Even though my children aren’t school aged yet, I know that ‘the calendar’ is on the Kindergarten curriculum and have been talking to my preschool son about the days of the week, the months, the weather, holidays, and all of the details involved in keeping track of family events and important dates. I know organized time is a tough concept for a three-year-old, so I purchased Melissa & Doug’s fabulous Magnetic Calendar for him.
Made out of wood, this magnetic calendar comes with 134 separate magnetic tiles covering five years (2009-2013), the months, the weather, all major holidays, and most of the activities your children take part in on a day-to-day basis (from ‘sick day’ to ‘sleeping over with friends’). It has two magnetic white boards hinged together with fabric, and can be folded shut for storage or hung on the wall for easy access. One of the boards contains a calendar grid, while the second can be used to hold magnets or for recording messages with a dry-erase pen. The calendar is really well laid out, but I wish that there was enough space to put two tiles on each day of the week (one for an event and one for the weather, for example).
I use Melissa & Doug’s Magnetic Calendar daily to talk to Oliver about what’s happening that day and what events are coming up. I love that you can personalize it to your family’s schedule and celebrations (there’s even one extra magnetic tile included for your family to customize). It didn’t take long for my son to learn his days of the week, and he’s starting to get the hang of the months. Look out, Kindergarten!
Even if your children are already school-aged, what a great way to help them get practicing the calendar and upcoming events to keep them (and you!) organized during the school year! The Melissa & Doug Magnetic Calendar is intended for children aged three and older, and can be purchased for $19.99 USD from the company’s website or for $24.99 CAD from Toys R Us Canada.
