A week at a time
Make the weekly chart shown on the next page.
Before the week starts, sit with your child and talk about the week that is coming up. Talk about all the things that are planned for that week, and write, draw, or use a sticker to show what is happening on each day. Put the chart on the fridge or somewhere it is easy to see.
Then when your child asks, “How long until…?” you can use the chart to count the sleeps, or count the days, or name the days until the special day comes.
A month at a time
Use a page from a commercial calendar, or fill in the name and the numbers on the
chart that follows. If you use the chart, your child will see that the month does not
always start on the same day of the week.
Again, use stickers or drawings or writing to show the events of the month to come. Your child will begin to see the patterns—soccer game every Saturday, parents’ group every Tuesday, and so on.
A whole year
In December or early in January, get a calendar for the new year, and mark it with
writing and stickers or drawings to show all the special dates that come every year. Start
with the child’s birthday. Help your child find the month and the day, and put a sticker in
the square and write the child’s name. Then do the same for each family member in turn,
and go on to friends. Then think of other special days, such as holidays or anniversaries.
Mark each of them in turn. Then hang the calendar where you can use it all year to keep
track of special days.
Calendars marked in this way make lovely gifts for grandparents and aunts and uncles.