Yesterday, today and tomorrow are three of the hardest little words for young children, because you cannot see or touch them. A three-year-old may say "I went to the park tomorrow" and mean last week. This page makes time visible. Three picture cards sit in a row, yesterday on the left, today in the middle and tomorrow on the right, and Golu, our marble mascot, tells your child what he did, is doing and will do, in Hindi and English.
What your child learns here
- The three words: yesterday (बीता कल), today (आज) and tomorrow (आने वाला कल).
- Time as a line: yesterday comes before today, and tomorrow comes after. The cards always stay in that left-to-right order with arrows, like a calendar.
- Listening for tense: "Golu flew a kite" happened already, "Golu is flying a kite" is happening now, and "Golu will fly a kite" has not happened yet.
- Everyday routines: school, visiting Grandma (नानी), riding a bicycle, reading, painting, birthday cake, the beach and flying a kite.
Why Hindi says "kal" for both yesterday and tomorrow
In Hindi, कल (kal) means both yesterday and tomorrow. Which one you mean is shown by the verb: कल गोलू ने पतंग उड़ाई (yesterday Golu flew a kite) uses a past verb, and कल गोलू पतंग उड़ाएगा (tomorrow Golu will fly a kite) uses a future verb. This is a lovely thing to point out to children growing up with Hindi and English: in English the time word does the work; in Hindi the verb does. To make the cards clear, the game labels them बीता कल ("the kal that has gone") and आने वाला कल ("the kal that is coming"), which is how many Indian teachers explain it in nursery and LKG.
| English | Hindi | |
|---|---|---|
| Yesterday | Golu went to school. | कल गोलू स्कूल गया। |
| Today | Golu is going to school. | आज गोलू स्कूल जा रहा है। |
| Tomorrow | Golu will go to school. | कल गोलू स्कूल जाएगा। |
How to play
Golu's days
Three cards show three pictures. Tap the yesterday card and Golu says, for example, "Yesterday, Golu visited Grandma." Tap today and tomorrow to hear the rest of his story. Every visit picks new pictures, so the story changes. Tapping all three earns a marble.
What did Golu do?
Golu asks one of three questions: "What did Golu do yesterday?", "What is Golu doing today?" or "What will Golu do tomorrow?" Your child taps the right card. The row stays in the same order, so your child starts to link "yesterday" with "before" and the left side.
When?
This is the listening challenge. Golu says a sentence without any time word, like "Golu will ride a bicycle", and your child decides: yesterday, today or tomorrow? The only clue is the verb, which is exactly the skill children need for later grammar. Younger children get two choices.
As in every game on this site, nothing is ever "wrong". A mistake gets a spoken hint, then a glow on the right card, then a pointing hand.
What to expect at each age
| Age | Typical understanding |
|---|---|
| 2-3 years | Understands "now" and "later"; uses "yesterday" for any time in the past. |
| 3-4 years | Knows "today"; starts using "tomorrow" for the future, often loosely. |
| 4-5 years | Uses yesterday and tomorrow for the right day most of the time; begins to name days of the week. |
| 5-6 years (UKG, class 1) | Answers "What day was yesterday?" with a calendar; uses past and future verbs well. |
It is completely normal for four-year-olds to mix these words up. Time words settle slowly, usually after the days of the week make sense.
How to teach yesterday, today and tomorrow at home
- Morning talk. Each morning, say one sentence: "Yesterday we went to the market. Today is school. Tomorrow is Sunday!"
- A three-pocket chart. Make a chart with three pockets labelled yesterday, today and tomorrow. Each morning, move the day cards along. This is the classic kindergarten calendar routine and it works at home too.
- Photo story. Show a photo from yesterday on your phone and ask "When did we do this?"
- Bedtime review. Ask "What did you do today?" and "What shall we do tomorrow?" This builds memory and planning.
- Countdowns. Before a birthday or festival like Diwali or Eid, count the sleeps together: "Three more sleeps… two… tomorrow!"
"Sleeps" help a lot. For a young child, "tomorrow" means "after one sleep" and "yesterday" means "before the last sleep".
Yesterday today tomorrow worksheet ideas
There is no PDF, but you can print this page from your browser. For a quick homemade worksheet, fold a paper into three columns, write the three words at the top and let your child draw one thing in each. For class 1 and UKG, add days of the week: "Yesterday was Monday, today is Tuesday, tomorrow will be Wednesday."
Tips for every child
Children with speech delay may understand the cards long before they say the words; accept pointing as a full answer. Autistic children often love a fixed daily calendar routine, and the same left-to-right strip can live on your fridge. In bilingual homes, the कल puzzle is a great conversation, not a problem. If your child gets frustrated, stop after one round and try again another day. Play together for a few minutes and then talk about your own day; that real conversation is the best practice.
Related pages
Next, learn the days of the week and the months of the year, tell the time with the clock for kids, or put events in order with sequencing for kids. The verbs in Golu's story are practised on action words.
