DECAL'S INCLUSIVE EARLY LEARNING WEEK
The mission of DECAL’s Inclusive Early Learning Week is to promote inclusive practices within early learning environments across Georgia.
Mark Your Calendars each year to celebrate Inclusive Early Learning Week (IELW) during the week of Valentine’s Day (February 14th). Use this webpage
as a resource as you make plans and create meaningful ways your program, children, and families in your community can come together and celebrate inclusion.
Click on each day to view celebration ideas from Inclusive Early Learning Week celebrations. To download the 2024 Provider Celebration Kit,
click here.
Self-Care Sunday
Promoting Self-Care
#LoveInclusion
Infant:
Incorporating music into any routine can reduce stress and help improve a baby’s mood,
alertness, and memory. Playing music every morning can help set a positive tone for a baby’s day.
Choose a simple song with a repetitive chorus, while acting out any prompts with your infant,
allowing them to be a part of the process.
CD-CR1.0a Responds to music.
Toddler:
Mindfulness walks are about being present in the moment, while enjoying the benefits of
light exercise. Allowing toddlers to lead the way during a walk and letting them explore the
environment helps foster a child’s curiosity, gives them a sense of control, and independence (given
the environment is safe for choices
APL3.1b Demonstrates focus on a specific task or activity.
Bright Idea: Playing a game like,” I Spy”, helps promote and maintain a toddler’s engagement during a mindfulness walk.
Preschool/Pre-K:
Give children a feather, or if you do not have a feather, instruct children to stick
up their thumbs. Tell your child to pretend that each feather (or thumb) is a birthday candle that
they must blow out. Have them breathe deeply, and then exhale slowly and powerfully to blow out
the candle. Repeat a few times, and discuss with children how they feel, using words like calm or
relaxed.
SED3.4b Regulates own emotions and behaviors and seeks out adult support when needed.
Bright Idea: Use pictures of candles or real birthday candles (without a flame) to pretend!
Staff:
Sharing healthy meals with others is a fun and engaging method to engage in self-care and
improve your diet. Encourage staff to pick a healthy dish to share with each other, for example, a
staff bake-off in which everyone brings baked goods to share while enjoying the benefits of healthy
eating, while enjoying a meal together. This is a wonderful activity, especially for afterhours staff
meetings!
Extra Tip: Spending time with a good friend, family member, or even a pet can relieve stress. Your
loved ones are there to support you and offer a safe place for you to express your feelings and
frustrations. Remember that you are not alone!
Families:
Board games, puzzles, and simple games like charades are all great for family members of
all ages. Consider having simple prizes for the winner, like choosing what to have for dessert or a fun
weekend activity is a great incentive. You can play games focused on emotions like charades and act
out different feelings like brave, cranky, joyful, angry, and hopeful. Talking about feelings helps us all
learn to process them better, which is a big part of self-care.
Book Suggestion: “Who I Am” by Susan Verde
Marvelous ME Monday
Recognizing Individuality
#LoveInclusion
Infant:Have some flashlight fun by dimming the lights and pointing out the shadow and body parts
of the infants. Use a small flashlight when pointing to their body parts and avoid shining light into
their eyes. Get creative with their shadow and pointing to different body parts that make them
unique! CD-SC3.0B Discovers body parts.
Bright Idea: Encourage the families to do this activity at home with their babies too.
Toddler:
Place large pieces of butcher paper on the floor (enough for the children to lay flat on their back) or
take this activity outside for chalk drawings. Have each child lay flat and outline their bodies with either
markers or chalk if outdoors. Have the children stand up and talk with them about the parts of their body,
their height, shapes that they see, etc. Have chalk, markers, and crayons available for children to decorate
their life-size drawings.
CD-SS1.2b Uses simple phrases to demonstrate an emerging awareness of differences
and/or similarities between self and others.
Preschool/Pre-K:
Begin by reading the book, “What I Like About Me! A Book Celebrating
Differences”. Engage in conversation with your students about things that make them unique like
their families, facial features, hair color, things that they like, their favorite colors, etc. After
discussion, provide various art materials for each child to create their own “All About Me” book.
Once the books are complete, display them in an area in the classroom where children and families
can view them.
CLL9.3c Shows emerging awareness that writing can be used for a variety of purposes.
