The Source for Learning is proud to participate in NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child, celebrating 50 years of early learning with children, families, and educators! 
Friday, April 16th
Theme: Family
Infants
Kiss by Kiss / Ocètôwina: A Counting Book For Families
By Richard Van Camp
This board book expresses love and emphasizes the special bond between family members. Photos show children kissing their loved ones and include all generations and diverse families. (Dual language text: Cree and English.)
Use a wooden spoon to tap a beat on a wood or plastic bowl as you read the words and pronounce the phonetically spelled Cree words. Don’t forget to kiss as you count, too!
Toddlers & Twos
Love Makes a Family
By Sophie Beer
This inclusive book illustrates families of diverse cultures and compositions who show the many ways families share their love. The simple text and bright pictures showing everyday situations are developmentally appropriate for toddlers.
Use objects to represent the subject of each page as you read and let the children touch and hold them (i.e., a drum or maracas, a box of birthday candles/a birthday hat, a shoe or small toy container, a rain boot, a band-aid, a dress-up hat/cape, a teacup, a paper cone with a ball to be an ice cream cone, a washcloth/towel, a small board book, etc.). As you read the book again and again, let children hold up the object that goes with the page.
Preschool/Pre-K
Mommy’s Khimar
By Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
A girl from a mixed-religion family loves to dress up in her mother’s khimar. Most children will be able to relate to how the smell of the khimar gives the girl a feeling of safety and connection to her mother when they are apart. What smells reassure you and make you feel safe?
Put scarf-size pieces of fabric of various colors in the dramatic play area. Share photos of different ways men and women wear fabric as headscarves, bandannas, and turbans. Encourage children to wrap their heads and wear the fabric in different ways and look in the mirror. Ask families to share special head coverings, hats, or articles of clothing worn by family members for children to explore!
Preschool/Pre-K
Saturday
By Oge Mora
This book is a beautiful reminder that things don’t always turn out as planned, but it doesn’t matter as long as you’re with your family. What things do you like to do over the weekend with your family?
Offer old socks, paper towel tubes, fabric scraps, pipe cleaners, yarn, pom-poms, and other collage materials for children to glue together to create puppets. Once the puppets are complete, invite children to make tickets and use their puppets to show you the activities they do with their families on a Saturday or Sunday!
Toddlers & Twos
Does A Kangaroo Have A Mother, Too?
By Eric Carle
Enjoy seeing all kinds of animal mothers with their babies in this colorfully illustrated book.
Make up a simple pose or subtle movement for each animal and pause. Give prompts to help children guess the name of the animal, then repeat the name of the baby and imitate the pose. Use this as a transition activity throughout the day to keep children occupied when waiting. If you work with infants, hold them as you make the pose or use gentle movement to give them vestibular and proprioceptive input to help their overall development!