The Genius of Play Sponsors “Family Friday” During National Week of the Young Child

April 24, 2017 | The Genius of Play, The Toy Association’s initiative to raise awareness of play’s vital role in child development, is sponsoring Family Friday, part of The National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Week of the Young Child, a celebration taking place April 24-28 honoring early learning, young children, their teachers, and families.

During the Week of the Young Child, each day will be sponsored by a different organization and center on important themes for children such as Music Monday and Tasty Tuesday, with suggestions for teachers on how to implement each theme in their classrooms. Family Friday, taking place on April 28, focuses on reaching parents and families and highlighting the role they play in their children's learning and development. NAEYC will highlight fun play ideas and activities from The Genius of Play’s “For Teachers” page that educators can share with families, including a downloadable letter for parents about the benefits of play.

“Teachers are a central audience for The Genius of Play as we continue to spread the message about play’s developmental benefits,” says Anna Yudina, The Toy Association’s director of marketing initiatives. “The sponsorship is the next step in building our relationship with early childhood educators and we look forward to more ways to partner with NAEYC in the year ahead.”

Family Friday encourages parents to share pictures and stories about their families on NAEYC’s Facebook and Twitter pages, using the hashtag #woyc17. Throughout the week, The Genius of Play will also share play-based developmental facts and tips through its own Facebook and Twitter pages.

"We are pleased to share The Genius of Play’s resources with our members, who include educators and families,” says Stephanie Morris, NAEYC's deputy executive director. “We know from research that play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation, as well as promoting language, cognition, and social competence.”

The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is a professional membership organization that works to promote high-quality early learning for all young children, birth through age 8, by connecting early childhood practice, policy, and research. The Genius of Play participated in NAEYC’s 2016 annual conference to promote the value of play to early childhood educators.