Staff:
Have your staff submit fun facts about themselves to you (places visited, met a celebrity,
number of siblings, play an instrument, etc.). Create bingo cards with this information and do not
include their names. You can search for “create your own bingo” in your web browser if you’d like a
bingo template. Pass the bingo cards out to staff and have them find the coworkers that the bingo
space relates to. Whoever gets bingo first wins!
Families:
Create an empty space along a wall within your program. Invite families to add photos,
messages, or items to the wall that represents them and makes them unique. If needed, provide a
table for families to place items on.
Book Suggestion: “What If We Were All the Same!” by C.M. Harris
Tremendous TEAMwork Tuesday
Working together to accomplish a goal
#LoveInclusion
Infant:
Create a class painting. Fold a clear shower curtain in half, tape one half to the floor, pour
some paint onto the curtain and fold the other half over the top and tape it down. Have the babies
roll or crawl on the shower curtain to create a classroom mural. Hang the mural in the classroom or
the hallway for everyone to admire.
CD-CR2.0a Explores simple art materials.
Toddler:
Tape off a large square on the floor of your classroom and throw handfuls of pom poms or cotton
balls on the floor. Give each child a small broom and encourage them to work together to sweep the pom
poms into the square.
PDM5.1a Gains control and coordination of body movements.
Preschool/Pre-K:
Play a game of musical chairs with your class. Before you begin, explain that in this
game of “musical chairs” the players are more important than the chairs, so the only rule change is
that after each round you take away a chair, but you keep all the people. It’s up to the group’s
imagination to figure out how to make a place for everyone.
SED 5.3b Engages in mutual, cooperative play AND/OR SED 5.4b Plays cooperatively with a few peers for a sustained period of time.
Staff:
Divide your staff into groups of 2-8 people. Give each team a box of
uncooked spaghetti noodles and a bag of mini marshmallows. The teams have a set amount of time
(10-15 minutes) during which they attempt to build the largest tower with the supplies given. When
the time runs out, measure each tower. The group with the tallest tower wins a prize!
Families:
Tell a story about going on a trip together using the alphabet! Pretend you are packing
your suitcase, and you need to pack items that start with every letter of the alphabet. Someone
starts the game by saying, “We’re going on a trip, and we are packing our “____” (item that starts
with an “A”. The next person adds an item that starts with “B” and so on. There is nothing
competitive about the game, it’s just fun and gets everyone thinking about words and letter sounds.
It also encourages teamwork to help when someone is stuck and can’t think of an item!
Book Suggestion: “The Gigantic Turnip” by Aleksei Tolstoy
WIND DOWN Wednesday
Creating a Calm Classroom and Community
#LoveInclusion
Infant:
Create sensory bags for infants to explore using laminating pouches, a hot iron, hair gel, and
small items such as buttons, googly eyes, foam numbers, sequins, or wooden hearts. Cut your
laminating pouch, using the iron on medium heat, seal 3 sides of the pouch closed; leaving the 4th
edge open so you can fill the sensory bag. Spoon a small amount of the hair gel into the sensory bag
then add your objects to the bag for the babies to discover. Wipe away any hair gel from the edge of
the pouch then seal the final edge of the pouch. Once the edges are cool, you are ready to explore!
Talk about the bags with infants as they squeeze. These are great sensory toys that allow babies to
explore objects that are normally too small or unsafe for them to handle.
PDM4.0b Manipulates objects to see what will happen.
Toddler:
Sleeping, Sleeping, All the Children are Sleeping Game: Children pretend to sleep and the
teacher sings, “sleeping, sleeping, all the children are sleeping.” Once children are pretending to
sleep, the teacher says, “and when they woke up, they were (name any animal)!” Children wake up
and pretend to act like the animal named. The teacher repeats the song and suggests other animals.
Repeat for a few rounds.
CLL1.1b Listens to and follows simple directions
Preschool/Pre-K:
Give each child a cutout of a butterfly or a similar shape. Have the child sit quietly
and try to balance the butterfly on his/her nose, holding it there for several seconds. After having
the opportunity to practice in a group several times, give all the children butterflies to keep in their
cubbies. Encourage the children to use this technique when they feel the need to calm down.
SED3.4b Regulates own emotions and behaviors and seeks out adult support when needed
Bright Idea: Provide a variety of soft materials, calming books, headphones, hats,
bean, bags chairs, and calm-down strategies to put in your calming areas.
