What Day Is It? Teaching with a Calendar
Classes for young children provide
needed routine while teaching children about their immediate world. There are
many activities that make using a calendar at home fun and educational. Whether
for homeschooling or extending learning from the school day a calendar is an
exciting tool for many interest topics.
There are at least five exercises
that parents can easily incorporate into the family’s daily routine. The
exercises open the door for discussions about science, community, math, reading
and writing topics.
·
Reading and
writing. Typical daily exercises begin with talking about or copying a
morning message. The morning message goes something like “Today is ______ (day
of the week), _______ (month), ______ (date), and ______ (year). Today we are
going to ___________________ (activity).” For example: “Today is Wednesday,
October 8, 2014. We are going to walk to the firehouse.” If your child is a
preschooler she may learn what letters look like, how the letters take up space
on a page, how letters form words and words make sentences. Many teachers are
partial to correct modeling. But be careful to keep it fun. Don’t pressure your
child to be perfect. Capital letters at the beginning of sentences and period
stops at the end can wait until the end of Kindergarten of first grade.
·
Numbers and
number sense. Each day has a number. There are seven days in a
week and twelve months in a year. Each day the child can learn a different
number. She can also learn the concepts of yesterday and tomorrow. She can
count how many days have passed and how many days left until a special event
such as a birthday or holiday.
·
Science and
exploration. Besides discussion about the year, seasons, months,
weeks and days, a calendar activity can stimulate discussion about weather,
change, health, the outdoors, weather events, natural disasters, the sky, the
sun, clouds, rain, snow, hibernation, migration, flowers, food, nutrition,
insects and other bugs, observing changes and making charts to record them like
a scientist, asking questions and developing experiments like a scientist.
·
People,
places and things in the world around me. Using a calendar activity
can stimulate discussion about birthdays, holidays, celebrations, family, community,
city, state and country, jobs, important people, games, rules, feelings,
belonging and citizenship.
·
Sports and
arts.
This is a
general list of topics and activities. Future posts will show how to build on
themes suggested by the calendar. Is there anything you have a desire to see in
more detail?
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