How to Teach Your Child to Read a Calendar

Children can easily learn days of the week, dates, and months by learning to read a calendar. By hanging a calendar on the wall at their eye level, your child can quickly learn the passing of days. This fun activity is great for homeschooling or teaching a classroom.

PICK A CALENDAR

Choose a calendar that is easy to read. A large calendar with big numbers is great for kids who are just learning to read. You can even purchase a poster size calendar with static cling numbers at a teacher supply store. This type of calendar is reusable for years since you change the numbers around each month.

CREATE A CALENDAR

You can also make your own calendar and print it out. If you have Microsoft Publisher you can customize a calendar with one of the templates. You can also create a calendar in Microsoft Excel. With customizable calendars, you can decorate them with clipart and your own color themes.

TEACHING YOUR CHILD

Involve your child when you hang up the calendar. Tell your child that this is his or her special calendar. Explain that calendars tell us what day it is, remind us of birthdays, and holidays.

Point out the different aspects of the calendar to your child. Name the month out loud and ask your child to repeat it. Read the days of the week across the top of the calendar and tell your child to repeat them.

INCORPORATING SHAPES

Cut the shape of a triangle out of paper and put a piece of tape on one side of it. Use this triangle as a marker for each day. Tell your child today's date, starting with the day, then the month, then the date. Place the triangle on the box for today.

Explain that every day when your child wakes up, the triangle can get moved to the next day. If you're teaching shapes, use a different shape each week or each month. You can also teach colors by cutting the shapes out of different colored pages of construction paper.

TEACH YOUR CHILD DAILY

Every morning remind your child to move the shape to the next day. Say the day, the month, and the date to your child and have them repeat it. Before long, your child will be going to the calendar on his or her own to move the shape to the next day.

Your child probably won't learn to read the calendar overnight, but if you practice with them every day, they will learn. When teaching children, consistency is the key to a child's success. With daily reminders and your enthusiastic support your child will learn to read the calendar.