Monday, the PRE4CLE team has created a Spotify playlist of our favorite children’s songs, past and present. While this is aimed at your kids, feel free to join in on the fun!

You can access the playlist here:

 Tasty Tuesday

Much like music, cooking with your kids is a great way to bond with them and teach them all in one! Cooking, following recipes, and exploring new foods all build on a child’s math and language skills, and being hands-on with new textures is great for sensory development.

We found some of our favorite recipes to try with your preschooler this Tasty Tuesday; check them out here:

Oatmeal Cookie Smoothies via Food Network Kitchen

Mini Lasagna Cups via Food Network Kitchen

Apple Granola Stackers via Ree Drummond + Food Network

Or if you’d rather enjoy a meal out with your family tonight, here are some of our favorite “Kids Eat Free” spots around Cleveland:

bd’s Mongolian Grill: Tuesdays kids 3-11 eat for $3!

Bob Evans: Kids eat FREE Tuesdays with the purchase of an adult entree after 4 pm

The Boneyard: Get one FREE kid’s meal with the purchase of an adult meal

Denny’s: Kids 10 & under eat free from 4-10 p.m. with the purchase of an adult entree

Max & Ermas: Get one FREE kid’s meal with the purchase of an adult entree

Artsy Thursday

Art is another great way for your child to explore their creativity at a young age! The benefits are endless: along with fine motor skill development and language skills, creating art is a great outlet for emotion and a way to support critical thinking and early math skills.

The Cleveland Metroparks have put together fun coloring pages to get you ready for spring! You can print them out here!