Fun With Months: Introducing the Calendar Year to Preschoolers Through Videos

Core Skills Analysis

Calendar and Time Concepts

• Recognized the sequence and names of the twelve months in a year.
• Developed an understanding of the concept of a calendar year divided into months.
• Gained auditory learning experience by listening to the videos' narration and songs about months.
• Started to build temporal awareness by associating months with progression over time.

Tips

Tips

To deepen Rubie's understanding of months, consider creating a tangible calendar together and marking important events or seasonal changes for each month. Engaging in hands-on activities like sorting pictures of holidays or weather scenes by month can reinforce learning. Incorporate songs or rhymes about months to enhance memory through music and movement. Additionally, exploring the cultural significance or family traditions related to different months can provide meaningful context and make abstract time concepts more relatable.

Book Recommendations

• The Year at Maple Hill Farm by Alice Low: A delightful book showcasing the changing seasons and months at a farm, perfect for young children to understand the calendar year.
• Months of the Year (Learning About Calendar Time) by Anne Rockwell: A simple and clear introduction to the months of the year with colorful illustrations and easy text for preschoolers.
• Singing Months Song by Made for children (traditional/any author that presents months by song): A fun and musical way to remember the names and order of the months through catchy lyrics and tunes.

Learning Standards

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.K.2 - Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (listening to month names helps phonological awareness).
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.B.3 - Identify and describe measurable attributes (relating to time units such as months).
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.2 - Confirm understanding of a text read aloud by retelling key ideas (encouraged by watching educational videos).

Try This Next

• Create a month-themed matching worksheet using pictures of seasonal items or holidays to associate with each month.
• Draw a personal monthly calendar and illustrate what special things happen in each month for Rubie’s family.

Growth Beyond Academics

Watching videos about the months likely supported Rubie's curiosity about time and routines, encouraging focus and auditory processing skills. Engaging with a repetitive and predictable format such as monthly songs can also bolster confidence and enjoyment in learning new concepts.