Happy New Year 2024

SPECIAL TOOL

NEW! This special tool was created in response to a special request received. (Open absentee list 2024) Print for each child and, with parents' help, use it to plan the days their child will be absent from daycare throughout the year.

CIRCLE TIME

Ask children to talk about the activities they enjoyed during the Holidays. You may invite them to bring photos of their Christmas gifts to show the group.

Also discuss their New Year's celebrations:

• Who did they celebrate with?
• What did they eat?
• What did they do?
• Which games did they play?
• What kind of music did they listen to?

Group discussion
NEW! (Open picture game-Happy New Year 2024) Print and laminate the illustrations in the format you prefer. Use them to spark a conversation with your group. Ask questions related to the illustrations.

Keep in mind that children learn when they're having fun. Give each child a new circle time spot and decorate your area using shiny and clear items to create a magical atmosphere. Hang stars, tulle, shiny curtains, tiny white Christmas lights, etc. Stick glow-in-the-dark stars here and there for a special surprise. Turn the lights off and admire the décor with your group. Hang large stars from the ceiling and use them to identify each child's spot.

AREA SETUP

To start the year off on the right foot, reorganize your daycare. The Tips and tricks section of the website offers great ideas for this task.

Thematic poster
NEW! (Open thematic poster-Happy New Year 2024) Print, laminate, and display where parents are sure to see it.

Homemade stickers
NEW! (Open stickers-Happy New Year 2024) Print the illustrations on adhesive paper and cut them out to create original stickers for your group.

Educa-theme-Happy New Year
NEW! (Open educa-theme-Happy New Year 2024) Print and laminate the different elements that represent the theme. These illustrations can be used to present the theme to your group (and their parents) and to decorate your daycare.

Educa-decorate-Happy New Year 2024
NEW! (Open educa-decorate-Happy New Year 2024) Print, cut out, and laminate. Hang decorations from the ceiling or use them to decorate your walls and set the mood for the theme.

Educa-numbers-Happy New Year
(Open educa-numbers-Happy New Year) Print and laminate the posters. Display them on a wall to decorate the daycare throughout the theme.

Educa-letters-Happy New Year
(Open educa-letters-Happy New Year) Print and laminate the posters. Display them on a wall to decorate the daycare throughout the theme.

PICTURE GAME

NEW! The pictures may be used as a memory game or to spark a conversation with your group. Use them to decorate the daycare or a specific thematic corner. (Open picture game-Happy New Year 2024) Print, laminate, and store in a Ziploc bag or in your thematic bin.

ACTIVITY SHEETS

NEW! Activity sheets are provided for each theme. Print for each child and follow instructions. (Open activity sheets-Happy New Year 2024)

WRITING ACTIVITIES

NEW! (Open writing activities-Happy New Year 2024) Print for each child or laminate for use with a dry-erase marker.

Educa-nuudles-Happy New Year 2024
NEW! (Open educa-nuudles-Happy New Year 2024) Print for each child. Have children color the sheet. Once they are done, they may use Magic Nuudles to turn their coloring page into a three-dimensional work of art.  Variation: If you do not have Magic Nuudles, ask children to fill the spaces designed for the Magic Nuudles with bingo markers or stickers. To order Magic Nuudles

Stationery-Happy New Year
You may use the stationery to communicate with parents, in your writing area, or to identify your thematic bins. (Open stationery-Happy New Year) Print.

VARIOUS WORKSHOPS-Happy New Year 2024

Have fun with these wonderful workshop ideas provided by Caroline Allard. For this theme, the workshops are not based on one theme in particular. Let children ease into 2021 by offering them a variety of activities they can enjoy with their friends.

Construction/building blocks:

• Blocks of all kinds: Legos, wooden blocks (natural or coloured), Bristle blocks, Duplo, Mobilo, etc.
• Cardboard boxes filled with newspaper make great oversized blocks.
• Figurines.
• Various means of transportation: cars, trucks, planes, boats, trains, etc.
• A garage and a mat designed for toy cars along with traffic signs and cardboard cylinders to represent tunnels.
• Farm animals, zoo animals, reptiles, pets, etc.
• Natural construction elements such as branches, rocks, bark, etc.

