Programs and Activities

30 Engaging Baby Activities for Cognitive & Physical Development

A baby’s brain is growing and forming new connections every day. And everything you do—from talking and reading to singing and dancing—is helping that process. Even if baby's movements seem random and uncoordinated, important development is taking place, and they're gradually building their strength, coordination, and neural connections. That’s why it’s important to give babies lots of time to explore freely through a variety of movements. Here are some ideas to help get you started.


A Very Angry Preschool Song… Will it Work for Multiple Languages?

"This is an Angry Song” is a popular early years song in England that is a simple way to enable a child to express their anger with words and actions, and help other children understand the feelings a friend is experiencing. When we're working with multilingual groups of children, it's important to consider: Are the expressions and actions meaningful within the children's cultural context? Do they actually understand the words? Here are some tips for adapting songs like this for your CNC group.


Play-responsiveness as a Teaching Practice: Using The Original Learning Approach

Join Swedish early childhood care and education expert, Suzanne Axelsson, M.A. to explore how weaving wonder, curiosity, joy, knowledge, imagination, interaction, risk, time, reflection, and listening can bring teaching closer to a state of play. In this thought-provoking webinar, Suzanne shares how play informs educators about each child’s learning and motivation, so teaching becomes focused on sense-making, meaning-making and world-making. She also shares concepts and images from Sweden, as well as from other places around the world including Greece, Italy, China, Iceland, and Australia to further inspire your teaching practices.

5 Tips for Teaching and Practice Gratitude with Children Every Day

Gratitude is an important skill that needs to be nurtured and practiced often, which is why it is so important to teach children about gratitude, empathy, and helping others. Here are five ways to ensure kids are practicing gratitude daily, along with suggestions for simple language you can use!

There’s plenty to acknowledge and celebrate in October!

Are you busy collecting ideas and planning for your CNC program this month? If so, there are a few important days this month that you might want to incorporate and honour to raise awareness in your CNC program and community!

October is Canada Library and Fire Prevention month, and National Family Week is October 2-8. Thanksgiving is also celebrated on October 9th, and International Day of the Girl Child on the 11th. Make a Difference Day is October 23rd, Dress Purple Day is October 27th, and Hallowe'en is on October 30th!


5 Indigenous Games to Try

Canada is home to more than 1.6 million Indigenous people, including 600 First Nations communities, as well as Inuit and Métis communities. These distinct nations and groups have diverse histories, traditions, and cultures—as well as games and activities. Here are 5 traditional indigenous sports and games that you can try with the children in your program.


ONLINE WORKSHOP: Getting Ready for Gradual Entry

In this one-hour online workshop participants are provided with a gradual entry checklist to help them with their gradual entry strategy and process. They will also go through age, development, and group considerations to reflect on how they can best support a variety of children and families through the gradual entry process.

E-Learning: Trauma-Informed Approaches to Supporting Overwhelmed Children – Available in English and French

Last fall, AMSSA hosted a 1-hour virtual workshop on Trauma-Informed Approaches to Supporting Overwhelmed Children for IRCC-funded early childhood educators in B.C. For those who were unable to attend, the presentation recordings and shared materials are now available. This e-learning module provides practical strategies to better support children in moments of crisis as well as resources to extend your learning (e.g., caregiving for healthy attachment, healing after trauma, and resilience). This e-learning is available in both English and French, and a certificate of completion is available upon completion.

Social Emotional Learning Language Tips For Emotional Intelligence

Children experience big emotions daily and need supportive caregivers to help them develop the four quadrants of emotional intelligence to better manage and regulate emotions effectively, work with peers, and empathize with others. This article explains the four quadrants, and provides us with the language we need to support this important development in our CNC programs. This may seem like a lot, but you may be surprised to find that you're already promoting these quadrants and skills in your everyday conversations without even realizing it!

7 Critical Components of Empathy

Empathy isn't something we are either born with or without, but a more complex way of being that is shaped by our experiences and relationships. Here are seven ways we can nurture empathy for the little ones in our lives everyday - both at home and in the classroom. After all, the magic of connection and learning happens when we are present for the little moments of everyday life.