Understanding which day comes next

Why is this important?
Knowing the days of the week and the events that occur on particular days helps children learn routines. This is how children learn to understand and describe time beyond what happens every day. It also enables them to accept change when something different happens (e.g. no swimming this Wednesday).

What to do

• Make a chart together. Put the days of the week across the top. It may be helpful to do Monday–Friday in a different colour from Saturday–Sunday.
• Encourage the child to draw a picture of something he/she does each day (e.g. swimming, PE, assembly, music).
• Talk about the activities in relation to the days of the week, e.g.  Adult: ‘On Monday you go swimming, and the day after Monday is …?’
• Pause to see if the child can fill in the missing day. Prompt him/her by using his/her pictures (e.g. ‘You do PE on this day’). Child: ‘Tuesday’ and adult repeats: ‘So the day after Monday is …?’