Arts & crafts:

• Easel and large pieces of paper for painting.
• Different sizes of paintbrushes, brushes, sponges, rollers, and old toothbrushes.
• Water paint.
• Finger paint with glossy paper.
• Chalk and a chalkboard.
• Scrapbooking paper punches.
• Glue sticks, white glue, glitter glue, liquid glue.
• Adhesive paper.
• Feathers, pompoms, pipe cleaners, yarn, ribbon, confetti.
• Construction paper in various colors.
• Colourful cardboard or construction paper.
• Cellophane paper, tissue paper, wrapping paper.
• Paper plates, cardboard tubes, cone-shaped glasses.
• Popsicle sticks, toothpicks.
• Recycled material.
• Catalogues and flyers.
• Stencils.
• A tablecloth to cover the table.

Drawing:

• Coloring pages related to routines, workshops, friends, or the name of your daycare.
• Markers, wooden pencils, and waxed crayons.
• Oil pastels, coloured chalk.
• Pencils and erasers.
• Rulers and stencils.
• Stamps and stamp pads.

Role play:

• Anything you can find that can be used for dress-up play.
• Adult or children's clothing (parents can provide you with items they no longer need), handbags, shoes, belts, scarves, hats, old jewellery...
• Electronics (toy versions or real ones with the electrical cords removed), dishes, table and chairs, plastic food items, empty food containers.
• Dolls, doll clothing, cradle, high chair.
• Puppets and a small theatre.

Manipulation:

• Memory game using educatall.com picture games.
• Puzzles.
• Modeling dough for sculpting and for use with cookie cutters.
• Different sizes, colours, and shapes of beads for necklaces.
• Lacing shapes.
• Objects which may be used to practice lacing, tying, and zipping.
• Toys which involve assembly or matching.
• Lotto games, memory games, and other board games adapted to the ages of the children in your group.
• Card games, magnetic numbers and letters.
• Magnets of all kinds and a cookie sheet.

Pre-reading:

• Fairy tales, storybooks, picture books.
• Book and CD sets, children can listen to the stories with headphones.
• Album with pictures of the children in your group.
• Books with the letters of the alphabet.
• Magazines containing plenty of pictures.
• Felt board with characters which may be used to create stories.
• Comfortable armchairs, cushions, a small table.
• Posters for decorating the walls.
• A small "hideout" corner for extra privacy.
• A small floor or table lamp.

Pre-writing:

• Dotted letters for tracing.
• Games in which children must search for differences.
• Hunt and seek games.
• Activity sheets which involve tracing and letters.
• Games with educatall.com word flashcards.
• An old typewriter which may be used to type real letters.
• Magnetic numbers and letters.
• A whiteboard and dry erase markers.

Sensory bins:

• Sand and/or water table. You can replace the sand or water with: oats, lentils, uncooked pasta, sunflower seeds, cotton balls, leaves, peas, cereal, etc. The possibilities vary according to the ages of the children in your group. You be the judge of what is safe for them!
• Spray bottles.
• Funnels, empty containers which may be used for pouring.
• Small objects or figurines which may be hidden in the bins.
• Kitchen utensils for stirring.
• Straws, sponges.
• Measuring cups, colander.
• Objects that float and others that sink.

Science/nature:

• Posters of animals and natural phenomena.
• A map, an atlas, a globe.
• Plants, soil, vivarium, aquarium, gardening tools.
• Magnifying glasses and rubber gloves.
• Objects found in nature (logs, branches, leaves, rocks...)
• Scale.
• Funnels and eyedroppers.
• Containers of all kinds for mixing.

Music:

• Posters of musical instruments.
• A tape recorder and a microphone for singing and recording.
• Music from different countries, different musical styles.
• Musical instruments (toy versions or real ones).
• Rhythm sticks, triangles, drums, cymbals, xylophones, bells, etc.

