Are you looking for a way to help manage holiday activities and your kids? Try this printable holiday calendar. It’s a simple idea to let give know holiday plans, keep them from asking 47,000 “but when…” questions, and help with the shifting schedules that the holiday season brings.
Why make a printable holiday schedule?
The holidays are a lot.
I think we can all agree on that.
Schedules change. Events are added. School is closed. Holidays happen.
December is a lot… for adults. So imagine how that feels to a child.
That’s where this printable holiday schedule can really help: this calendar gifts kids a concrete and visual look at the month. They can see important dates and have a better understanding of the month on a whole.
This is huge for kids.
The “not knowing” is often a big catalyst for kid stress. They like routine. They like schedules. The holidays throws a lot of “normal life” out the window. For some kids, having a visual schedule can help.
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Will a visual holiday calendar work for all kids?
No.
Just as everything in life, parenting, and kids: creating a holiday schedule will work for some kids. For others, it won’t.
Your job is knowing if this will work for your child and support their needs.
What if plans change?
This calendar doesn’t have to hold every activity on it. You can definitely hold off writing down certain events to give yourself some cancellation wiggle room or to keep from having to answer 5800 questions about it.
I get it.
For me, I add events to the calendar that are unchangeable (like Christmas day) or that my kids already know about (like tickets to the Nutcracker). My kids do better with a little lead time, time to learn more about a new event, or to get excited about it.
I know that isn’t the case for everyone.
There are also those annual holiday events that my kids ask about all month long – I make sure to put those on the calendar so they know the date and can stop asking me.
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Are there different versions of the printable holiday calendar?
I made 4 variations of the calendar. When you go to download the PDF, print ONE of the four options (don’t just hit print!).
There is a red and green version, blues, mixed colors, and gray.
Hopefully, you’ll find the right color scheme for your family.
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Holidays and time are both hard for kids
Holidays and time are two abstract concepts that can really be tough for kids. Knowing when events are, the sequence of activities, and when parties happen is a lot for kids.
Having a printable calendar to refer back to can be a big step in helping keeps see the full picture of a big month and get to enjoy the anticipation of the holiday season.
Frequently Asked Questions
For my kids, 4 to 5 years old was when visual calendars started being helpful not a hindrance. This printable holiday calendar is especially helpful with elementary aged children (and spouses/co-parents who aren’t making all the plans).
I talk about this a lot with my kids. Circumstances change. Things happen. This won’t be the case with all kids, but for our family, calendars like this help us learn about being flexible too.
Yes! I don’t even need your email address. Download the files and enjoy.
Susie Allison, M. Ed
Owner, Creator
Susie Allison is the creator of Busy Toddler and has more than 2.3 million followers on Instagram. A former teacher and early childhood education advocate, Susie’s parenting book “Busy Toddler’s Guide to Actual Parenting” is available on Amazon.
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