Using a digital calendar can transform mornings in your classroom! It saves you time, simplifies planning, and gets students excited about math. Here are tips to make the digital calendar in your classroom even more engaging!
Boost Engagement with Printable Calendar Pages
To be honest, I was a little hesitant to eliminate my calendar bulletin board. In a digital world, children still need to develop their fine motor skills and practice writing. Some students require something hands-on to support their engagement. The good news is that our digital calendar has been the perfect addition to our morning routine! Click here to download some of our favorite slides for free.
It was originally designed as a paperless learning tool, but I’ve also created printable pages to make your digital classroom calendar more engaging. You can download your ✨FREE calendar pages✨ later in this post ⤵️
To get started, print the pages you want to use with your students. Simply slide the calendar pages into a dry erase pocket, and you’ve a got a classroom resource that lasts ALL year. The printable calendar pages allow students to follow along with the slides shown on your board. They can work on the carpet or at their seats for this morning routine.
The first page gives children an opportunity to practice important calendar skills, including:
- Days of the week
- Digital date
- Weather
- Days of School
- Place Value
- Counting
- More!
Your students will love feeling like a teacher as they create their own calendar page!
If you’re ready for even more engagement, be sure to print the second page. It’s full of ways to practice important math skills in a fun way! There are options included for
- Comparing numbers or expressions
- Number bonds or fact families
- Functions or rules
- Telling time
- Money
The printable calendar pages don’t include every single element of the digital calendar, and that was an intentional. The goal is to make your digital classroom calendar more engaging! We don’t want kids to feel overwhelmed or frustrated by having too many tasks.
Scaffold Your Calendar Activities for Engagement
You may be wondering, “Do I need to use all the components?” The answer is no. You may feel that just one page is best for your students. For example, in kindergarten you may only choose the first page. By the end of first grade, your students may have mastered calendar skills so now you want to focus more on the math skills shown on the second page.
You can choose which parts to complete and when to do them! Create a daily routine or make it a special activity you do once per week. It’s up to you! If you’re using this activity as an assessment, students could also use Seesaw or another app to take a picture of their work. Black and white options are also included.
Encourage Collaboration and Creativity
Did you notice the empty box at the bottom of the page? This is an opportunity for all children to feel seen and heard. Only one student may get to write on the smart board, but everyone can write their ideas in this box. You can use this space for so many things, like:
- answer a morning meeting question
- write the word of the day
- draw how you’re feeling
- solve a math problem
- create a list
- brainstorm an idea
Give students a moment to write their responses and share them with each other. They can compare their thinking and collaborate with different ideas or strategies. Creating opportunities for purposeful communication will make your digital classroom calendar more engaging.
Pin This Post for Later
In the words of Dr. Jean, kiss your brain! 😘 You’ve downloaded your printable calendar pages! Now save yourself lots of time by checking out the complete Digital Classroom Calendar with over 60 interactive slides. Customize it to fit your classroom and be ready to see kids engaged and learning!
Add Movement to Your Morning Routine
To make your digital calendar more engaging, add some movement! Introduce some simple morning exercises to get everyone warmed up. Try a mediation or a few yoga poses to increase focus. You can also check out our video of fun movements to practice skip counting.
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