I really wanted to start teaching Charlie about time so he would know which days he had school, when certain events were coming up, and about the general passage of time.

I got a nice large calendar from Paper Source and hung it on his bedroom wall. I filled it with important dates like birthdays, special events, and holidays. Every night before bed, Charlie crosses off one day. By doing this we’ve been able to discuss:

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  • numbers
  • days of the week
  • how many days are in a week
  • weekdays vs. weekends
  • how many weeks are in a month
  • months
  • how many days are in a month
  • seasons
  • holidays
  • specific people’s birthdays and how old they are
  • countdowns to specific events
  • crescent/half/gibbous/full moons
  • daylight saving time

It’s amazing just how much there is to talk about!

Charlie often referred to anything that happened in the past as happening “yesterday” because he didn’t have the vocabulary or fully understand the concept of time. But now that he crosses off one day every day, he better understands when I tell him that we’re going on a playdate next weekend because we have a tangible representation of time. It’s been a fantastic learning tool, and I think it’s been teaching him patience too when he’s looking forward to a specific event (for instance we’re sleeping in a tent in our living room tonight!)

Time is such a difficult concept for little ones to grasp, but I think a calendar is an easy way to get started even for kids much younger than Charlie.

Hope you have a fantastic weekend and Happy Mother’s Day!