The four pages of numbers for the calendar should be over lapped, and taped together. There will be a small area in the middle that is empty.
Cut a rectangle or circle of cardboard to glue around the missing middle area of the numbers circle. The pin that goes in the middle of the top calendar layer will go down into the cardboard. I put laminating film in the middle of my numbers circle thinking I could use a brad fastener, but we couldn’t find one. So then my husband put a small board under the lowest layer. Find what works at your house!
A pin, a tack, a brad fastener, or a nail (if you have wood underneath) will allow for rotation.
The months and seasons of the calendar year top layer meets in the center and may be taped from the back. I also laminated each printed piece of paper first, before assembling.
Rotating Numbers Circular Calendar Printable PDF
Time is a very abstract idea for children to comprehend. Previously, I posted about this topic and shared a free instant download with activities. Help children understand the seasons, months, and dates of the year. Photos illustrate the seasons and months. Two included activities help reinforce the concepts. Here is one of the activity pages for students to place the cut apart words on the correct season. This picture is very interesting and should be a topic for discussion when children see a year in this form visually.
Another activity is on two pages. One page has the names of each month on cards to cut apart. They could be placed on the picture mat in order of the calendar year. Another way to use them would be to cut them all apart and match all the cards in order for another look at a year.
Time is a difficult concept for children to understand. Now, later, yesterday, in a few weeks, last month and last year are all rather nebulous to them. So different calendars, watches, schedules, and clocks may be pointed out and very briefly explained. This calendar really tells a lot of information about the months and seasons. The children will want to turn the numbers and count ahead to special days such as a birthday or holiday.
The calendar is assembled like a sandwich — with the numbers on the bottom, some cardboard for spacing and allowing rotation in the middle, and the actual months on the top. Pin or hold them together so they are aligned.
This PDF is in our premium eMember area, as well as a printable poster version. They are on the Montessori page. The poster version states printing is allowed for the print shops that require that information. It is 17″ X 22″ and will print on 18″ X 24″ paper, foam board, or poster board. I don’t have anything to do with the printing. You would contact your own local printers or an online printer to work out the order. There are two pages. One page has the numbers, and one has the months and seasons. There are no words on the poster version. If wanted, the free instant download calendar printable PDF on a different post could be used as it has words which may be cut apart. The free version just does not have the numbers which rotate.
The printable below is free. Montessori children “walk around the sun” for each year of their age when they have a new birthday.
When children realize that looking back at an event such as a birthday party seems not so long ago, but that looking ahead to another birthday seems so slow, they have made great progress in their understanding of time.
Thank you for reading!
Carolyn
You might also like the following Montessori resources. They are mostly free.
