Family and Friends Photo Album Week: A One-Week Themed Learning Plan
Welcome to our family and friends themed learning week! As the crisp autumn weather settles in across Ontario, it is a wonderful time to celebrate the special people in our lives. This week, we are using a simple handmade photo album project to help children connect with loved ones, build communication skills, and practice early developmental milestones. Remember that every child’s pace is different, so please ensure that these plans are adapted to each child’s own goals.
Goals for the week
- Communication: Practising names of family members, friends, and familiar people using words or visual supports.
- Early literacy: Pointing to picture labels and looking at left-to-right turning in a homemade book.
- Early math: Counting how many family members live in the house or appear on a page.
- Social-emotional: Recognizing familiar smiling faces and talking about feelings of care and belonging.
- Fine and gross motor: Tearing paper, turning thick pages, and walking around to collect photos or drawings.
Day-by-day plan
Monday
Main activity: Start the album by gathering pictures of close family members and printing them out. Let your child help pick where each photo goes.
Quick extension: Point to each face and practice saying or signing who it is.
Tuesday
Main activity: Decorate the front cover of the photo album together using colourful paper scraps and stickers.
Quick extension: Practice fine motor skills by letting your child tear construction paper strips for the cover border.
Wednesday
Main activity: Add a page for special friends or extended family members, drawing simple lines or shapes next to their pictures.
Quick extension: Count how many friends are on the page together, touching each picture one by one.
Thursday
Main activity: Create a feeling face page by looking at photos where family members are smiling, laughing, or making silly expressions.
Quick extension: Match real-life expressions in the mirror to the happy faces shown in the photo album.
Monday
Main activity: Read through the completed family and friends photo album from cover to cover during story time.
Quick extension: Ask simple questions like, “Where is grandma?” and wait for your child to point or respond.
Materials
- Printed photos of family members and friends
- A blank notebook or sturdy binder for the album
- Child-safe glue sticks and colourful construction paper
- Markers, crayons, or thick coloured pencils
- Optional visual support cards for names and feelings
Tracking progress
- Noticing if your child independently points to familiar faces in the album
- Observing engagement during shared arts and crafts time
- Listening for attempts to use names or descriptive words for loved ones
- Noting comfort with fine motor tasks like gluing and page-turning
Every child learns and grows at their own unique pace, so have fun celebrating the important people in your child’s world this week!
If you have any questions specific to your child’s developmental journey or would like guidance on OAP funding and therapies, please reach out to book a free 20-minute call with our team at Bloom ABA.
Cover image: photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash
