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Developmental Calendar Skills

Special Needs Children Benefit from Calendars

Jan 7, 2007

Calendars add to the décor of our homes and offices, and they have the functional use of being basic organizers. For a child with a disability, a calendar offers more.

Vocabulary Development

Calendars are marketed with just about every theme. If your child loves trucks, you can find truck calendars. The same is true if your child loves particular cartoon characters, dogs, or even

Vocabulary development is one of the first benefits of calendars. Discuss the monthly pictures.

Who/what is in the picture?
Look at any props (Christmas tree, pumpkin, picnic basket, etc.) in the pictures.
Talk about the clothing of the models (scarves, mittens, hats, etc.).
Talk about what is happening in the picture.
Review the names of the seasons. (When you are talking about fall, remember to also talk about the fact that it is also called autumn.)

Concept of Week/Month

Each page is a month.
Ask how many months are in the year.
Talk about one row being a week.
How many weeks are in a month?
How many days are in the month? Remember that some months have fewer or more days. Let your child look at each month and tell you the number of days.

Counting Skills

Calendars are great for counting skills. How many days are in a particular month? Instead of just looking at the number, have your child practice counting. Memory counting without something to count is called rote counting.

Have your child count while pointing to the numbers on the calendar. This is good for number recognition and one-to-one correspondence.

Sequencing

Make index cards that have the names of the month on them.
Have your child practice reading them.
Then ask him to place the cards in order.
Repeat this with the names of the days of the week.

Important Dates

Look through the calendar at the holiday dates that are already marked. Help your child add the birthdates of family members. He may also want to add an appropriate sticker on those dates (such as a balloon sticker).

How Many More?

Throughout the year have your child mark upcoming special events (like Grandma is coming to visit). Then each day, ask him to count how many more days until she arrives.You may which to keep a notepad to give your child practice writing 10 more days, 9 more days, etc.

Calendar skills are not only necessary for young children. Proper use of a planner is especially important for tweens and teens who have a learning disability or who have a developmental delay.