Montessori Routines

How do I make a monthly calendar a child can read?

A child's monthly calendar shows the whole month with a picture on each day that matters, such as a birthday or a grandparent's visit. Cross off each day together, and your child can count the days to what's coming.

Updated

Make this chart

How to do it

  1. Choose the month

    Start with the current month and print the next one near the end of it.

  2. Add the family dates

    Visits, birthdays, trips, and holidays, each with a picture.

  3. Keep it to a few dates

    Three to six pictures is easier to read than a full grid.

  4. Cross off each day

    Crossing off the day at breakfast or bedtime shows how the month moves.

  5. Count to the next picture

    Ask how many sleeps until the next picture. That is the calendar's main use for young children.

Make a picture routine chart

Chart

Fill from your school calendarFor families whose school uses Future Nerds.

Family dates

No family dates yet. The calendar prints with the month's days.

    Month calendar
    MonTueWedThuFriSatSun

    Questions parents ask

    When do children understand a calendar?
    Around four, many children can count days to an event on a calendar. Younger children enjoy crossing off days.
    Which day does the week start on?
    The calendar starts the week on the day your language usually does.