Head Start - Parent / Child Activities

Welcome to the Parent and Child Activities Calendar series sponsored by the Wayne County Health and Family Services Head Start Education Advisory Board. In our program, many parents ask their child’s teacher for ideas about what they can do to support their child’s learning at home. Many programs send activity ideas home with families on a weekly basis and parents enjoy these activities with their children.

Attending to this interest, we have created monthly calendars [see links below] that give additional opportunities for valuable interaction that can be part of your family’s everyday lives. The research of Hart and Risely cites that for maximum development, each child needs to have 2100 words per hour spoken to them and those words should be words of encouragement. That is true for the classroom and the home - the activities presented here are designed to facilitate that.

These calendars are filled with fun activities based on the High/Scope approach, which encourage learning through active involvement with people, materials, events, and ideas. It is important to help children develop in all areas, and each activity on the calendar identifies which area of development it supports.

Remember that these activities are only suggestions. We welcome you to adapt the activities in ways that are most meaningful for you and your child and fits with your family’s culture.

As you interact with your child[ren], remember to share control with them, focus on their strengths, and support their ideas. Respect their choices and encourage their independence, initiative, and creativity. For children, learning is fun! We hope that learning and playing with your children will be fun for you too!