WORD FLASHCARDS

Word flashcards

NEW! The flashcards may be used during circle time to spark a conversation with your group or in your reading and writing area. They may also be used to identify your thematic bins. (Open word flashcards-Happy New Year) (Open giant word flashcards-Happy New Year) New Year's Day, trumpet, hat, streamer, turkey, cranberries, accordion, harmonica, New Year's Eve, spoons, midnight, confetti.

Happy New Year 2024 scene
NEW! (Open scene-Happy New Year 2024) Print, laminate, and cut out the small items. Children will enjoy using them to decorate the scene.

ROUTINES AND TRANSITIONS

My New Year's Path
NEW! (Open Happy New Year 2024 path) Print, laminate, and secure the illustrations on the floor to create a path leading to various areas within the daycare. The path can lead to frequently visited areas such as the bathroom and the cloakroom or simply delimit your various workshops.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Following tracks
The leader of the game must walk in the snow in a specific way (in a straight line, zigzags, etc.). The other children must try to follow the leader by stepping in his/her tracks.

Snowy paths
With your feet, draw paths in the snow. Children must walk around the yard, stepping only on the paths you created.

Footprints in the snow
Go for a walk with your group and observe the footprints your boots leave in the snow. Compare the tracks with the bottom of each child's boots.

Snow angels
With your group, lie down in the snow and move your arms up and down. Stand up, but avoid stepping on the marks in the snow. Admire your snow angels.

Sledding
Collect several small sleds and head to a nearby hill with your group.

Snowflakes in all shapes and sizes
Laminate a sheet of black construction paper for each child. Take these snowflake catchers outside and observe the snowflakes that fall on the black paper with magnifying glasses.

Snow-covered object game
Select an object with your group. Designate a child who will hide the object in the snow. The other children must search for it. The child who finds the object can hide it for the next round.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS

Lacing-2024
NEW! (Open lacing-2024) Print, laminate, and punch holes around the models. Children can use a string, shoelace or ribbon to lace them.

It's raining horns and streamers
Deposit several party horns and serpentine streamers in the centre of a parachute or blanket. Children firmly hold the edges of the parachute. When you give the signal, they must raise the parachute. When the horns and streamers fall to the ground, children race to pick them up.

Champagne glasses
Provide children with two dozen small (plastic) champagne glasses. Pile the glasses one on top of the other, counting out loud every time you add one until they all fall down! Start over again and again! Variation: Arrange the glasses to make a pyramid. Throw a foam or plastic ball on the pyramid to make it fall down.

The months of the year

(Open 12 months of the year) Print, laminate, and glue them on the floor. Play music. When the music stops, children must sit on a month (like musical chairs). Variation: Have fun recognizing the months of the year. Glue them to the wall in the correct order, at children's eye level. Give children different instructions, depending on their age and level. You may, for example, tell a child to stand in front of his birthday month or next to the first month of the year.

Clothespin race
Hang a long clothesline between two chairs. Divide the group into two teams. Give each team a bag of clothespins. When you give them the signal, each team adds clothespins to the clothesline to the sound of music. When the music stops, count how many clothespins each team added to the clothesline. The team who added the most wins! Identify each team's clothespins using a different color.

Hot potato
Sit in a circle with your group. Children pass a potato around the circle to the sound of fast-paced music. When the music stops, the child holding the potato must sit in the centre of the circle. The game continues.

Musical chairs
A classic game to play! Arrange one chair less than the number of children in your group (for example, if there are 10 children, arrange 9 chairs). Children form a circle around the chairs. To the sound of music, they walk around the chairs. When the music stops, children must quickly sit on a chair. One child will remain standing since one chair is missing. This child is eliminated (you may invite him to stop the music for the next round). Remove another chair and start the music. Keep going until there is only one child left.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

Educ-colors-Happy New Year
(Open educ-colors-Happy New Year) Print and laminate for durable, eco-friendly use. If you prefer, print a copy for each child. Children must associate each item to the correct color and connect them by drawing a line using the corresponding color (or any crayon).

