There aren’t many items in a classroom that help teach students as many valuable skills and concepts as a calendar. In preschool and elementary classrooms across the nation, many teachers begin the school day using the calendar to teach math concepts (You may have heard your child mention “Calendar Math.”). However, the calendar can help teach, extend, and reinforce a multitude of skills in other areas of the curriculum: time concepts and sequencing, language arts, social studies, science, and more.

Very young children begin reciting the days of the week and months of the year through silly songs and rhymes then progress to recognizing the words in print. Eventually, children will be able to understand the time concepts of seven days making a week, twelve months equaling a year, etc. Time concepts can be difficult for children with developmental delays, learning disabilities, and other disorders, so simplifying and repeating school activities at home can be very helpful.

Ask your child’s teacher for a list of activities and concepts he/she is using with the calendar (as well as concepts from earlier grades, if needed) and use them along with the following activities at home to extend and reinforce learning. Not only are the activities fun, but they present opportunities for parents and children to spend quality time together.

The following activities are adaptable to different ages and concepts across the curriculum. Parents can also find many other calendar-related activities online.