Days of the Week and Months of the Year - First Grade Mathematics
While clocks measure small units of time like minutes and hours, calendars measure the big chapters of our lives: days, weeks, months, and years! Have you ever looked at a calendar hanging on a wall and counted down the days until your birthday or a favorite holiday? A calendar is an organized mathematical grid that tracks time as the Earth journeys around the sun. In this chapter, you will master the seven days of the week, the twelve months of the year, the four seasons, and learn how to read a calendar page like a pro.
The 7 Days of the Week
Every week has exactly seven days that repeat in a never-ending cycle.
The Cycle of Seven Days:
Sunday -> Monday -> Tuesday -> Wednesday -> Thursday -> Friday -> Saturday
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Weekdays vs. The Weekend
The Weekdays: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are usually school days when you learn and work. The Weekend: Saturday and Sunday are weekend days when you rest, play, and spend time with family.
Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow
Mathematicians track time using relative day words: Today: The day that is happening right now. Yesterday: The day that happened right before today (one day ago). Tomorrow: The day that will happen right after today (one day in the future). If Today is Wednesday, Yesterday was Tuesday, and Tomorrow will be Thursday!
The 12 Months of the Year
A full year contains 12 months, organized across four distinct seasons.
The Twelve Months of the Year:
Month 1: January (Winter - New Year begins!)
Month 2: February (Winter - Shortest month!)
Month 3: March (Spring arrives!)
Month 4: April (Spring showers!)
Month 5: May (Spring flowers bloom!)
Month 6: June (Summer begins - School lets out!)
Month 7: July (Summer sunshine!)
Month 8: August (Summer adventures!)
Month 9: September (Autumn / Fall - Back to school!)
Month 10: October (Autumn - Pumpkins and falling leaves!)
Month 11: November (Autumn - Gratitude and harvest!)
Month 12: December (Winter - Holidays and snow!)
The Four Seasons
The twelve months cycle through four seasons of three months each: Winter (cold and snowy) -> Spring (warming and blooming) -> Summer (hot and sunny) -> Fall/Autumn (cooling and colorful leaves)!
How to Read a Calendar Grid
A calendar page shows one month at a time, arranged in a grid of rows and columns.
Sample Calendar Page:
OCTOBER
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31
Reading Columns Down
The columns are labeled with the days of the week (Sun, Mon, Tue, etc.). Look down the Friday column: you see the dates 5, 12, 19, and 26. Every one of those dates is a Friday! Notice that each date is exactly 7 days after the one above it (+7), because there are 7 days in a week.
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: List the seven days of the week in order, starting with Sunday.
Exercise 2: If today is Friday, what day was yesterday, and what day will tomorrow be?
Exercise 3: Name the 12 months of the year in order, and identify which month is your birthday month.
Exercise 4: Look at a calendar. If October 3rd is a Wednesday, what date will the very next Wednesday be? Explain how you know without looking at the calendar.
Solutions and Explanations
Solution to Exercise 1: The seven days of the week in order are: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Solution to Exercise 2: If today is Friday, yesterday was Thursday, and tomorrow will be Saturday.
Solution to Exercise 3: The twelve months in order are: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December. (State your own personal birthday month!).
Solution to Exercise 4: The next Wednesday will be October 10th. Because every week has exactly 7 days, you simply add 7 days to October 3rd: 3 + 7 = 10.