Montessori Linear Calendar

Yaseen (4.4 years) has just started showing interest in days and time, so this is the perfect time to present  this calendar to him. 





The Time Beam or Linear Calendar is a concrete way of introducing the concept of days, months and year to children. The calendar is at Yaseen's eye level, and placed horizontally along the wall in his bedroom. This allows him to see the entire year in front of him. It turned out to be 3.2m long!! 

I've added a few features to make this calendar a conversation starter each morning:

- It follows both the Hijri and Gregorian calendar.

- Has both English and Islamic months.

- Has approximate moon sightings. This will help Yaseen get familiar with the moon phases.

- It's coloured to match the seasons in the Southern Hemisphere (Gregorian side only). Islamic months follow the colour guide in "My first book of Islamic Months."

- Jummah is highlighted.

(Scroll to the end of this blog to purchase this calendar).

This calendar begins with the Islamic new year in August.  So how exactly will we use this you might wonder?

I'd first explain to Yaseen the difference between the Hijri calendar and Gregorian calendar. Hijri calendar is used by Muslims (and Jews) and is based on the lunar cycle. Gregorian calendar is used by everyone else and is based on the time earth orbits the sun.

I'd further explain how many days are in each Hijri calendar and Gregorian calendar and the reason for this. It takes Earth approx 365 days to orbit the sun. It takes the moon approx. 354 days to orbit Earth. The Hijri calendar is 11 days shorter.

Each morning, I will say, "Today is Muharram 1 (and the corresponding Gregorian date)." I've placed a pencil near the calendar so as each day passes, Yaseen can mark it.  This is a great way for children to learn to count the days ahead i.e " there are 15 days to Ramadan etc". 

For the Islamic events and special holidays, Yaseen and I will go through each month and colour in the dates for these events. 

I have created and laminated a list of days of the week in English and Arabic for Yaseen to learn. Each morning he can trace the correct day and say it in both languages. 

To expand on this calendar, I'll be using "My first book of Islamic Months" to create simple Montessori inspired activities each month based on our Hijri calendar, God willing. I've also added a craft to teach Yaseen the seasons. We have created a tutorial on our 'Season Trees' HERE. 

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