Family Calendar

What is a Family Calendar?

A family calendar is one place where the entire family can go to see scheduled events, birthdays, activities and more. This calendar, whether digital or on paper, is for the whole family to access and edit as needed. Family calendars can be very helpful when someone wants to add things to the schedule and can work around what is already planned.

Who can see a Family Calendar?

Anyone in the family has access to the family calendar. We utilize two. Our digital calendar and our refrigerator on e. Our Apple Calendar App is capable of creating many many calendars within it. I have selected my husband and children to be included in our family calendar. Anyone can edit and see the classes, birthdays that have been added.

Our refrigerator calendar, obviously, is open for anyone to see. This calendar is probably used the most by all members of the family. We reference this daily. I have a “today” sticky note I cut out each month to signify the current day we are on. Someone in the family, usually me, moves it throughout the month. Even my littlest eight year old references the calendar!

How do I Create a Family Calendar?

Depending on what kind of calendar you would like to create; here are some simple directions in doing so:

Digital Family Calendar

Choose which calendar app you would like the family to download and use. I recommend it be the only calendar app you use for ALL the information to be in one digital space. (We currently use the Apple Calendar App so I will give instructions for that app) Have one administrator or parent set up the calendar.
Open the calendar app and select “Calendars” on the bottom line.
Select “Add Calendar” on the bottom left line, and select “Add Calendar” again.
Choose a name for your calendar. You can be creative and fun if you would like! “Kiser Family Calendar” or “Kisers Work Together” or plain “Kisers”
Then choose a color that will distinguish the calendar in YOUR electronic device for this calendar. I chose yellow. I believe this can be changed per device – each family member can choose which color represents the Family Calendar their app.
Select “Done” and there you go!
Now it’s off to adding events and activities for the whole family to access

I utilize my Apple Calendar most of all. It holds all of my information-and therefore our family’s. This is my one digital space to include everything. I have several calendars on my app for myself, my extended family, bigger trips and church groups.

Refrigerator Family Calendar

My refrigerator calendar is a wall calendar that hangs from our fridge. This calendar is the one I currently use. I have purchased calendars that are magnetic and also ones that aren’t. I now use strong magnetic clips to hold ours up. This opens up the variety of calendar design options I can choose from. Look around Amazon and see which one is right for your family! *I recommend double checking the dimensions for your space before purchasing. Filling out this calendar takes me about 30-45 minutes a month. It’s fun and worth my time for the whole family to see quickly and easily our schedule.

How I set up our Refrigerator Family Calendar:

After purchasing a wall calendar, go to the current or next month.
I choose to have a color marker per person and gray for “entire” family activities. This an easy way to see whose activities are whose. Each year I rearrange the colors so they can have something different. But I keep their colors for the ENTIRE year so we get used to each person’s color.
Now fill in the weekly activities, special events, birthdays and sports. Whatever your family does will go on here. I also add a beginning time to most events-this way we can see when Nutcracker practice is Friday night etc.
After everything is filled in, I add a “today” sticky note that can easily be moved throughout the month.

Here are a few options that are similar to my wall calendar:

Does your Family need a Calendar?

Do you need to put together an organized method for your family to be in-the-know? As my kids get older this will be more and more important. Right now, my husband and I use it the most. Put together a digital calendar or fridge wall calendar today!

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