Programs and Activities

Have you tried the Active for Life Build Your Own Lesson Plan tool?

Do you want to build more physical activity into your CNC programming? You can use this Lesson Plan Builder to create custom lesson plans. Simply start by choosing your desired age range, and then click the skills you want to develop and the activities you want to use. When you are finished with your selections, you'll have a lesson plan that you can print out with a simple click of a button!

Gratitude activity for kids: Make a South African Ubuntu Collage!

Ubuntu is an important idea in South Africa. The word comes from the Zulu language and refers to the bond that connects all people. It is often translated as, “I am because we are.” The practice of Ubuntu means caring about the needs of others by being kind, helpful and generous, and it’s a lovely reminder of how connected we all are. An Ubuntu collage can be a wonderful gratitude activity for kids!


WEBINAR – Big Conversations with Young Children: Discussing Questions, Worries, and Fears

In our work with young children, we sometimes encounter unexpected—and hard-to-answer—questions. This edWebinar addresses the big adult questions children sometimes ask that may cause us to pause, silence the child, or deflect the concern. The webinar guides participants so that they can be prepared to answer difficult questions respectfully and in ways that are developmentally appropriate for even the youngest children. 


Introduction to Positive Discipline – Available in 7 Languages

The Introduction to Positive Discipline tips sheets, video, and facilitation guide are part of the Family Life in Canada resource series. The goal of this series is to help newcomers adjust to life in Canada and encourage them to access information, programs, and services in their community. All you have to do is sign up to get access to the free resources that are available in 7 languages - making them easy to use with the newcomer families you work with! 


Value of Routines for Caregivers Handout

Busy caregivers know how exhausting a day with kids can be. Many of us are balancing our own stresses with the stresses of taking care of the people that depend on us. Although they may show it differently, kids can feel stress, too. The good news is that there are some simple things you can do to make everyone’s day run a little smoother. This handout is full of great tips for creating helpful family routines – and it’s in a format that’s easy to share with parents!


Multilingual Activities Guide: Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence

This activities guide offers a variety of age-appropriate activities and games to support and strengthen various components of executive function and self-regulation in children. Each chapter contains activities suitable for a different age groups, ranging from infants to adolescents. The full guide is also available in Arabic! And two sections—5 to 7 year-olds and 7 to 12 year olds—are available in French.

Teaching Emotions to Young Children: Tips and Tricks

With all of the research out there on emotions, the studies are far from complete, but one thing is very clear – naming our feelings helps us develop skills to manage our emotions. This article is full of tips and tricks to help us give the children in our programs the important emotional tools and language they need.

Webinar: Early Childhood Behaviour Guidance Practices and the Role of Implicit Bias

In this paradigm-shifting webinar, participants will learn about implicit racial bias and its role in behavior management practices and policies in early childhood programs. This training is a great opportunity for us to examine how our own implicit biases may affect how we manage the behavior of young children of color in our programs.

Learn with Natural Curiosity: The Importance of Indigenous Perspectives in Children’s Environmental Inquiry

Natural Curiosity is a beautiful website full of educational resources and professional learning opportunities for educators who wish to deepen their own inquiry into inquiry-based learning, the four-branch environmental inquiry framework, and Indigenous perspectives.

How to Help Young Children Heal from Pandemic Trauma

As we move out of this pandemic and many of us cautiously emerge into public life again, you can almost feel the collective exhale. Yet, we cannot gloss over the trauma our society has experienced over the last year and a half. Moving forward, educators will replace healthcare workers on the front lines as they support and address the pandemic’s lingering impacts on children’s emotional health and how this will play out in the classroom. So, keeping your program and space feeling safe and predictable for children is going to be key over the coming months.