Do you have a preschooler that is constantly asking what day it is? Then you’ll definitely want to try out this idea for a picture calendar to save your sanity!
It’s funny, because my youngest is four, but since he still can’t read or tell time, and he doesn’t know what day it is, I’m constantly trying to explain to him the concept of today, tomorrow, and yesterday. It’s a work in progress and sometimes frustrating for both him and I.
So, when my sister, Paige, came up with this awesome idea of a picture calendar for her three year old, I had one of those moments where I thought, Why didn’t I think of that 3 kids ago?
My sister is a very busy lady. She owns her own hair salon in Philadelphia with her husband, has a successful photography business, and is also a mama! So, their daughter Faye Elizabeth, has a busy schedule too. Sometimes she’s at preschool (for hearing children at a deaf school), sometimes she’s with Grandparents, and there are days where she’s with just Daddy, and just Mommy. Not to mention she has music and dance classes too!
Paige told me that Faye’s first question every morning is, “What day is it?” and “Where am I going today?” That sounds a lot like my four year old! And, it must be confusing to them to never know what’s going on.
So, she decided to make a picture calendar so there was no more confusion. I love this idea!
She purchased her calendar with a cork board at Michael’s. You can find it here.
And instead of drawing pictures on the calendar, she made pictures to represent each activity, or person that Faye would be involved with that day. She can easily switch it out depending on what is going on in their lives.
For example, this is a picture of the whole family together, and her ballet class. Super easy for a 3 year old to understand!
And this cute picture is of Faye’s grandparents. She stays with them when Mommy and Daddy both have to work.
And for school days, she chose the ASL sign for “I Love You” and Faye immediately recognized that it represented school days since she goes to a school for both hearing and deaf kids. But, you could make a picture of a school house, or backpack, or something that is special about school to your child. On days when Mommy is home with her, she has a picture for that, and on days when Daddy is home, she has a picture for that.
As she was telling me about this idea, I thought of some things that might work for my four year old too. You really can switch it up and do whatever might help your child understand better what’s going on.
Other ideas you could include on your calendar are:
- Pictures for holidays like a bunny for Easter, or Christmas tree for Christmas
- Pictures of weather (clouds, wind, rain, snow, etc.)
- Pictures of friends they play with often
- A picture that symbolizes birthdays
I’m just always on the hunt for things that make parenting easier, and this idea by my sister definitely spoke to me. I can’t wait to start it with my own little guy.
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If you like this post, you might also like:
5 Myths about Kids with Food Allergies
and How to Make a Personalized School Emergency Kit for your Child
Let’s Stop Making Parenting Harder Than It Has to Be
