Months of the year in English explained for kids

Ever tried planning something and realized—wait a minute—why does February have so few days? And why do some months have 30 days while others stretch to 31?

English loves its quirks, and the calendar is no exception!

Each month has its own special length, and there’s even a fun rhyme to help remember them (because let’s be honest—nobody wants to count on their fingers every time). But what’s up with leap years? Why does February sometimes get an extra day, like a surprise bonus round? 

The answer takes us deep into the history of timekeeping, where ancient rulers and astronomers played a giant game of “let’s fix the calendar” over thousands of years.

So whether you’re marking your birthday, planning a holiday, or just wondering why February feels like the shortest month of the year (because it is), let’s take a look at how the months stack up—and the clever ways to keep track of them!

The 12 months of the year in English

Here are the months in English, along with their abbreviations and a simple pronunciation guide to help you say them correctly:

Each month has its own unique spelling and pronunciation, but don’t worry—with a little practice, you’ll be saying them like a pro!

How many days are in each month?

Not all months are the same length! Some have 30 days, some have 31, and then there’s February—which likes to keep things interesting.

Here’s a handy table to remember how many days are in each month:

Need an easy way to remember the number of days in each month? Try this rhyme:

“Thirty days has September,
April, June, and November.
All the rest have thirty-one,
Except for February alone—
It has twenty-eight, that’s fine,
But leap years give it twenty-nine!”

Or if you prefer a trick, make a fist and count on your knuckles. The months that land on a knuckle have 31 days, and the dips in between have 30 (except for February, of course!) (and skip a dip for August).

Where do the month names come from?

Ever wondered why we call it January instead of something like Cold-McFreezy Month? The names of the months didn’t just appear out of nowhere—they come from Roman gods, Latin words, and even ancient rulers who wanted to carve their names into history! The Roman calendar, which eventually turned into the one we use today, was a mix of mythology, politics, and a bit of number confusion.

• January is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions. He had two faces—one looking forward, one looking back—just like we do when a new year starts! 
• February comes from Februa, an old Roman festival of purification, which makes sense since people used to treat it as a time for spiritual “spring cleaning.”
• March was named after Mars, the Roman god of war, because in ancient Rome, this was the month when military campaigns began. What better way to kick off the year than by marching into battle?
• April might come from the Latin word aperire, meaning “to open,” like flowers blooming in spring. 
• May is named after Maia, a Roman goddess of growth and fertility.
• June honors Juno, the queen of the gods and the protector of marriage—probably why June is still a popular wedding month! 
• July was renamed after Julius Caesar (it used to be called Quintilis, meaning “fifth month”)
• August was renamed for Emperor Augustus, who didn’t want to be left out of the calendar.

Now here’s where things get weird. September, October, November, and December all come from Latin numbers—septem (seven), octo (eight), novem (nine), and decem (ten). 

But hold on—aren’t they the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth months? 

Yep! 

That’s because the Roman calendar originally started in March, so these names actually did match up… until extra months got added, and everything got shuffled around. Whoops.

How do we write and say dates in English?

Dates in English can be a little tricky because different countries write them in different orders! If you’re in the United States, the format goes Month-Day-Year—so you’d write July 4, 2023. 

But if you’re in the United Kingdom (or most other English-speaking countries!), the order flips to Day-Month-Year—so it would be 4 July 2023.

To make things even more interesting, we also say dates differently depending on the format!

• American English: “Today is April 5th, 2024.” (Month first, then the day with an ordinal number—5th, not just 5)
• British English: “Today is the 5th of April, 2024.” (Day first, with “the” and “of” added in speech)

And let’s not forget about abbreviations! 

If you see 4/7/2023, it could mean April 7th (if you’re in the US) or July 4th (if you’re in the UK). 

Jump over to several Asian countries and you’ll find yet another date format, Year-Month-Day! From big to small it counts it all.

Confusing? A little. Fun? Absolutely!

