Just like the Year Calendar Time Line, this exercise introduces the study of time to children of the Preschool and Junior Elementary levels with a strip that allows for 29 days in February instead of 28.  The entire time line of the year may be assembled for immediate classroom use by taping together twelve pages, one for each month, included in this file.  The labels for the names of the months, the weeks, and for eight national festivities are also printed in this file and made available for cutting out as needed. The teacher points out to the class the current month and finds the corresponding label to be placed on the time line chart.  The children observe how many days there are in that month and divide the month into weeks.  Taking turns, one child places the label of the current week.  As time progresses, another child places the label of the following week so that the whole class becomes aware of the days, weeks and months that pass.  Special holidays can also be identified and placed on the calendar as they occur throughout the year.  This sensorial class work on the subdivision of time related to the year helps children understand the passing of time in a concrete manner.  Days, weeks, and months that have passed are better quantified when they become concrete portions of a time line and the children can anticipate similar representations when they think of days, weeks, and months to come in the future. Older children can also be invited to write short sentences and attach them to the class calendar to illustrate a holiday or a special day as it comes up.

The Montessori Pedagogical Notes published on the Montessori Files website are available for purchase by anyone. They are intended for exclusive use by the person who purchased them. These instructional notes are based on Dr. Montessori’s Method of education and have been elaborated by Franco Albanesi, A.M.I. subsequent to many years of study and practical classroom application. These notes are copyrighted property of Mr. Albanesi, all rights reserved.  In agreement with international copyright law, the buyer acknowledges and understands that such notes may not be duplicated and released to other people without written permission from the author.