A calendar is a series of pages that shows the days, weeks, and months of a particular year. It is a tool we use to help us keep track of each day, and allows us to visually see when different events will happen.
According to Susan A. Miller, EdD,”three and 4-year-olds need to have lots of meaningful experiences with time in a personal sense (bedtime, storytime) to gain a clearer understanding of temporal ideas.”
Using a monthly calendar at home is always something I’ve done, even before having kids. But I never realized what a great learning tool a monthly calendar can be for even the youngest of children. Calendars provide a great opportunity for learning all kinds of math skills, time management skills, and even help children prepare for upcoming events.
As parents, we are busy – especially in the morning! It can be difficult to establish a consistent calendar routine this time of day.
1. Keep it simple. Don’t try to achieve too many things with your calendar routine or you won’t be consistent. Start with the basics. If you need to, do your calendar routine the night before when things are calmer in the house.
2. Add your calendar routine to you child’s morning job chart. Check off the tasks on this chart each morning so you don’t forget any of them. This signals that the calendar routine is important and, if it is on the morning job chart, you will do it consistently.
Routines help preschoolers begin to understand the concepts of before and after and what happens next in the day. Routines are reassuring for young children. Routines make them feel safe. They help the world feel more predictable. When preschoolers know what to expect, they feel more confident. A calendar routine will help your preschooler develop a better idea of time and how the world works.
