Moving Away from Calendar Time… WHY?
- Math practices and instruction need to focus on the children’s understanding of concepts and their ability to explain their thinking.
- Young children need to be able to use strategies to work with numbers one through five. They need to develop math fluency to five.
- Teaching a math skill once is not enough but we know that children need to do- to have their hands on- to learn.
National Education Association for Young Children states that children learn best through hands-on learning experiences and that developmentally appropriate practices include “teachers who “mathematize” children’s everyday experiences.
I was blessed to visit a couple of amazing Kindergarten classrooms in Tulsa, OK and was impressed by their calendar routine among many, many other experiences they are providing their students.
They are using a 7 day linear calendar to develop fluency with the number five. Also, so impressive that the Kindergarten classrooms use a visual schedule of their day to teach the concept of time- before and after.
For more information on ways to embed math using developmentally appropriate practices, see past blog https://journeyintoearlychildhood.com/2019/03/06/math-during-free-choice-play/
LINEAR CALENDAR PIECES FOR HOME/SCHOOL and WEATHER 
Journey into early childhood 