Week of the Young Child

April 11-17, 2026

The Week of the Young Child (WOYC) is an annual event, sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). It provides a time to celebrate young children and thank the early childhood teachers and everyone who is involved in the care and education of young children. This is also a valuable opportunity to raise awareness of the issues affecting young children and their families, and to rally more people to speak out about how these issues affect your community.

Nebraska Public Media Calendar

Checkout this calendar, created by Nebraska Public Media, which gives some ideas and resources for you to use during the week of April 11th-17th! #woyc26

View Calendar (English)

Ver calendario (Espanol)

State Proclamation

For the past twenty-five years, Nebraska’s governor has recognized the Week of the Young Child by signing a proclamation. Pictured on the left are some members of our Nebraska AEYC team, joined by early childhood center directors and children from Las Abejitas Bilingual Education Center, receiving the 2025 proclamation from Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen.

Kick Off Saturday! April 11, 2026

TRY THIS:

Post a video, blog or social media post sharing why you celebrate Week of the Young Child and what you do to prepare
Plan a virtual event with your social media community
Share your local proclamation
Take some time for yourself, reorganize and re-energize so that you’re ready for the week ahead
Create a dancing playlist for Music Monday
Search your kitchen for ingredients for your Tasty Tuesday activity
For Work Together Wednesday, work with other educators in your program to draft a group letter to your elected officials, emphasizing the need to #InvestinECE
Gather your arts and crafts for Artsy Thursday
Draft an email to parents explaining what they should expect during #WOYC25 and how they can prepare for your Family Friday activities.

Music Monday! April 13, 2026

Sing, dance, celebrate, and learn
When children sing, dance, and listen to music, they develop their language and early literacy skills while being active and encouraging movement. Make up and record your own unique version of a song or write your own, and share it on your own Facebook page, or post to X and Instagram using #WOYC25.

TRY THIS: Find the beat to connect music, movement, and math. Practice clapping, drumming, or stomping to the beat of the music while counting. Checkout NAEYC's WOYC resources for more ideas!

Tasty Tuesday! April 14, 2026

Healthy eating and fitness at 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 your own Facebook page, or post to X and Instagram using #WOYC25.

TRY THIS: Measure your ingredients while making your snacks! Ask children if they’d like the same or different amounts of each ingredient.
For more fun ideas on how to incorporate cooking into your classroom activities, check out how one NAEYC-accredited center prepared for the day! Checkout NAEYC's WOYC resources for more ideas!

Work together Wednesday! April 15, 2026

Work together, build together, 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 your own Facebook page, or post to X and Instagram using #WOYC25.

TRY THIS: Practice organizing blocks by size! Try building a block tower with large blocks on the bottom and little blocks on top! Checkout NAEYC's WOYC resources for more ideas!

Artsy Thursday! April 16, 2026

Think, problem solve, 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 photos of your children’s creations on Facebook or post to X and Instagram using #WOYC25.

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! Checkout NAEYC's WOYC resources for more ideas!

Family Friday! April 17, 2026

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 Facebook or post to X and Instagram using #WOYC25.

TRY THIS: Invite parents for a Family Friday breakfast, where children can prepare and share breakfast treats with their families!