Purchase a calendar for the preschooler. Show the child how each week is divided into seven days starting on a Sunday and ending on a Saturday. Mark special events and days on the calendar such as birthdays, parties, movie night and vacations. Teach the child to use a magic marker to cross out each day with an X leading up to the special event. The calendar helps the preschooler to comprehend the idea of time in terms of days and weeks.
Supplement the calendar with time words and language. Show the preschooler that her friend's party is "next" week and use the calendar to demonstrate the point. Use words that separate one day from another such as tomorrow, yesterday and the day after tomorrow. Use words that distinguish and separate the parts of the day such as morning, noon, afternoon and evening. For example, tell the preschooler that you will take her to the park in the afternoon.
Make a time book with the preschooler. Construct the book with eight to 10 pieces of colored construction paper. Punch holes in the paper and place the paper in a binder. Dedicate one page to morning activities such as waking up, eating breakfast and watching "Sesame Street." Dedicate the other pages to other parts of the day and their activities. Decorate the pages with photographs that represent the various activities. Help the preschooler to write the different times for each activity, such as breakfast at 7:30 a.m., "Sesame Street" at 8:30 a.m.
Teach the preschooler about clocks. Buy a clock that has a big hand in one color and a little hand in a different color. The color difference helps the child to distinguish between the little hand and the big hand. The first stage is to teach the child the concept of numbers so that she is able to count from one to 12. Show the preschooler how big and little hands correspond to the times in her time book. Once she understands the concept, ask her to adjust the big and little hands so that they correspond to a specific time.