Whether you’re decorating a child’s bedroom, sprucing up a group room at the nursery, or looking for something to keep children occupied in the waiting room at the paediatrician’s surgery, you’ll find a range of calendar ideas here.
We’ll also show you how children can use the calendars in their everyday lives and which children’s calendar is best suited to you as wall decoration.
Which wall calendar for children is best suited to which purpose?
A wall calendar for children should always serve a specific purpose: for example, a picture calendar can help decorate a room, whilst a ‘hidden objects’ calendar encourages children to search, find and tell stories, and a classic weekly calendar provides a very practical way of visualising daily routines. If you’re looking specifically for a calendar to help organise appointments, it should, of course, be writable and, as it’s for children, feature clearly recognisable designs.
When looking for a suitable children’s calendar, start by asking yourself a simple question: is the wall calendar mainly intended to be looked at, played with or written on? A lovely design alone doesn’t really tell you much about whether the calendar you’re after will actually serve a practical purpose in your family’s day-to-day life.
Five lovely calendar ideas for children
1. Picture calendars: something new to look at every month
Animals, landscapes or imaginative illustrations: picture calendars are ideal when the focus is on wall décor. It’s best to choose designs that your child can relate to. Perhaps they’ll spot something in them that you’ll even recognise on your next walk.
2. Hidden-object calendars: searching, discovering and telling stories together
Hidden-object calendars feature detailed pictures with lots of little scenes. Children can look for animals, follow characters or think about what happens next. A hidden-object calendar is therefore particularly well suited when it is intended to be the starting point for shared interaction with the child.
3. Weekly calendar with symbols: discussing the daily routine
A weekly calendar featuring pictures chosen by the children themselves can show when nursery, swimming lessons or a visit are due. To ensure it is helpful in everyday life, adults should discuss the symbols with the children and add any changes together.
4. Seasonal calendar: connecting the outdoors and indoors
A seasonal calendar provides seasonal starting points for conversations about the weather or nature. What does the picture show, and what can we actually see outside the window? It is precisely the differences between the picture and reality that make the conversation interesting for children. After all, not every winter’s day brings snow.
5. Birthday or family calendars: keeping track of shared dates
A birthday calendar records recurring events. Depending on its design, a family calendar can accommodate several people and their appointments. If your main aim is to stay organised, look for calendars with plenty of space to write and a clear layout.
| Calendar type | Particularly suitable for | Check before buying |
| Picture calendar | Decoration and changing designs | Do you still like the pictures even after looking at them for a while? |
| Hidden Objects Calendar | Search-and-find games and picture stories | Are small details still easy for children to make out? |
| Weekly calendar | Recurring processes |
Can the children match the symbols? |
| Seasonal calendar | Conversations about nature and the weather |
Can the motifs be linked to one’s own everyday life? |
| Birthday or family calendar | Events and scheduling |
In the children’s bedroom: creating a little exploration corner
A wall calendar in a child’s bedroom is only interesting if children can see it properly. So check the position from your child’s perspective: can the pictures be seen clearly, or is the calendar hung so high that only adults can see them?
A spot near a reading corner is ideal for a ‘hidden objects’ calendar. There, you can lose yourselves together in a world of hidden objects and then read a lovely book. The calendar doesn’t have to become a daily routine. Sometimes a simple question is enough to spark your child’s imagination: “Where was the dog again?”
The Federal Institute for Public Health recommends talking about what can be seen whilst looking at picture books together, and letting children interpret the pictures. This approach to conversation can also be applied to a ‘wimmelbild’ (hidden object picture). However, a wall calendar is no substitute for reading together or free play.
Source: BIÖG: Young Children & Media.
At the nursery: one picture, many different stories
A calendar for the nursery can help with organisational tasks or serve as a picture for everyone to look at together. For morning circle time, different features are important in a calendar than for scheduling appointments in an office.
With hidden object pictures, it’s worth playing a little group game: one child points out a discovery, and another adds what might be happening there. After that, the group can make up their own story. Start, for example, with: “Today we’re following (name of the character). What might they be up to?”
Choose a spot for viewing the picture together where the children can be close enough to it. Even a large picture is of little use if the group has to strain their necks across the room to look at tiny details.
Our recommendation: Use the picture as a starting point for an open discussion. Not every child needs to spot the same things or tell the same story.
At the paediatrician’s surgery: an idea to keep the children occupied whilst they wait
A wall calendar for the waiting room should be immediately understandable to both children and adults. A ‘hidden object’ picture, for example, offers a very simple way to get started: have a look, spot something and, if you’re interested, carry on searching. You don’t need to know the story from the beginning.
