How to Teach Preschoolers Their Months
As preschoolers develop abstract thinking skills they begin to learn about the idea of time. They are starting to learn about concepts such as the past, present and future, and to develop competence with both the clock and the calendar. Teach preschoolers about the months of the year through picture books, songs, coloring pages and worksheets. Children in preschool can also learn about the months of the year by creating and maintaining a personalized calendar.
Things You'll Need
- Calendar
- Card stock
- Markers
- Tape
- Library card
- Picture books
- Computer with Internet access
- Printer
- Crayons
- Pencils
- Compact disc player
- Songs about months of the year
- Construction paper
- Self-adhesive pockets
- Hole-punch
- String
Instructions
Introduce preschoolers to the months of the year. Buy a large, colorful monthly calendar. Flip through the calendar and pronounce the name of each month so that children get an overview of the 12 months of the year. Make pictures of the name of each month using card stock and markers. When each month begins, ask the preschooler to tape the corresponding word picture to the top of the calendar. Mention important holidays or birthdays that will happen during the month. At the end of the month allow the preschooler to flip the calendar to the next month to signify that a new month has begun. Go to the library or the local bookstore. Find books that help teach preschoolers about the months of the year. Select picture books that are colorfully illustrated and have bouncy rhymes that attract young children. Make sure the books are developmentally appropriate for children ages 2 to 6. Some examples of books for preschoolers that teach them the months of the year are "Twelve Hats for Lena: A Book of Months" by Karen Katz and "Month by Month a Year Goes Round" by Carol Diggory Shields and True Kelley. Share the books with preschoolers one-on-one or during circle time. Use a computer with Internet access to navigate to websites such Education.com and Atozteacherstuff.com that provide free coloring pages and worksheets for preschoolers. Print out worksheets and coloring pages that feature the months of the year. Encourage preschoolers to color the pages and to attempt the activities on the worksheets. Share songs with preschoolers that enhance their learning of the concept of months. Choose songs that repeat the months of the year in clever, catchy ways because preschoolers learn best through repetition. Play the songs on a compact disc player and encourage children to sing along. Create your own songs by singing the months of the year to familiar tunes such as "Ten Little Indians" or "Three Blind Mice." Create a homemade calendar. Use a piece of construction paper for each month that will serve as the pages of the calendar. Draw boxes on each page and add dates to each square to create the days of the month. Allow the preschooler to color the calendar pages with markers. Encourage the preschooler to create a cover page. Write the name of the month on the top of each calendar page. Laminate each calendar page using a self-adhesive laminating pocket and then punch holes at the top of each page of the calendar using a hole punch. Use string to tie the pages together. Review the calendar with the preschooler often to help him memorize the order of the months.
