Calendar Lesson Plans for Homeschool

My top choice for teaching the calendar to children is to have them make their own personalized calendars. This is the way I taught my daughter about the calendar many years ago.

Let the children write in the year, the month, the days of the week, the dates, and important events. When they write these details themselves rather than their being pre-printed on, the childred have more pracice with the new words, how they are spelled, and the order in which they always come. The making is part of the learning.

For this project you can either print off blank templates or use a store bought kit like the one featured below. 

HINT: If using a blank template, go to a copy store and enlarge it onto 11x17" (A3) paper. Young learners are going to struggle with writing long days like "Wednesday" and "Saturday" into tiny slots at the top of a calendar.

Make sure to reference your calendar at least a few times a week if not daily. That will give your child repeated practice with using a calendar and its vocabulary. 

Here are some questions you can ask your child to answer as he looks at his homemade calendar:

• What day is it today?
• What is the date?
• What day will tomorrow be? Yesterday?
• What will the date be in one full week?
• Do we have anything special planned for today?
• Are there any holidays in this month? What day will that be?

When choosing what kind of calendar to use, consider the pros and cons of making your own calendar:

For moms who like a classier appearance, a fancy calendar kit may be a good option. This beautiful wooden set by Melissa and Doug is high quality and will last years and years of homeschooling.

Each month, just move the magnetic pieces around to set up the calendar.

To teach your children about the calendar, be sure to reference it each day, asking the questions listed above. Enlist the children's help with setting up the calendar for a new month. Getting them involved will help them to remember.

For a less expensive option, try one of these bulletin board sets. For increased durability and longest use, laminate the pieces. Otherwise, you may find it hard to remove the dates from the calendar.

Teach about the calendar in the same method as with the other types of calendars -- ask questions about today and other days of the month. Discuss events on the calendar that are important to the children such as field trips, birthdays, holidays, and outings.