Māori days of the week, months and seasons – How to learn and teach
Learning te reo Māori (or any language, or any skill…) becomes easier the more we practice.
Which means we have to practice often, and the most effective way to do this is to speak little bits daily.
Having a routine and resources to support learning can help – especially learning Māori days of the week, months and seasons can benefit from having something tangible and interactive , at set times, helps habit become knowledge.
Resources to integrate te reo Māori days of the week, months and seasons:
Quick background: There are many resources out there that support language, but it was tricky to find something that paired what I considered core values – learn te reo Maori, encourage connection and belonging with the environment that live alongside.
What resources I could find were either –
- full te reo Maori, which is tricky when staring out as beginners, or
- completely in English, or
- speaking of seasons that were in the opposite hemisphere to where we live.
So . . . I made some instead.
These resources have been used in primary schools, NZ ECE centres, and home school families all over Aotearoa.
- NZ Seasonal Perpetual Calendar brings language to life as a daily calendar in an interactive wheel format.
- Māori days of the week, months and seasons is a teaching resource that can be printed, cut and laminated for daily class use.
Get it for FREE with Paitu’s Seasonal Wheel. - This te reo Māori Seasons, Months & Days of the Week, is a free printable resource that explains further the Maori units of time; as well as pronunciation for days, months and seaons.
Maori Days of the Week – Nga Ra o te Wiki – printables
Easy ways to bring Māori days of the week, months and seasons into daily learning –
- During Classroom morning roll call:
Speak the date with the class in te reo Māori – while encouraging a child to interact with the te reo Māori perpetual calendar wheels, turning to change it to today’s date. - During ECE Mat time:
Young children thrive on daily rhythms and routines – introduce the perpetual calendar at mat time, view the illustrations while speaking of the seasons and months.
Or include in your nature table space. - During Homeschool rhythms:
Simply include in your brekkie time or morning tea chats – change the date, speak of the Maori days of the week, Months and Seasons as you begin your day. The whole family learns together. - For personal development:
Illustrated with tamariki in mind – which also means it is simple enough for teachers or parents to learn with ease!
Be sure to change the calendar daily, speak it out loud and you will learn the kupu for the Maori days of the week, Months and Seasons in no time. - Using song:
Yes, sing it! Whether you are preschool child, primary child, or child at heart; learning with song can help integrate language based learning’s and help make them stick.
Days of the week in te reo Maori – Teaching Resources
More ABOUT THE NZ PERPETUAL SEASONAL CALENDAR
- Suitable for Primary and ECE settings, nature tables and daily circle time –
with interactive turning ‘wheels’ to change the date, it is an easy and engaging inclusion in morning rhythms. The calendar visually displays signs of the season, showing how each flows into the next, offering discussions about how this relates to earth’s cycles. - Featuring illustrations unique to Aotearoa –
Supports Te Whāriki curriculum – belonging, communication and exploration.
Tamariki connect with nature illustrations unique to Aotearoa, making connections with their environment and language. with seasons and scenes that accurately represent the Southern Hemisphere. - Encourages daily use of te reo Māori –
repetitive use helps with learning the names of the Days, Months and Seasons which are based on Ministry of Education’s Te reo Māori lesson plans, Curriculum level 1. - Includes a printable resource –
to aid pronunciation of NZ Māori Seasons, Months & Days and deepen learning around te reo and the maramataka, as well as pronunciation and translation for teachers. - Helps to understand the maramataka –
Consider this a bridge between the Maori lunar calendar (maramataka) and the commonly used calendar (Gregorian calendar), and dive deeper into your own, preferably local, learning!
There are many resources out there to learn Maori days of the week, Months and Seasons, though the daily interactive elements and visual engagement of this calendar area a really effective first choice for learning for children, their teachers and whanau.
Seasonal Wheel Southern Hemisphere is a great resource for schools and homeschools in NZ
Read more about the calendar here
Bulk orders
If you are a ECE, School, or Homeschool group, please talk to me about bulk purchases, I’d love to support your tamariki’s learning with a discounted rate!
Contact me about bulk orders here: Click to email about bulk ordering
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