Teaching Preschoolers About the Calendar

J has been asking to learn about the days of the week and how to use a calendar for a while.  He is always asking “How many long naps until…..”?

So, at the beginning of the year, I bought him his own calendar so he can figure out “how many days until…” all on his own.

I marked each important day on his calendar and used a color coding system.

• Orange are school days
• Yellow are movie days
• Blue are holidays or birthdays
• Green are vacations

I try to remember to do his calendar with him each morning.

• We mark off the day before and then talk about what’s going on that day or what’s coming up.
• We practice math skills like counting and number recognition.
• He is learning the days of the week and is starting to understand the different months.

I also add little symbols to the calendar to help him know other things that are coming up.  In the picture above, you can see hammers on two of the days because we had workmen in our house.  There is also a heart for Valentines Day.

I like having routines and structure to our day, because it makes all of us feel more secure.  J likes to know what is coming up and doesn’t like not knowing what’s ahead.  Using a calendar helps him make a plan for his day too.

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