Staff:
Provide a small notebook/journal for your staff members and encourage them to start
keeping a “Gratitude Journal” by writing down 3 things they are grateful for every day. This will help
shift to a more positive mindset.
Families:
Take a family walk through the neighborhood or in the park. Pay special attention to the
sounds you hear and the different things you can see. Count the number of cars you see or listen for
different types of bird calls. This is a great way to get exercise while practicing calming breaths at
the same time.
Book Suggestion: I'm Just a Kid: A Social-Emotional Book about Self-Regulation (Social Emotional Books) by Chandele Morris (Author), Jeric Tan (Illustrator)
Totally TALENTED Thursday
Celebrating talents and interests
#LoveInclusion
Infant:
Let’s get moving! Choose songs to sing and move to that allow infants to show off their fine
and gross motor skills. Fingerplays such as “The Itsy-Bitsy Spider”, “If You’re Happy and You Know
It”, and “The Wheels on the Bus” are just a few to engage infants in music and movement.
CDCR4.0a Shows interest in rhymes, finger plays and stories with props.
Toddler:
Create an activity cube with a different movement on each side. During group play, have a child roll the cube and have all the children perform the
movement. Include movements, such as bunny hops, froggy jumps, or jumping jacks. Be sure to label each movement and verbally scaffold the steps with
demonstration based on abilities.
CD-CR1.2a Dances to and becomes engaged in music and movement.
Bright Idea: Consider the abilities of all children and make sure the activities are
movements all can attempt. For example, if all children are not able to walk, consider bear
crawls, snake slithers, and dog rollovers.
Preschool/Pre-K:
Let each child’s talent shine by putting on a talent show! Spend time during the
week helping children identify their special talents. Take your talents on the road by holding a talent
show for the center, infant, and/or toddler classes.
SED1.3c Shows sense of satisfaction in his/her own abilities, preferences, and accomplishments.
Staff:
Each staff member brings something unique to their classroom and the center! Highlight the
special talents/abilities that all staff members have. Create stars for staff to write on and have them
name the staff member and their special talent/ability. Decorate areas around your program with
their stars to showcase their abilities!
Families:
What is one thing that you enjoy doing together as a family? It could be a favorite place
you visit together, a favorite song that you sing… you name it! Take or draw pictures of your favorite
family activity together and bring it to your child’s school. Programs are invited to share the
drawings and photos around the classrooms and program hallways.
Book Suggestion:
“Shy Sofia” by CB Crew
Super FRIEND Friday
Being a great friend to everyone
#LoveInclusion
Infant:
As friends enter the room, generate excitement with a smile on your face and saying, “Look
who just arrived! It's Jacob! Let's all wave and smile at Jacob.”
SED5.0a Demonstrates interest/excitement when other students enter the room.
Toddler: Use a puppet to play a gentle hugging game. Use the puppet to explain to children that a
hug can make you feel better when you are sad or mad. You can encourage children to hug the
puppet or to offer a hug to a friend. Talk about how we can be good friends to one another by
comforting each other with a hug or an embrace.
SED5.1d Shows awareness of feelings displayed by peers.
Bright idea: If a child feels uncomfortable giving a hug, ask them to give their friend a highfive, or a wink, instead!
Preschool/Pre-K:
Teach children the friendship rhyme below. During outdoor time, encourage
children to recite the rhyme while playing rhythmic activities, such as jump rope or hopscotch. “1, 2,
3, you are friends with me. 4, 5, 6, we make a perfect mix. 7, 8, 9, we have fun all the time. Shake
my hand, shake my hand that's 10!”
PDM5.4a Coordinates movements to perform more complex tasks.
Staff:
Snowball: This is a great activity to get people out of their seats to move around while also
breaking the ice. Start by asking a question relevant to your group and ask each participant to write
an answer on a piece of paper. Once that’s done, invite everyone to crumple their paper and come to
the center of the room to have a snowball fight! After a few minutes, ask everyone to keep a snowball
and find the person who wrote the answer. Not only does this team building exercise invite energy
into the room, but it encourages people to get to know each other too.
Families:
Make a home video as a family using a cell phone camera. Record a clip of each family
member explaining what it means to be a good friend. Watch the video together as a family, once
editing is complete. Bonding may occur as a side effect of this activity!
Bright Idea: Ask your families if they would like to share their videos at school and show them on the screen as families arrive in the morning.
Book Suggestion: “Our Diversity Makes Us Stronger” by Elizabeth Cole
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