In your everyday preschool routine, allow one student to go to the calendar and mark the day. Make a calendar with clear pockets that students can slip that day's number card into, or use a regular calendar so a student can mark the day with a pen. After the day is marked, lead the students in repeating the day and the date. With time and daily use, students will learn the concept of using a calendar to find the day.
Mark any special activities or holidays on the calendar so students know we use the calendar to alert us to important dates. Besides regular holidays and birthdays, mark weekly events to remind students of their routine. For example, marking Spanish class on every Thursday or music class on every Friday helps students grasp the meaning of a week. Put a house on every Saturday and Sunday to show students that on the weekends they stay home.
Preschool students usually learn calendar concepts one at a time. Circle time provides a time of review of those concepts. Start with learning the days of week. Insert the days of the week into melodies such as “Are You Sleeping?” or “My Darling, Clementine” and sing the days of the week. If the day is Monday, make up a poem about activities to do on Mondays. Read a story book that uses the seven days of the week like the favorite, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Eventually during your daily calendar time, students will be able to identify the day before and after your current day.
Other circle time calendar concepts to review are the seasons, holidays, months though many preschoolers have a hard time remembering the order of the months. When learning about the seasons, dress up a favorite teddy bear in the right clothes. Let students share their observations of how they see the seasons change while going back and forth to school. Tie in the season and month to holidays that are observed then. Find story books that mention the seasons and time passing. Sing the months of the year to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” or “Ten Little Indians.” Keep circle time interactive and fun.
Stress letters and their sounds using the calendar. When the month changes, examine the name of the new month emphasizing the beginning sound. Students need to see that letters are used everywhere, and the calendar gives practical information everyone needs. When playing letter games, such as "I spy," use the calendar often. Students should also learn the beginning sounds of the days of the week and after regular use, will be able to identify all the days without needing any prompting.
Calendars are also useful for seeing practical uses of numbers. Counting the days of the week and month teaches students to start recognizing patterns that happen on a regular basis. Let students make and decorate their own calendars and practice writing the numbers in the correct spot. Another activity is to erase some of the numbers of the calendar and let students fill in the missing numbers. Count the days until a holiday or special event.