Embracing Te Reo Māori with Te Whare Tapa Whā
We've got a whole wiki of ideas to inspire you and your tamariki to grow and develop your te Reo Māori while continuing their hauora learning with Te Whare Tapa Whā. These activities can be done individually or across any wiki to bring some hauora goodness to each day while also connecting with each aspect of Te Whare Tapa Whā
Firstly, the science...
Learning new kupu along with thinking about new ways to care for our hauora promotes and enhances social inclusion and provides loads of opportunities to connect with our Aotearoa culture and history. When there is higher levels of social inclusion and acceptance among a community there is overall better hauora and care for not only those among the community but also the wider society.
Why this activity?
These activities are awesome to complete throughout Te Wiki o te Reo Māori - Māori Language Week, supporting tamariki to learn, kōrero and waiata more te Reo. But remember, they can be done at any time of the year.
What to do
Start the wiki with a kōrero about Te Whare Tapa Whā and its pou (taha tinana, taha hinengaro, taha whānau, taha wairua and whenua), and how all of these contribute to our hauora. Print each of your tamariki a Kupu List worksheet and encourage them to add kupu (with their definitions) to their lists throughout the week.
Taha whānau - Developing our pepeha
Whakataukī: Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi engari he toa takitini – “My strength is not of the one, but of the many.”
We love the My Pepeha template from our buddies at Tākai. Print one for each of your ākonga.
To start, take some time to reflect on the whakataukī above. Use it to set your intentions and as a small mindful moment.
It reminds us that our strength often comes from those around us. While each person has their own mana, we often find our sense of belonging and happiness with the people who love and care for us. Whānau doesn’t have to mean just family members - it can include all the people we love who give us strength and help make us who we are.
Kōrero with tamariki about how learning, connecting, and speaking to our whakapapa can boost self-confidence. Knowing where we come from and understanding the accomplishments of our ancestors helps us feel proud of our cultural background. Thinking about our whakapapa can also grow our sense of purpose.
Tamariki may need to connect with whānau to complete their pepeha, which makes a great whānau kōrero that reinforces all of this.
Taha hinengaro – Mindful coloring out in te taiao
Whakataukī: He manu hou ahau, he pī ka rere – “I am a young bird, a chick learning to fly.”
Prepare by printing this ka rawe colouring sheet from Kuwi and Friends for each of your ākonga. It supports tamariki to learn ngā kākahu - the kupu for clothing!
We love this whakataukī. You may like to use it to begin your day together, reflecting on tamariki experiences of feeling joy when learning something new. Te Reo Māori is a taonga (treasure) that helps us express our gifts, thoughts, feelings and ideas.
You might like to complete this mindful colouring after kai, or when tamariki need some calm time. You could even take it outside - grab a book to lean on, some colouring pens or pencils, sit under a rākau, and soak in the smells and sounds around you while colouring. You may even start or finish this time with some Puku Breathing.
Be sure to too to check out the other cool printable from Kuwi & Friends!
Taha wairua – Kura Kupu find
Whakataukī: Kia hora te marino, kia whakapapa pounamu te moana, kia tere te kārohirohi i mua i tōu huarahi – “May the calm be widespread, may the ocean glisten like greenstone, may the shimmer of light guide you on your way.”
Prepare for your day by printing off the Kura Kupu Find worksheet – one for each ākonga, or they might work in pairs to support each other's learning.
This whakataukī reminds us of the joy that comes from peace and calm. Tamariki might like to share some of their own special calm moments.
In today’s kupu find, there are words like manahau, menemene and aroha - kupu that help tamariki describe their emotions. Encourage them to add these to their kupu lists.
And a wee note - this activity would be awesome to pair with some refreshers of the Māori alphabet and vowel sounds.
Taha tinana - Upoko, Pakihiwi (head, shoulders)
Whakataukī: Mauri tū mauri ora, mauri noho, mauri mate — “An active mauri is a healthy mauri.”
To prepare, queue up the YouTube clip from our buddies and Loopy Tunes - Upoko, Pakihiwi (Head, Shoulders) and have the speakers at the ready!
This whakataukī reminds us that moving our tinana is good for our health — and brightens our mood. As we head into kōanga (spring), it’s also a great time to kōrero with tamariki about how the energy of the taiao lifts us as the whenua warms up.
As a super simple idea today play the waiata Upoko, Pakihiwi (head, shoulders) - you might like to take this outside. Without fail as the waiata progressively gets faster, the fun factor rises too!
Whenua- Exploring new kupu
Whakataukī: Ko au te taiao, ko te taiao ko au – “I am the environment and the environment is me.”
To prepare download the Kupu app - it's one of our faves!
Use the whakataukī to kōrero about fun times tamariki have had out in te taiao. It connects us with Tamanuiterā (the sun), Papatūānuku (the earth), Tangaroa (the ocean) and Ranginui (the sky). Whether we are active, or just sitting, observing, and listening, spending time outside is always good for us.
Head outside to explore. Ask tamariki to choose something from te taiao or around your kura to research and find the kupu. They might use Kupu to do this, or check once back in class by asking peers or using a Māori dictionary. Invite ākonga to share their new kupu with the class and add them to their kupu list.
Come the end of te wiki...
Remind tamariki of their kupu lists and commit to using a new kupu each week from their lists to grow your te Reo together. Perhaps this becomes part of your Mane morning routine
Whānau engagement
Encourage tamariki to continue their learning at home with whānau. Some great ways they might do this is through sharing their pepeha, and their kupu list or coming up with their own for around the whare and about the things they do together. It might also be great share the Kupu app or print another colouring piece from Kuwi & Friends for tamariki to take home too.
And to add to this...
Another awesome resource that can support tamariki learning in this space is the Kuwi & Friends Māori Picture Dictionary by Kat Quin and Kuwi & Friends Te Reo Māori map of Aotearoa (A3 Poster) - both perfect for learning some new kupu
You can also download our Te Wiki o te Reo Māori posters here. These are perfect for supporting kaiako to try some new phrases throughout te wiki and beyond, we have versions with and without tearoff tabs to support learning.
Curriculum links
Personal Health and physical development: A1 - Personal growth and development
Relationships with other people: C2 - Identity, sensitivity, and respect
Identity, Culture, and Organisation – students learn about the diverse cultures and identities of people within communities.
Language knowledge - students develop knowledge of the language, which will, over time, contribute to greater accuracy of use.
Cultural knowledge - students learn about culture and the interrelationship between culture and language.