Teaching the months of the year is a great way to teach the passing of time. Understanding time is not only important for executive functioning skills but is a fundamental concept in math.
Calendar Song
The easiest and most effective way to get kids to memorize the names of the months and the order is to sing song! If you have a morning meeting (I hope you do! Learn about holding effective morning meetings here) you can sing the months of the year before talking about today’s date. This is the EXACT song I used when I taught and I love it – I find myself singing it even today!
Celebrate the Beginning of Each Month
At the beginning of each month have children work on tracing the calendar and creating their own page. They can put this page in their morning meeting binder or they can leave it at home and cross off the days as they happen.
You can also celebrate the beginning of each month with a monthly poem and craft for each month. Here are the craft ideas I use for each month.
January: New Years Celebration Hat
February: Ground Hog that pops up and down
March: A Kite to talk about wind
April: An umbrella with raindrops to talk about april showers
May: A shoe that has ties
June: A treehouse
July: The USA flag to celebrate the 4th of July
August: A nice glass of summertime lemonade
September: An apple with a bookworm to celebrate back to school
October: A scarecrow
November: A turkey
December: A gift that needs a bow
Read Aloud Books
Always there are fun books to read for months and for seasons. Books are fun and easy ways to incorporate the passage of time. Here are some books that I love to teach the months of the year as well as to read during the season.
List of Months of the Year Books
Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak
Long Night Moon by Cynthia Rylant
Twelve Hats for Lena by Karen Katz
Winter Season
What Forest Knows by George Ella Lyon
Spring Season
Spring is Here by Nancy Jo Shaw
Sugarbush Spring by Marsha Wilson Chall
Summer Season
And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner
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