Color by number-Happy New Year 2024
NEW! (Open color by number-Happy New Year 2024) Print for each child. Children must color the picture according to the color code.

Educ-pairs-Happy New Year 2024
NEW! (Open educ-pairs-Happy New Year 2024) Print. Children must draw a line between identical illustrations or, if you prefer, color them using the same colour. For durable, eco-friendly use, laminate for use with a dry-erase marker.

Educa-symmetry-Happy New Year 2024
NEW! (Open educa-symmetry-Happy New Year 2024) Print. Children must color the bottom picture to make it look exactly like the top picture.

Puzzles
NEW! (Open puzzles-Happy New Year 2024) Print, laminate, and cut the puzzle pieces. Children must place the puzzle pieces correctly to recreate the scenes.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

Traditional dance
Children dance in a circle, holding hands. They move to and fro, then grab hold of a partner's arm and turn around. They can also change partners and start all over!

Spoon game
To the sound of fast-paced music or traditional folk music, show children how to make music with a set of wooden spoons.

CULINARY ACTIVITIES

New Year's punch
Set a large punch bowl in the centre of the table. Fill it with fruit punch or grape juice. Suggest different fruit children can add, one at a time. Provide a spoon they can use to stir the punch. Serve in small plastic champagne glasses.

Our buffet
Prepare a buffet lunch with your group. Make sandwiches and a pasta salad. Cut vegetables and prepare homemade dip, etc.

ARTS & CRAFTS

2024 mobile
NEW! (Open mobile-Happy New Year 2024) Print. Trace the number 8 on heavy cardboard and cut it out. Next, cut out the other numbers. Thread different lengths of string in the holes on each of the numbers and hang them from the number eight to write "2022". Thread string through the holes on the number eight to hang the mobile from the ceiling.

Puppets-Happy New Year 2024
(Open puppets-Happy New Year) Print the puppet models on cardboard. Ask children to cut them out and decorate them with arts & craft materials. Attach Popsicle sticks behind the shapes to create puppets.

Models-Happy New Year
NEW! (Open models-Happy New Year 2024) Print several copies and use the models for your various crafts and projects throughout the theme.

Stencils-Happy New Year 2024
NEW! (Open stencils-Happy New Year 2024) Print and cut out the different stencils. Children can use the stencils to trace or paint the shapes. The stencils can also be placed on a large white paper banner. You can add food coloring to water in a spray bottle and spray the shapes or dab them with sponges previously dipped in poster paint. You can also use old toothbrushes to splash the shapes with paint.

Making confetti
Let children punch holes in cardboard or construction paper using hole punches. Have them store their confetti in a small container. They may use the confetti for a craft or, if you are up to it, let them throw it in the air and shout, "Happy New Year!"

New Year's memory
NEW! (Open scrapbook-Happy New Year 2024) Print for each child. Add the page to each child's scrapbook.

My 2024 scrapbook
NEW! (Open scrapbook-2024) Why not start a new project with your group. Print and complete this scrapbook throughout the year. Print several copies and have children color the pages. Take pictures of the children in your group, print them, and have them add them to their scrapbook. Add personalized comments. Glue the cover page on heavy cardboard and join the pages with pretty ribbon or arrange them in a binder for each child.

COLORING PAGES

NEW! (Open coloring pages theme-Happy New Year 2024) Print for each child.

I AM LEARNING TO DRAW
(Open I am learning to draw-Fireworks) Print and laminate the model sheet. Encourage children to practice their drawing technique on the model sheet at first. When they are ready they can try to reproduce the drawing independently.

COMPLETE THE DRAWING
(Open complete the drawing-Happy New Year) Print for each child. Encourage children to complete the picture by drawing the missing elements.

SONGS & RHYMES

(Open songs & rhymes-Soon the New Year it will be)
By: Patricia Morrison Sung to: Where oh where has my little dog gone

When oh when
Will the clock strike midnight
Time for hugs and kisses and confetti
Just a few more hours
Now join the party
‘Cause soon the New Year it will be

Have fun

The educatall team