How We Do Calendar Work in Our Homeschool (+ Free Printable!)

Why We Make Time for Calendar Work in Our Homeschool (+ Free Printable!)

One thing I quickly realized as a homeschooling mom is that if something isn’t intentionally planned—it often just doesn’t happen. And calendar work is one of those little things that can quietly fall through the cracks if we’re not careful.

In traditional school settings, kids are constantly writing dates: on the board, at the top of worksheets, on papers, and assignments. But when you're homeschooling—especially in the early years when your days are filled with hands-on learning, oral narration, or family-style lessons—writing the date isn’t always built-in.

And yet, understanding how dates work—what today is, how the months flow, how to spell and write them in multiple formats—is such a foundational skill! That’s why we’ve made it a daily habit in our homeschool routine.

Why Calendar Work Matters in Homeschooling

Here’s why we intentionally include calendar work in our homeschool:

1. Dates don’t just stick—kids need repetition.
Simply saying the date aloud isn’t enough. Kids need to see it, hear it, write it, and say it—often. Just like days of the week and months of the year, the more consistent the exposure, the more natural it becomes.

2. Homeschool life is less paper-based.
We don’t hand out worksheets every day, so we don’t always get those “write the date on your paper” moments. That means we have to create space for date writing intentionally.

3. It builds habits and confidence.
Even brief daily practice helps kids learn how to format a date, spell months and days correctly, and understand how the calendar works. It becomes second nature.

How We Do Calendar Work (Quick & Simple!)

We include our calendar work inside our morning menus. If you’re not familiar with that term, it’s just a plastic menu sleeve (like at a diner) that holds reusable sheets we go over in our morning basket time. One of those pages is dedicated to calendar practice.

Here’s what our calendar work typically looks like each morning:

• Say today’s day and date out loud together

• Review Seasons

• Write the date in number form (07/08/25)

• Practice spelling the days of the week

• Briefly review yesterday and tomorrow

• recite a poem about how many days each month has

That’s it! It takes about 2–3 minutes, but that consistent rhythm adds up over time.

Free Printable Calendar Work Page!

To help you get started, I’ve created a simple and effective calendar work printable you can slide into your morning menu or use daily.

[Download the Free Calendar Work Printable here!]

Final Thoughts

In homeschooling, we often pour so much energy into the big picture—curriculum choices, read-alouds, math struggles, nature walks—that we can forget the little habits that make a big difference. Calendar work is one of those small but mighty tools that, with just a few minutes a day, teaches spelling, handwriting, sequencing, and the rhythm of time itself.

If you're looking to build this into your homeschool day, start small. Make it fun. Be consistent. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your kids start owning it on their own.

📌 Have your kids ever asked what day it is five times in one morning? 😂 Calendar work helps with that too!