The Weekly Update #4
August 17th, 2026
Hello Gilpin JC families,
We are so thankful to have so many families being consistent in their attendance by joining us each week at playgroups!! 🥰
It is so wonderful to see the children's social skills grow each time they attend a playgroup. They are exploring new toys, navigating wanting to play with a toy another child is playing with and learning to speak up for themselves by asking for a turn! 🧸🚗
We see parents having fun too... lots of apple pie slices have been served to hungry parents and caregivers this week! 🍎🥧 Children and caregivers actively playing together is what the Judy Center is all about! Play is the "work" of children and caregivers joining in helps to strengthen bonds and build a joint love of exploration and learning!
Your GMES Judy Center Team,
Katie and Jenn 😀
Books at the Bus Stop
Art table Apples
Whole Groups bubble time
Join us for playgroups where fun, learning and laughter build school readiness and healthy child development! 🧸
Playgroups:
- Tuesday- 10:00am - 11:00am
or 1:00pm-2:00pm
- Wednesday- 10:00am - 11:00am
- Thursday- 10:00am - 11:00am
- Join us for a JC Family Advisory Committee Meeting after playgroup.
- Snacks will be provided!! We can chat while the kids play! 😃
Walk-in's are Welcome!! 🎉
Rhyming = Readiness!
Here are several fun, low-prep rhyming games you can easily play at home to keep building those early literacy skills:
🏃♂️ Active & Movement Games
- Rhyme Freeze Dance: Play music and let your child dance. When you pause the music, call out a word (e.g., "blue!"). Your child has to yell out a rhyming word (e.g., "shoe!") before they can start dancing again.
- Toss and Rhyme: Sit or stand opposite your child and gently toss a soft ball or beanbag back and forth. When you toss it, say a word ("cat"). Your child must catch it, say a rhyming word ("hat"), and toss it back. See how long you can keep the chain going!
- Rhyme Scavenger Hunt: Give your child a clue by rhyming with an object in the room. For example: "Find something on the floor that rhymes with rug (bug/hug)."
🚗 Verbal Games (Great for the Car)
- The Erase-a-Word Game: Sing a familiar nursery rhyme or song, but leave off the final rhyming word (e.g., "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you..."). Wait in silence with a funny look on your face until your child shouts out the missing word.
- I Spy a Rhyme: Play a twist on the classic game. Say, "I spy with my little eye, something that rhymes with log." Your child looks around the environment to guess the item (dog or frog).
- Silly Name Game: Take regular household items and change the first letter to make a rhyming word. Point to the banana and say, "Would you like a manana?" Point to the chair and ask, "Should we sit on the bair?" Children love the silliness, and it forces them to focus purely on the ending sound.
🧩 Quiet & Tabletop Games
- Rhyming Basket: Gather a few small objects from around the house (e.g., a toy car, a spoon, a sock). Hand your child a picture card or say a word (like star, moon, or lock) and have them match the spoken word to the physical rhyming object in the basket.
- The "Feed the Monster" Game: Feed a tissue box "monster" only words that rhyme. Cut a mouth into an empty tissue box. Draw a quick picture of a cat on it. Tell your child the monster only eats foods or objects that rhyme with cat (hat, mat, bat). You can use real objects, drawings, or just say the words aloud as you "feed" them into the box!
