Digital and Paper Family Calendar Templates

Calendars are essential tools to organize busy families. Whether you want to create a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule, choosing a calendar template that works best for your family’s needs is key to getting everyone organized.

Digital Calendar Templates

You'll need an app on your phone or tablet to take advantage of the benefits of using a digital calendar. Here's what you'll find in most of the free apps available:

1. Digital calendars allow you to create new events with the tap of a button. You can customize the details of each event to include a location and attendees, and the new event instantly appears on your calendar. 
2. You can quickly view all your upcoming events at once in multiple ways. For example, use the day view for a direct overview of what’s happening right away, or you can zoom out a bit a see plans for the week or month ahead.   
3. Create custom reminders for yourself. Whether it be a reminder to take out the trash or a screen break after working hard all afternoon. It’s easy to forget things when life is busy, but setting reminders can save you time in the long run!

Physical Calendar Templates

If you prefer the idea of a physical calendar that’s tangible, you have a few options. The first thing you'll need to do is decide which type of calendar you'd like to use. 

1. A whiteboard calendar. Standard and editable, yet potentially time-consuming to update as needed.
2. The traditional paper calendar. Great for standard monthly pages and minimal events, but can often get messy when plans change.
3. A digital calendar template you print and hang. Notably cheaper than buying a paper calendar every year, printable templates are nice because you can select the right one for your needs. Canva offers a selection of free, pre-designed templates to choose from.

Alternatively, if you'd rather not spend time printing or creating a custom calendar, you can purchase one online or at office supply stores. These are typically preprinted sheets that allow you to write on specific days.

Using a Digital Calendar Display

A digital calendar display is visually similar to a traditional paper calendar, with all the benefits of a managed digital calendar. Instead of writing everything out ahead of time, you just create and sync the digital calendar you’d like to display. And because it’s digital, changes can be made on the go from a mobile device. This allows you to keep your information updated from anywhere. You also have the ability to share your events more easily with others.

Why not use both?

Using a digital calendar doesn't mean you have to stop using a paper calendar. If you can't bear to part with your paper calendar, you can always print out a copy of your digital version. In fact, some people even combine both types of systems.

When choosing between these options, consider whether your family will benefit from having an editable schedule that contains everything in one place and is accessible from anywhere (digital) or a tangible paper calendar that you can customize to match your style (physical).