With the sun shining, Kidz Bop blasting through the Honor Grove and children of all ages having the time of their life playing games, it made for a memorable day as College of the Canyons’ Early Childhood Education Department hosted its annual “Children’s Play Day” on Saturday.  The even t, in conjunction with the nationally celebrated Week of the Young Child, was free to the public and had children as young as infants to children in elementary school with their families.   One of the main goals of the event is to have children engage in free play with developmentally stimulating games.  Penelope Morales, 2-and-a-half, plays with a colorful retractable ball at the College of the Canyons’ Children’s Play Day event on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Kamryn Martell/The Signal Wendy Ruiz, an Early Childhood Education faculty member at COC, has been a part of the fun-filled day since 2006 and has seen it grow ever since.  “It wasn’t here before (at COC). When I took it over, we used to do it in the parks in Santa Clarita. It used to be a very small event … it looked like a birthday party,” Ruiz said.  Ruiz added that it just keeps growing and has become a huge event.  The activities for kids included bowling, painting, building blocks and a ball pit. Everywhere children looked, there was a new activity to explore.   One mother, Beth Belle, came for the first time with her son, Elliot Belle, and her nephew, Bodhi Rifkin, who are both 3.  Belle said she came to the event because she wanted her son to have the opportunity to play with sensory toys because he loves them.  “I recently found out that my little one has autism, so exposing him to events with other kids and trying out different things for him is really important for me, so I think it’s beautiful to have a free resource where he can kind of just play and explore,” Belle said.  Ruiz said there were over 50 volunteers who are students going through the program to fulfill their service hours and gain exposure to their future careers.  From left: Benny, 2, and Charlotte Mendiola, 10, play with bubbles at the College of the Canyons’ Children’s Play Day event on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Kamryn Martell/The Signal “I think it’s a great learning experience and exposure for the career that I want to be in. I want to be a preschool teacher, so just kind of getting involved with the kids and seeing what they’re interested in at each age. It’s a really great learning experience,” said Samantha Bousleiman, a student in the program.  Bousleiman oversaw the building blocks activity and just wanted to encourage the kids to play and use their gross motor skills.   New mother Tiffany Williams came with her 8-month-old daughter, Akira, to enjoy the activities that they didn’t have at home.   “It’s just great for so many reasons, great for community, for different experiences. Right now, she’s (Akira) engaging in instruments that we don’t have at home. She’s engaging with the volunteers, so with different adults that are playing with her,” Williams said.  Walking around the event, no booth was the same and each had its own unique purpose for children and families to have a great time.  Valentina Martin Del Campo, 5, hula hoops with her brother, Mateo, 3, at the College of the Canyons’ Children’s Play Day event on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Kamryn Martell/The Signal The Child & Family Center were there to educate families about the services it offers, such as mental health for children.   The Basic Needs Center was there collecting goods for the on-campus student food and needs pantry, and if families donated goods, they were entered into a raffle.   The Academy Swim Club had a booth for the children to play with stringing pool noodles and using colored water to enjoy some water play.  “I think it’s important (to have these events) because it also helps showcase what’s available in the city for all these types of families,” said Kaytie Martinez with the Academy Swim Club.  From left: School of Rock Santa Clarita’s Mariana Perez (guitar), Jaylen Washington (drums), Brooklyn Raymundo (vocals), Emma James (bass), Lucian Perez (keyboards) play rock classic covers at the College of the Canyons’ Children’s Play Day event on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Kamryn Martell/The Signal The post COC hosts annual Children’s Play Day event   appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less