Months of the Year Activity: DIY Calendar

Learning the calendar can be tricky! But this months of the year activity is all about a hands on way to interact with the calendar on a daily basis. If you are short on time, don’t miss our FREE printable version of this calendar!

A Hands on Way to Learn the Calendar

With attachable pieces, this calendar is all about exploring the months, days of the week, seasons, holidays, and so much more! I encourage you to tape it up in a central location to spark daily conversations about the calendar. This consistency is so important when learning new concepts!

All activities should be supervised by an adult. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

Skills: Early Math

Ages: 3+

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Watch to See How to Make This Months of the Year Activity

Here’s a quick video showing how to make this DIY calendar. You can customize the portion below the days of the month based on what is most important to you to talk about on a daily basis!

We included seasons, weather, holidays, and temperature. If you keep reading, you will see a full photo of all the special squares I created for our months of the year activity.

I have listed all the supplies I used, including a paint marker that is a non-toxic version of a permanent marker! You can find all my top arts and crafts supplies in this comprehensive checklist!

Watch to See How to Make This Months of the Year Activity

Here’s a quick video showing how to make this DIY calendar. You can customize the portion below the days of the month based on what is most important to you to talk about on a daily basis!

We included seasons, weather, holidays, and temperature. If you keep reading, you will see a full photo of all the special squares I created for our months of the year activity.

I have listed all the supplies I used, including a paint marker that is a non-toxic version of a permanent marker! You can find all my top arts and crafts supplies in this comprehensive checklist!

FREE Printable of this Months of the Year Activity

As easy as it is to make this DIY calendar, I understand that grown ups are short on time! I wanted to make things easy for so you can spend more time having meaningful conversations about the months and days of the week!

All you have to do is add the printable to your cart, check out, and head to your email for the downloadable link (or grab it from the confirmation webpage)! And don’t worry, you won’t be asked for credit card information for the free stuff!

If you are looking for more printable activities covering many different early childhood education areas visit our Printable Store!

Materials

Cardboard
Paint Markers or Permanent Markers

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1

Grab some cardboard! You’ll need a large piece for your main calendar board, and some scrap cardboard for all of your pieces.

Step 2

Cut the pieces into squares and rectangles. You’ll need 12 months, 7 days of the week, and up to 31 days for the month. Keep in mind you can use the front and backs for the months/days of the week pieces.

Step 3

Use a paint marker (non toxic) or a permanent marker to write out all of the data! In other words, the months, numbered days, and days of the week.

Step 4

Also create any other special information you’d like to customize. As I mentioned, we had 4 special categories: season, weather, holiday, and temperature!

Step 5

Place velcro stickers behind all the attachable pieces.

Step 6

Secure the calendar to the wall or a frame within an often-visited location so you can talk about the calendar daily! We have ours in our kitchen! I used a strong double sided tape as well as painters tape all around to make a pretty border!

Step 1

Grab some cardboard! You’ll need a large piece for your main calendar board, and some scrap cardboard for all of your pieces.

Step 2

Cut the pieces into squares and rectangles. You’ll need 12 months, 7 days of the week, and up to 31 days for the month. Keep in mind you can use the front and backs for the months/days of the week pieces.

Step 3

Use a paint marker (non toxic) or a permanent marker to write out all of the data! In other words, the months, numbered days, and days of the week.

Step 4

Also create any other special information you’d like to customize. As I mentioned, we had 4 special categories: season, weather, holiday, and temperature!

Step 5

Place velcro stickers behind all the attachable pieces.

Step 6

Secure the calendar to the wall or a frame within an often-visited location so you can talk about the calendar daily! We have ours in our kitchen! I used a strong double sided tape as well as painters tape all around to make a pretty border!

Educational Benefits of This Months of the Year Activity

Learning the calendar is an incredibly important practical life and math skill! It is typically learned during the early years of elementary school. However, by creating daily conversation around a calendar, it can be learned even earlier.

Providing a big visual calendar can help young kids understand sequence of events – what is happening during that day, what is ahead in the future, and what happened in the past.

For young children, it is first important to explain what a calendar is. In other words, a calendar allows us to visualize events in our life by outlining the days, months, and years.

As children get older, they will begin to grasp the concept that there are 12 months in a year, 7 days in a week, and each square on a calendar represents one day.

Educational Benefits of This Months of the Year Activity

Learning the calendar is an incredibly important practical life and math skill! It is typically learned during the early years of elementary school. However, by creating daily conversation around a calendar, it can be learned even earlier.

Providing a big visual calendar can help young kids understand sequence of events – what is happening during that day, what is ahead in the future, and what happened in the past.

For young children, it is first important to explain what a calendar is. In other words, a calendar allows us to visualize events in our life by outlining the days, months, and years.

As children get older, they will begin to grasp the concept that there are 12 months in a year, 7 days in a week, and each square on a calendar represents one day.