Teaching preschoolers about the calendar is a great way to help them understand time, routines, and the world around them. At this age, children don’t fully grasp long periods of time yet, but they can learn the basics in fun, hands-on ways. With simple activities and daily practice, your preschooler can start recognizing days, weeks, and months in a way that makes sense to them.
Below are easy, low-prep ideas you can use at home.
Start with Daily Routines
Preschoolers learn best through repetition. A short morning routine helps them connect the idea of time to real life.
Try including these in your morning check-in:
- What day is today?
- What day was yesterday?
- What day is tomorrow?
- What’s the weather like?
- What special plans do we have today?
This simple ritual helps them build familiarity with day names while also giving structure to the morning.
Introduce the Days of the Week
Preschoolers love songs and patterns. Use a days-of-the-week song to help the names stick. You don’t need to quiz them, just repeat the song during calendar time.
We love this Days of the Week Song by Super Simple Songs
Keep it visual:
- Point to each day as you sing.
- Move a marker or clip to “today” each morning.
- Ask which day comes next so they can see the pattern.
We love the Melissa and Doug - My Daily Calendar
Or you can print my Blank Calendar
Explore the Concept of Weeks
Weeks are still abstract for preschoolers, but you can make them easier to understand.
Try this:
- Show them how one row on the calendar is called a week.
- Count the seven days together.
- Help them notice patterns: “We go to gymnastics every Tuesday,” or “Dad stays home on Saturday.”
Linking weekly events to specific days helps them connect the calendar to their real life.
Talk About Months and Seasons
Your child might not fully understand months yet, but they can learn that each month has special events.
You might say:
- “October is when we go pumpkin picking.”
- “December is when it gets colder outside."
- “In April, we talk about rain and flowers.”
This builds early awareness of seasonal rhythms.
And if you want to dive deeper into seasons, my Seasons Unit Study makes it easy to teach weather, seasonal changes, and fun themed activities in a hands-on way.
Use Hands-On Practice
Preschoolers love doing things with their hands. Here are simple activities you can try:
- Circle the date on a printable calendar.
- Stamp or sticker today’s date.
- Make a personal countdown to a birthday or holiday. Check out these Countdown Chain Toppers.
- Create a weather chart and update it daily.
The more they move, touch, and see, the more meaningful the learning becomes.
Make Your Own Preschool Calendar
Creating a calendar is one of the most hands-on ways for preschoolers to learn how time works. With my printable calendar pages, your child can build their very own calendar from scratch throughout the year.
Each month, your child can:
- Write in the numbers for each day
- Draw a picture that represents that month
- Add little drawings or symbols for plans, holidays, and special events
- Watch how days, weeks, and months change as the year goes on
By the end of the year, they’ll have a complete, personalized calendar they created themselves, a meaningful keepsake, and a fun way to understand days, months, and routines.
Also, check out my Preschool Calendar Book. It is a 32-page early-learning book filled with simple facts and visuals that help preschoolers understand days, weeks, months, and how calendars work.
Keep It Short, Simple, and Consistent
Preschoolers don’t need long lessons. Just a few minutes each morning is enough. The goal isn’t mastery, it’s exposure, familiarity, and confidence.
With fun routines and hands-on activities, your preschooler will start to understand days, weeks, and months naturally. Over time, the calendar becomes a helpful tool they can use every day.
- Jeni
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