To help families with young children adjust to the current situation brought on by the public health emergency, DC Child Care Connections developed a system to provide useful information and resources to help with at-home learning, maintaining mental health and other important early childhood topics.
We have worked with community partners to identify a series of daily resources and activities from nationally-recognized organizations that families can use to keep children engaged and to continue the learning process. All resources are developmentally appropriate for the ages specified and are aligned to the DC Early Learning Standards.
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Reset for the New Year
A new year gives families an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of the past 12 months and set meaningful goals for the year ahead. This season is a great time to consider new opportunities to strengthen family connections and establish positive routines. Keep reading for tips for starting the new year on sound footing and nurturing family bonds.
Reflect, renew and rejuvenate
This blog from Pathway Caring for Children offers suggestions for letting go of the things that no longer serve the family, reestablishing practices that do and introducing new, positive habits and routines. It focuses on self-care for families, individually and as a unit.
Start new family traditions
After New Year’s events have subsided, families can continue to celebrate the year with joy and intention. This post from Proud Happy Mama lists 15 meaningful traditions that families can adopt to strengthen their bond. Though the post suggests families adopt these traditions on New Year’s Day, they can be incorporated at any time. The ideas include creating a family vision board, developing a family time capsule and conducting a random acts of kindness scavenger hunt.
Complete a 30-day family health challenge
The goal of the 30-day family health challenge from Kids Be Well is to promote family members’ physical and emotional health. Each day focuses on one activity related to a single topic (e.g., health, feelings, family connection) that families complete together to strengthen connections and establish new, healthy routines.
Resource Highlights
- Comfort strategies for kids – This article from Sesame Workshop offers strategies families can use when children feel stressed. Families can utilize these strategies to help children learn that people can be both scared and brave as they navigate challenges.
- Common toddler sleep issues – Many toddlers experience ‘sleep regressions’ – an interruption in positive sleep habits – around their second birthday. Read this article in Parents to learn more about sleep regression, its causes and how families can support little ones.
- Treating fever in young kids – This post from VeryWell Health explains what fever is and when and how it should be treated.
Let’s Read Together!
Families who read to young children stimulate their brains. Engaging children in fun, positive reading activities helps them practice listening attentively and strengthens their working memory.
It is important to read to children several times a day. Here are some e-books available at the DC Public Library (DCPL) that families can enjoy together this week:
- Peekaboo Bedtime by Rachel Isadora – A toddler plays peekaboo with parents, grandparents, toys and the moon while getting ready for bed.
- The Wonky Donkey by Craig Smith – A silly rhyming story about a donkey walking down the road. He hasn’t had his coffee and is up to mischief.
- Don’t Push the Button by Bill Cotter – There’s only one rule in this book: DON’T PUSH THE BUTTON. But it sure looks enticing.
- Hooray for Fish! by Lucy Cousins – Little Fish has all sorts of fishy friends in his underwater home but loves one of them most of all.
- The Night Tent by Landis Blair – A story about Watson, a boy who worries about monsters in the closet. When he sees a light under his covers and peeks, he discovers a beautiful night sky with twinkling stars.
Vroom Brain-Building Tip
- Today’s Tip: Here to There
Ask your child to create a path to get from one side of a room to the other without touching the ground. Use pillows, newspaper or whatever is available. Make it challenging by seeing how far or fast they can go. Limit what they can use to make the path to make it more interesting. Don’t forget to take turns!
- Brainy Background
Your child is making a plan and testing it out. They’ll need to think flexibly to come up with different solutions to solve the problem. This is a great activity to do with friends, too. It helps your child practice solving problems with others.
Week of January 12, 2026
- Music and Movement Monday: Move to the Sit Down Workout Song.
- Tasty Tuesday: Prepare some chocolate-dipped pretzel rods.
- Wellness Wednesday: Get your exercise with a roll of the fitness dice.
- Textured Thursday: Make a rainbow rice and funnels sensory bin.
- Family Fun Friday: Play the Healthy Habits Bingo game.
Week of January 19, 2026
- Music and Movement Monday: Sing and dance to the Wintertime is Here music video.
- Tasty Tuesday: Bake some potato-and-egg cups.
- Wellness Wednesday: Learn the right way to wash your hands.
- Textured Thursday: Make and use a color sorting cube.
- Family Fun Friday: Start a 2026 family scrapbook.
National Museum of the American Indian
The museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution, features the imagiNATIONS Activity Center for children and families. The interactive, family-friendly center provides young visitors with a lively space, a variety of learning experiences and the opportunity to explore many of the innovations and inventions of indigenous peoples through hands-on activities. The imagiNATIONS Activity Center is recommended for children ages 10 and younger. Admission is free, though capacity in the center is limited. Entry is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The National Museum of the American Indian is located at Fourth Street & Independence Ave., SW. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The nearest Metro stations are L’Enfant Plaza (yellow, green, orange, silver and blue lines) and Federal Center (orange, silver and blue lines). Bus lines 32, 36, A6 and P6 have stops close to the museum. Metered public parking is available on surrounding streets and there are several commercial parking facilities convenient to the museum.
Click here to learn more about the imagiNATIONS Activity Center.
Family Connections January 2026 Workshops
Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 | 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Exploring DC’s School Options with My School DC
Learn everything your family needs to know to successfully navigate the My School DC public school lottery. Get insider tips for the 2026-27 school year application process and learn how to make the most of available resources. Click here to register.
Strong Start
Strong Start is DC’s early intervention program, offering free services for children under 3 with developmental delays or disabilities. Strong Start provides therapeutic and other services for DC infants, toddlers and their families.
If you have questions about your child’s development, call Strong Start today at (202) 727-3665 or submit a Strong Start referral online.
Product Recall Alerts
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission recently announced the following recall:
- Meaicezli Play Purse Sets because they contain batteries that can be easily accessed by children. If swallowed, the batteries can cause serious injuries or death.
- KKL Fabric 9-Drawer Dressers because they can tip over and entrap children, causing injuries or death.
We are here to help! If you need support in navigating these resources or help planning experiences for your children, please contact one of our team members today. Please contact us at DC Child Care Connections (202) 829-2500.
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