Teaching the Days of the Week in Spanish

Are you looking for ways to help your students learn the days of the week in Spanish? Check out these easy to use activities for vocabulary practice to learn the days of the week, dates, and months of the year in your middle school and high school classes!

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Start of Class Routine

First and foremost, I credit the beginning of class routine with my kids learning the days of the week in Spanish throughout the year. You can read my post on it here, but the gist is that each day we begin class with a check in, a little chat about the weather, and if anyone has anything going on that day.

I usually project these Slides on my screen in front of students and talk to them as a whole class. However, every now and then we just need something different. That’s why I made a Google Form version! I would just post this Google Form in Google Classroom to let the students work individually – or even talk through while each student is answering away.

With the routine, I start very gradually. At the beginning of the year it’s just, “what day is it today?” “today is..” and filling in the chart together. We gradually progress to what day it is, the date, and talking about our plans for the day and if anything about the day is special. It’s a great way to build relationships in class, too!

Practicing the Days of the Week in Spanish

Our daily routine is usually all students need to nail down the days of the week, but it does take them a little bit of time! If you need students to memorize the days of the week quickly, you may like some vocabulary practice. Here’s a few options!

Boom Cards – digital task cards – are great for reading, writing, and listening skills. I love this set for days of the week! It practices all three of those skills while focusing on the vocab. Click here to try it out!

Ir + a + infinitive – while I know this isn’t just reviewing days of the week, it makes it a lot more compelling for students! We talk about where they are going and what they are going to do on each day. It’s great to reinforce the vocabulary and have conversations together. I really like this set to practice days of the week and plans!

Reading and Days of the Week

You already know I LOVE reading and telling stories as a way to practice Spanish. The story “The Very Hungry Caterpillar“, is a great option for days of the week. The caterpillar is eating his way through tons of food throughout the week. You can simplify the story and put a tweak on it for your novices!

The Calendar Is Your Secret Weapon

You know those giant classroom calendars collecting dust in the back corner? Time to give them a glow-up. One of the easiest ways I’ve kept students actively thinking about the days of the week is by letting them take over the calendar.

Every Monday, I choose a new “Calendario Capitán” who leads us through the date, the day, and anything exciting coming up that week. They get to add events to the board (spirit week, birthdays, quiz day, fútbol game) and everyone practices listening and responding as we go.

This simple routine builds consistency and makes it feel like the language has purpose. You’ll be amazed how many students start speaking up when they know what’s coming on jueves or start counting down the days till viernes.

What’s On Your Agenda?

Want to get them talking without it feeling like a vocab quiz? Have students plan their dream week. I ask them to imagine they have an unlimited budget and a free schedule. What would they do each day?

They can write or draw it, and I love seeing the creativity come out. One student planned to fly to Madrid on lunes, eat tacos in Mexico on martes, and spend miércoles shopping in Barcelona.

You can keep it open-ended or guide it with prompts like “Where would you go?” or “Who would you spend time with?” It’s a fun way to reinforce the days of the week while also getting in some light future tense and vocabulary practice all without it feeling like work.

Spanish class with a little imagination? Always a yes from me.

What else do you do to practice the days of the week in Spanish?

I’d love to hear what else you do to practice the days of the week in Spanish with your students! Comment below and let me know! I know every group of students is different, and sometimes the most unexpected activity ends up being the one that clicks. Maybe your students love roleplaying schedules or creating skits about their weekly routines. Or maybe you’ve come up with a classroom job that secretly reinforces the days of the week without them even realizing they’re reviewing.