Baton Rouge Parents Magazine

For a young child, a calendar can be the perfect gift for the new year. A calendar posted at his level offers a world of learning and enjoyment as well as help with chores and schedules. Here are a few ways to help your child learn to use a calendar effectively:

► Talk about days of the week. Point to them and say them each morning. Talk about which day of the week it is. What special things happen on that day of the week?

► Review the months of the year. Say the months of the year each morning. Once he’s mastered that, learn the names in another language. Talk about special things that happen in each month.

► Circle all of the holidays that take place in the current month. Talk about ways to celebrate them.

► Fill in important days such as family birthdays, a visit from grandma, a trip to the zoo or party. Each morning count the days until the important event.

► Allow your child to draw simple pictures on the calendar such as a church on Sundays, a cake for birthdays or car to symbolize a trip.

► At the end of each day, write down one special thing that happened that day. Reread them often to help your child retain happy memories. If writing something down each day becomes too much, try putting a smiley face to stand for an exceptionally good day. Be sure to mark events such as lost or new teeth, learning to ride a bike and the first day of preschool.

An oversized 17-month calendar featuring a grid, family notes, reminders and dinner menus will help establish your routine in 2012; Find it Here.

Keep track of your household with a magnetic family planner which can track up to five family members and their activities; Find it Here.

Make it fun for the children to organize their days and plan ahead with a magnetic calendar including stickers and a phone list; Find it Here.