A simple question can also help get things started: ‘Which animal do you spot first?’ Or: ‘What would you like to do in this picture?’ Parents can use this as a starting point for a conversation without needing any extra play materials.
Before making your choice, check whether the images can be seen clearly from the seats. As waiting rooms are usually quite small, an A2-sized wall calendar, for example, is a good option. This is large enough to allow people to make out plenty of detail even from a short distance away. However, particularly detailed images usually work better when viewed up close whilst standing. The passageway would be particularly suitable for hanging it – provided it is large enough.
A well-designed ‘seek-and-find’ calendar is therefore a welcome pastime for parents who are waiting to be called.
What should you look out for when buying a wall calendar?
These questions will help you make a targeted choice:
1. What purpose should the calendar serve? Should it primarily provide space for appointments (large writing areas), or are visual details and search-and-find games the main focus?
2. Where should it be hung? The calendar must be easily accessible and must not be obscured by cupboards, shelves or other furniture.
3. What is the children’s range of movement? Can children stand right next to it? If the space is blocked by benches or tables, this hinders their ability to interact with the calendar.
4. Which themes spark genuine interest? Whether animals, everyday scenes or landscapes – the images determine how easily children can engage with the calendar and discuss it.
5. Does the calendar year match? It may sound trivial, but it helps prevent you from buying the wrong one: a dated calendar must match the planned period of use exactly.
6. What happens at the end of the month? Sustainable benefits: some calendar pages are too good to throw away and can be reused wonderfully as posters – just like with our hidden-object calendar.
Our recommendation: the 2027 hidden-object calendar from Fairy Tales Retold
Our 2027 ‘Where’s the hidden object?’ calendar combines changing wall illustrations with a specific search theme: twelve hand-drawn ‘Where’s the hidden object?’ scenes guide you through the year, with 20 hidden objects waiting to be discovered on each monthly page.
The illustrations are created using watercolours. The calendar is available in German and English, is printed in Germany and comes in A2 and A3 formats. A3 is ideal if you have limited wall space. A2 is worth considering if you want to display the details of the images more prominently.
What makes it special is that the designs can be reused as posters at the end of each month. This means you can keep your favourite picture, whilst the next ‘Wimmelwelt’ begins in the calendar.
How does a hidden-object calendar work?
A hidden object game doesn’t need a complicated explanation. Simply adapt the following ideas to suit the theme and the children’s interests:
- I see something: Describe a visible object in terms of its colour, shape or position. Give a further clue if necessary.
- A character gets a story: Choose a character together. Where does it come from? What is it up to? What might it say or do next?
- We’ll take another look tomorrow: Make a note of a small scene and look at it again the next day. Perhaps someone will then notice a completely different detail.
When it comes to learning to speak, the BIÖG cites, amongst other things, pointing, naming, reading aloud and explaining as ways to encourage a love of speaking. Our ‘Wimmel’ calendar takes up this idea with its lovingly designed ‘Wimmel’ worlds, turning every month into an exciting journey of discovery.
Source: BIÖG: Learning to speak – naturally, using all the senses.
If those little picture stories end up taking a bit longer to read, you’ll find further ideas in our article ‘Reading aloud with children: Tips for a magical story time’.
Frequently asked questions about wall calendars for children
Does a child need to be able to read yet?
Reading isn’t a prerequisite for looking at a ‘hidden object’ picture together. Let the child show you what interests them first. Adults can read out dates or search terms if necessary. However, if the calendar is used for organising individual appointments, your child should already be able to read.
What should you do if a child can’t find anything?
Break the task down: point to a specific part of the picture, or start by looking for a striking colour together. Stop the game if their interest wanes. There’s no need to complete all the search tasks in one go.
Can a calendar be used even if everyone doesn’t speak the same language?
Pointing things out and looking at them together is a good way to get started, even if not everyone speaks the same language. Children should simply name things in their own familiar language. Translation isn’t necessary for this shared exploration.
Which calendar will you choose?
A good children’s calendar should serve a specific purpose – and it’s up to you to decide what that is. Perhaps your family needs a clear weekly planner. Perhaps the group room is missing a decorative picture, or you’d like to liven up the waiting room. There’s a wall calendar to suit every purpose.
About the author
Stephan Kalinski is the founder of Fairy Tales Retold. Since 2019, he has been working on contemporary retellings of classic fairy tales and, together with illustrators, parents and children, has been developing modern versions of well-known stories.
Last updated: October 2026
