Days, Months, Seasons and the Calendar

Words to know

Quiz

Days of the week

Yesterday, today, tomorrow

Months of the year

Knuckle trick for grown-ups to share

The four seasons

Reading a calendar

Find a day on the calendar

Counting days with the calendar

How many days until Halloween?

Calendar pattern

My family calendar

Your turn!

More practice: warm-up

More practice: on your own

Challenge

E. Spatial Sense · Shapes, Position and Measurement

E2.3About 35 minutes

Learning goals

I can say the 7 days of the week in order.
I can say the 12 months of the year in order.
I can name the 4 seasons and describe them.
I can use a calendar to find days, weeks, months and holidays.

day
One day and night. Today, yesterday and tomorrow are days.

week
7 days in a row: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

weekend
Saturday and Sunday.

month
A part of the year, about 4 weeks long. There are 12 months in a year.

year
12 months. A year has 365 days (366 in a leap year).

season
A part of the year with its own kind of weather: winter, spring, summer, fall.

calendar
A chart that shows the days, weeks and months of a year.

yesterday / today / tomorrow
The day before today / this day / the day after today.

holiday
A special day people celebrate, like Canada Day or Thanksgiving.

How many sleeps until your birthday? What day is the class trip? A calendar helps us keep track of time. Today we learn the days, the months and the seasons, and how to read a calendar.

There are 7 days in a week. They always come in the same order, and then they start again, like a circle.

The 7 days of the week. Saturday and Sunday are the weekend.

Order	Day	Short form
1	Sunday	Sun
2	Monday	Mon
3	Tuesday	Tue
4	Wednesday	Wed
5	Thursday	Thu
6	Friday	Fri
7	Saturday	Sat

Most Canadian calendars start the week on Sunday. After Saturday comes Sunday again.

Yesterday was the day before today. Tomorrow is the day after today. If today is Tuesday, yesterday was Monday and tomorrow is Wednesday.

There are 12 months in a year. They also come in order, and after December, a new year begins with January.

#	Month	Days	Something special in Canada
1	January	31	New Year's Day (January 1)
2	February	28 (29 in a leap year)	Family Day (in Ontario, third Monday)
3	March	31	March Break; spring begins
4	April	30	Earth Day (April 22)
5	May	31	Victoria Day
6	June	30	National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21); summer begins
7	July	31	Canada Day (July 1)
8	August	31	Summer holidays
9	September	30	School starts; fall begins
10	October	31	Thanksgiving (second Monday); Halloween (October 31)
11	November	30	Remembrance Day (November 11)
12	December	31	Winter begins; winter holidays

Make two fists side by side. Touch each knuckle and the dip between them, starting with your first knuckle: January (knuckle, 31), February (dip, short), March (knuckle, 31), April (dip, 30)... Knuckle months have 31 days!

In Canada we have 4 seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall (also called autumn). They repeat every year.

A forest path covered in fallen leaves under maple trees with red, orange and yellow leaves. — In fall, Ontario's maple leaves turn red, orange and yellow and drop to the ground. Fall comes after summer and before winter. AI-generated image

Winter, spring, summer and fall.

Season	Months (mostly)	What it is like in Ontario
winter	December, January, February	Cold, snow, skating, tobogganing, short days
spring	March, April, May	Snow melts, rain, flowers and buds grow, birds come back
summer	June, July, August	Hot, long sunny days, swimming, summer holidays
fall	September, October, November	Cooler, leaves change colour and fall, harvest, back to school

Each season starts around the 20th to 22nd day of March, June, September or December, so the first few weeks of those months belong to the season before.

Here is the calendar page for October 2026. Each row is one week. Each column is one day of the week. The numbers are the dates.

October 2026

Worked example

On what day of the week is October 12, 2026? What holiday is it?

Find the number 12 on the calendar. It is in the third row.
Look up to the top of its column. The column says Mon.
The calendar says Thanksgiving is on that day.

October 12, 2026 is a Monday. It is Thanksgiving.

Worked example

How many Saturdays are in October 2026?

Find the Sat column. It is the last column on the right.
Read down the column: 3, 10, 17, 24, 31.
Count the dates: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

There are 5 Saturdays in October 2026.

Worked example

Today is October 25, 2026. How many sleeps until Halloween on October 31?

Find 25 on the calendar. Halloween is 31, in the same row.
Count forward one day at a time: 26 is 1, 27 is 2, 28 is 3, 29 is 4, 30 is 5, 31 is 6.

There are 6 sleeps until Halloween. (31 is 6 more than 25.)

Each date moves down 7 when you go down one row, because a week has 7 days. October 5 is a Monday, so October 12 (one week later) is also a Monday.

Just for fun

A few people are born on February 29, a day that comes only in a leap year. Most of the time that is once every 4 years, so on the other years they celebrate on February 28 or March 1!

Hands-on activity

Look at a real calendar at home, or on a grown-up's phone. Find today's date. Say: "Today is ___day, ___ (month) ___ (date)."
Find your birthday month. What season is your birthday in?
Mark special days on the calendar with a sticker: holidays, a family member's birthday, a hockey game, a visit to Grandma.
Each morning for one week, cross off yesterday and say what day tomorrow will be.
Sing the days of the week and the months of the year to a tune you know (like "Twinkle, Twinkle" or "Frère Jacques").
Draw a picture for each season showing what you like to do: for example, tobogganing in winter and picking apples in fall.

How many days are in a week?

What day comes after Wednesday?

If today is Friday, what day was yesterday?

How many months are in a year?

What month comes right after June?

In which season does the snow usually fall in Ontario?

Use the October 2026 calendar. What day of the week is October 1?

Use the October 2026 calendar. Halloween is on October 31. What day of the week is it?

What day comes after Saturday?

True or false: in Canada we have 4 seasons.

What month comes right before December?

Fill in the blank: Saturday and Sunday are called the ___.

In which season do the leaves change colour and fall off the trees?

If today is Sunday, what day is tomorrow? What day was yesterday?

Use the October 2026 calendar. What day of the week is October 20?

Use the October 2026 calendar. How many Mondays are there?

What month comes 2 months after November?

Remembrance Day is November 11. In which season is it?

Today is October 12, 2026 (Thanksgiving). How many sleeps until Halloween on October 31? Use the calendar.

Find the mistake! Kai says, "October 2026 has 4 Fridays." Check the calendar. Is he right?

Mila's birthday is one week after October 8, 2026. What is the date, and what day of the week is it?

Check your understanding

12 Thanksgiving

Which day comes before Monday?

Which month is Canada Day in?

Which season comes after fall?

On the October 2026 calendar, how many Sundays are there?

If today is the 10th, what date will it be in one week?

If today is Thursday, what day is tomorrow?

Which month comes after December?

For parents and teachers

What your child is learning: the days of the week, months of the year and seasons in order, and how to read a calendar to find days, weeks, months, holidays and seasons (Ontario Grade 1, E2.3).

Common mistakes:

Mixing up "yesterday" and "tomorrow". Use them every day at breakfast: "Yesterday was..., today is..., tomorrow will be..."
Thinking the week starts over after Friday (because of school). Remind them Saturday and Sunday are part of the week too.
Reading a calendar across instead of finding the column header for the day. Run a finger up the column to the day name.
Thinking seasons change exactly on the 1st of a month. That is fine at this age; mention that seasons change "near the end" of March, June, September and December.

How to help: keep a simple paper calendar where your child can see it. Count "sleeps" to exciting events. Talk about the weather and the season when you get dressed ("Do we need a toque and mitts today?"). Mark family celebrations from your own culture and traditions, alongside Canadian holidays.