Calendar
Learning Objectives
- Read a calendar and find dates, days, and weeks.
- Name the 12 months in order and tell the number of days in each.
- Name the 7 days of the week in order.
- Count the number of days between two dates.
- Understand what a leap year is and identify leap years.
- Read and use a monthly calendar to answer questions.
- Know important national holidays and their dates.
Let Us Begin!
How do you know when your birthday is coming? How does your school decide when summer holidays start? We use a calendar!
A calendar is like a big chart that shows us all the days, weeks, and months in a year. It helps us plan our activities, remember important dates like festivals and exams, and know which day of the week it is today.
Let's learn everything about calendars — months, days, weeks, and even the special leap year!
The 12 Months of the Year
A year has 12 months. Each month has a different number of days. Let's learn them all:
| No. | Month | Days | No. | Month | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January | 31 | 7 | July | 31 |
| 2 | February | 28 or 29 | 8 | August | 31 |
| 3 | March | 31 | 9 | September | 30 |
| 4 | April | 30 | 10 | October | 31 |
| 5 | May | 31 | 11 | November | 30 |
| 6 | June | 30 | 12 | December | 31 |
Easy Way to Remember Days in Each Month:
"Thirty days has September, April, June, and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
except February alone,
which has twenty-eight days clear,
and twenty-nine in each leap year."
Knuckle Trick: Make two fists and put them together. The knuckles (bumps) are months with 31 days. The valleys (dips) between knuckles are months with 30 days (or 28/29 for February).
The 7 Days of the Week
A week has 7 days. Here they are in order:
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
Important facts:
- A week has 7 days.
- A year has 52 weeks and 1 extra day (or 2 extra days in a leap year).
- Sunday is a holiday in most schools. Saturday is a half-day in some schools.
- Monday to Friday are called weekdays. Saturday and Sunday are the weekend.
Today is Monday. What day will it be after 10 days?
Solution: 10 ÷ 7 = 1 week and 3 extra days. So count 3 days after Monday: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Answer: Thursday.
Understanding a Year
Let's learn some important facts about a year:
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Months in a year | 12 |
| Weeks in a year | 52 (and 1 or 2 extra days) |
| Days in a normal year | 365 |
| Days in a leap year | 366 |
| First month | January |
| Last month | December |
Leap Year
Most years, February has 28 days. But every 4 years, February gets one extra day and has 29 days. This special year is called a leap year.
How to check if a year is a leap year: Divide the year by 4. If it divides exactly (no remainder), it is a leap year.
2020 ÷ 4 = 505 (exact) → Leap year ✓
2024 ÷ 4 = 506 (exact) → Leap year ✓
2025 ÷ 4 = 506 remainder 1 → Not a leap year ✗
2028 ÷ 4 = 507 (exact) → Leap year ✓
- Normal year = 365 days, Leap year = 366 days
- The extra day goes to February (28 → 29)
- Leap years: 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032...
- A person born on 29th February celebrates their birthday only once in 4 years!
Reading a Calendar
Here is a sample calendar for August 2025:
| 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 |
What day is 15th August 2025 (Independence Day)?
Look at the calendar. 15 falls under Fri column. So 15th August 2025 is a Friday.
How many days are there from 5th August to 12th August?
Count: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 = 7 days.
How many Sundays are in August 2025?
Look at the Sunday column: 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 = 5 Sundays.
What is the date of the second Saturday in August 2025?
Saturdays: 2, 9, 16, 23, 30. The second Saturday = 9th August.
Important National Holidays
Every Indian student should know these important dates:
| Date | Holiday | Why We Celebrate |
|---|---|---|
| 26th January | Republic Day | Our Constitution came into effect (1950) |
| 15th August | Independence Day | India became free from British rule (1947) |
| 2nd October | Gandhi Jayanti | Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi |
| 14th November | Children's Day | Birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru |
| 5th September | Teachers' Day | Birthday of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan |
Seasons and Months
In India, we have different seasons throughout the year:
| Season | Months | Weather |
|---|---|---|
| Winter | December, January, February | Cold, foggy mornings |
| Spring | March, April | Pleasant, flowers bloom |
| Summer | May, June | Very hot, school holidays |
| Monsoon (Rainy) | July, August, September | Heavy rains, green everywhere |
| Autumn | October, November | Cool breeze, festivals (Dussehra, Diwali) |
Key Words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Calendar | A chart showing all the days, weeks, and months of a year |
| Date | A specific day of a month (e.g., 15th August) |
| Week | A group of 7 days |
| Month | A period of about 28 to 31 days |
| Year | A period of 12 months or 365/366 days |
| Leap Year | A year in which February has 29 days (comes every 4 years) |
| Weekday | Monday to Friday (school days) |
| Weekend | Saturday and Sunday (holidays) |
- A year has 12 months and 365 days (366 in a leap year).
- A week has 7 days. A year has 52 weeks.
- Months with 30 days: April, June, September, November.
- Months with 31 days: January, March, May, July, August, October, December.
- February has 28 days, or 29 days in a leap year.
- Leap year comes every 4 years (divide by 4, no remainder).
- To find a day after some days: divide by 7, count the remainder forward.
Practice Questions
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| 1. Republic Day | a. 14th November |
| 2. Independence Day | b. 26th January |
| 3. Children's Day | c. 366 days |
| 4. Leap Year | d. 15th August |
| 5. Gandhi Jayanti | e. 2nd October |
Write the following dates and find the day using a calendar at home:
1. My birthday: Date: ________________ Day: ________________
2. Republic Day: Date: 26th January Day: ________________
3. Children's Day: Date: 14th November Day: ________________
4. My best friend's birthday: Date: ________________ Day: ________________
5. New Year's Day: Date: 1st January Day: ________________
6. Teacher's Day: Date: 5th September Day: ________________
Challenge: Which month has the most birthdays in your family? ________________
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