2025-26 Smart Start Week 10

Last week may have been short on days, but it was big on fun! We spent our two days together reviewing the letters that have inspired our invitational play so far this year, and we brought out all the favorites for everyone to enjoy.

Letter F reminded us of families, so our baby dolls made a return for lots of nurturing play. Friends practiced caring for their “babies” and explored the many important roles family members play.

Letter P brought back our Pet Care Center, where friends took turns caring for pets and pretending to be veterinarians. We also enjoyed painting beautiful pine cone flowers!

Letter H guided our Exploration time this week as we talked about healthy habits—specifically the importance of using soap and warm water to wash our hands and help keep germs away.

Letters F and T worked together to inspire taking turns—an important part of playing and working with friends. We practiced waiting patiently, sharing materials, and good sportsmanship.

Letter E inspired a fun, hands-on sensory activity using dry erase markers. Friends made trucks and princesses “dirty”, then giving them a good scrub to make them clean again!

Letter L brought us back to letter review and Legos as friends built amazing creations.

Finally, Letter I encouraged us to practice doing things independently, such as zipping different kinds of zippers and opening and closing latches. Our friends love practicing real-world skills that help them feel capable and confident.

And of course, any week becomes an extra-special week when there’s a birthday to celebrate! We loved celebrating with delicious birthday donuts.

What a wonderful way to wrap up our review week—short but so very sweet!

Next week, we will begin talking about the importance of giving. We will be collecting canned goods for God’s Food Pantry, and you can find additional details posted on Remind and on our Facebook page. We will also introduce ways for friends to earn Smart Start dollars, which they will be able to spend in a few weeks at our Santa Shop to purchase gifts for others. More information about the Santa Shop will be shared at a later time.

See you soon,

The Smart Start team