Fun facts about the months

January was once considered the 11th month of the year, not the first! In early Roman times, the calendar started in March, so January and February were just bonus months at the end. Eventually, they were moved to the front, and January became the official start of the year.

February is the only month that can have four full weeks exactly—but only when it’s not a leap year! Since it’s shorter than the others, it sometimes feels like it disappears before you even notice it.

March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war, but it’s also the time when spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere. So while it sounds fierce, it’s also the month when flowers start waking up from their winter nap.

April is often linked to the Latin word aperire, meaning “to open,” which makes sense because this is when trees and flowers bloom. It’s also the only month that starts with an “A” and doesn’t end with “ary”!

May is named after Maia, a Roman goddess of growth and fertility. That might explain why plants seem to go wild this time of year—nature is celebrating its own special month.

June takes its name from Juno, the queen of the Roman gods, who was the goddess of marriage. Even today, June remains one of the most popular months for weddings.

July was originally called Quintilis, meaning “fifth month,” but it was renamed in honor of Julius Caesar. Fun fact: July and August both have 31 days because the Romans didn’t want one emperor’s month to be shorter than the other’s!

August was named after Emperor Augustus, but before that, it was called Sextilis, meaning “sixth month.” Augustus got his name attached to it because he wanted a month as great as Julius Caesar’s July.

September, October, November, and December all have number-based names from Latin—seven, eight, nine, and ten—even though they don’t match their current order. That’s because the Roman calendar originally started in March, and when January and February were added, the old names stuck.

October was originally the eighth month, but even after getting bumped to tenth place, it kept its original name. It’s also the month with one of the most famous celebrations—Halloween!

November follows the same pattern as the other numbered months and was once the ninth month. In some cultures, it’s considered a time of remembrance, as many traditions honor ancestors during this month.

December means “tenth month,” even though it’s now the twelfth. It’s the grand finale of the year, filled with holidays, celebrations, and the countdown to a fresh start in January!

Practice time – Can you answer these questions?

1. Which Roman god is January named after?
2. Why does February sometimes have 29 days instead of 28?
3. What was July called before it was renamed after Julius Caesar?
4. Which month is named after the Roman queen of the gods and is popular for weddings?
5. September, October, November, and December are named after numbers, but why don’t they match their current positions in the calendar?
6. Which month used to be the first month of the year in the ancient Roman calendar?
7. Which emperor decided that August should be named after him?
8. What does the Latin word aperire, linked to April, mean?
9. What’s the only month that can sometimes have exactly four full weeks?
10. Why do July and August both have 31 days?

Answer Key

1. January is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions.
2. February gets an extra day every four years because the Earth’s orbit around the sun isn’t exactly 365 days—it’s about 365.25 days, so leap years help keep the calendar aligned.
3. July was originally called Quintilis, meaning “fifth month” in Latin.
4. June is named after Juno, the queen of the Roman gods and the goddess of marriage.
5. September (seven), October (eight), November (nine), and December (ten) were named when the calendar started in March—but after January and February were added, their names no longer matched their positions.
6. March used to be the first month of the year in the early Roman calendar.
7. Emperor Augustus named August after himself, just like Julius Caesar did with July.
8. Aperire means “to open”, referring to flowers blooming in spring.
9. February is the only month that can sometimes have exactly four full weeks—when it’s not a leap year!
10. July and August both have 31 days because Augustus didn’t want his month (August) to be shorter than Julius Caesar’s month (July), so he added extra days.

Time to master the months!

Who knew the calendar was packed with so much history, mythology, and even a little competition between Roman emperors? From gods and goddesses to tricky leap years and mismatched names, the months we use every day have been shaped by thousands of years of changes.

So the next time someone asks you why February is so short or why September isn’t actually the seventh month, you’ll have the answer! Whether you’re planning a birthday, counting down to a holiday, or just trying to remember if November has 30 or 31 days, you’ve now got some fun facts to impress your friends.

Now, go forth and use your new month-mastering skills—because knowing why July and August are both 31 days long is way more fun than just memorizing a calendar!