Celebrating the Magic of Early Childhood

Early childhood education is at the heart of who we are at St. Matthew’s, which is why every April, we join early childhood programs across the country in celebrating the Week of the Young Child, organized by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Educators, families, and communities come  together to honor early learning and the adults who make it possible. The week also underscores the importance of early learning opportunities and that play is an essential component of early childhood development. These formative years lay the foundation for future success and well-being, helping children develop their social, emotional, and cognitive skills. 

While St. Matthew’s engages in joyful, play‑based, developmentally meaningful learning all year long, Week of the Young Child holds a special energy for our School, as early childhood educators everywhere pause to celebrate the foundational importance of these formative years. “This week shines a light on the powerful learning that happens when young children explore, create, and collaborate. By celebrating the Week of the Young Child, we uplift the significance of early learning and strengthen the connections between school, families, and our community,“ says Amy Weiss, an Early Childhood Teacher at St. Matthew’s.

Our Little Falcons (Age 2) through Pre-Kindergarten students participated in activities throughout the week with themes: Music Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Work Together Wednesday, Artsy Thursday, and Family Friday. Each themed day offered our students rich opportunities to express themselves, work together, and follow their curiosity. 

Music Monday

Music Monday was filled with rhythm, movement, and joy. Students built their own instruments, then put them to use for a dance party featuring everything from salsa to K-Pop to folk music. A sound hunt took the fun outside where they listened for birds, wind, and everyday noises, imitating what they heard with their bodies and homemade instruments.   

Tasty Tuesday

On Tasty Tuesday, students explored a rainbow snack bar, sorting fruits and vegetables by color, counting pieces, and creating patterns. They engaged in sensory taste explorations sampling sweet, salty, sour, crunchy, and soft foods. A pretend play café sparked rich language and social skills and families shared photos of favorite meals and snacks from home for a recipe collage book.

Work Together Wednesday

Work Together Wednesday was a day full of teamwork, problem-solving, and community. Students worked in teams to construct bridges, houses, and cities using blocks, tubes, and boxes, and collaborated on a large shared mural of painting, stamping, and collaging. Pairs and trios tackled floor puzzles together, and an outdoor clean-up crew took pride in tidying their shared space. 

Artsy Thursday

Artsy Thursday celebrated creativity, identity, and open-ended exploration. Students sat in front of mirrors and painted self-portraits, mixed colors in a lab of their own making, and designed temporary works of art from loose parts. They also had the opportunity for self-expression with blank canvas art easels, making wonderful works of art!

Family Friday

Family Friday brought the week to a warm close by celebrating the connections between home and school. Families joined their children for chapel and gathered outside for a picnic. A family photo gallery captured special moments, and short video recordings of families reading or telling stories were shared during circle time. Students took home activity bags as an invitation to keep the fun going at home.

The week was a joyful reminder of why this work matters so much. The singing, the building, the tasting, the painting, the sharing: these are not just activities. They are literacy. They are number sense. They are scientific inquiry. They are social-emotional development. This is the work our Early Childhood teachers do faithfully every single day, guiding curious minds, building confident hearts, and laying the groundwork for a lifetime of learning. 

The foundation we build in Early Childhood carries our students forward through Lower School, Middle School, and beyond culminating in confident, curious, courageous learners. Interested in learning more about how St. Matthew’s creates transformative experiences for students? Contact us to schedule a tour and discover what makes our community so special.