Oh, the New Year is here! I LOVE the fresh-start feeling, regardless of how cliche it may be, and one of the many things I’m aiming for is upping my teach-my-small-child important stuff game. I was gifted a fabulous resource for teaching kids days and months (and a lot of other awesome things!) and I am so happy to share it with you all.
The Fun, Happy Calendar is a perpetual calendar which brings me to my first “lesson.” Because it is perpetual, you can pencil in the days of the week with your lucky pupil which will help practice letter formation, the correct order of the days and the idea that each line has seven days, hence the seven day week. OR you can not pencil in the days of the week and reuse the calendar over and over, as in perpetually 
It is a win for moms either way.
This calendar is also a coloring book. A coloring book + calendar is right! The illustrations for each month are ready to be filled in by parent and child alike (we love coloring in colored pencils in my home, occupied by children who are ages 36, 4, and 2). The illustrations are of the birth flower, stone, tree (the author’s brilliant invention), and other relevant characters.
In each day, there is a suggested activity that is positive, family-friendly, and encouraging. Most of them are appropriate for a small child and many are open to interpretation. January 17, a special day in my heart, suggests that we “Sort things through.” I love that one because I could sort through the mismatched socks with my daughter and I could sort through some more abstract issues during naptime.
What I really like about this is that it is a monthly, recurring activity that I can do with my four-year-old. It isn’t like we talk about months in January and then in May wonder why she still is confused that Christmas isn’t next week. By revisiting the coloring book calendar, we will get to “meet” each month together, take note of important dates relevant to our family, and reinforce the concepts of months, days, and dates. It is a habit that can be created, not a once-and-done thing. As a teacher, I know that repetition of concepts is key but sometimes I feel like the only thing I say on repeat at home is “Share! Share. Share? Share…” This gem will help make me return to this lesson monthly as we turn the pages of the months.
The first few pages of the book share historical information about calendars, leap year, the names of the days, birthstones, etc, in the event that you are educating an older child.
I also really like that this coloring book calendar meets the adult coloring book trend halfway and turns it into a family activity rather than a solo one.
You can grab yours by clicking the link here.
Tell me, Wildflowers, what other ways have you tried to teach days and months to kids?
