Learning sounds and letters in te reo Māori#

Mokopuna learn to hear and tell apart the sounds of te reo Māori. They also start to understand that letters represent sounds and that letters, words, and symbols work together to share meaning.

Mokopuna are learning Te Reo Rangatira in 4 different learning strands called ‘whenu’.

Find out more about whenu.

Te Reo Rangatira whenu

Whenu: Kia Tika#

Kia Mataara#

By the end of 6 months at kura, mokopuna need to be able to distinguish the sounds (phonemes) of te reo Māori.

Mokopuna are learning that sounds are represented by letters. They also learning how letters, words, and symbols work separately and together and that symbols convey meaning.

Ideas for whānau activities#

Hear and say 

Support your mokopuna to hear and say the sounds in te reo Māori clearly. Pick a short word in te reo Māori (for example, rākau, noke, pāua) and then:

• say the word slowly together, stretching out the sounds (for example, rā–kau).
• ask your mokopuna to say each sound on its own, then blend them back together
• use toys or pebbles to represent each sound and line them up as you say them.

Sounds and words

Play a 'same or different?' sound game by:

• saying 2 words aloud (for example, keke and kete)
• asking your mokopuna, "does this sound the same or different?"
• celebrating correct answers and talk about the sounds that changed.

You can also try fun word pairs like:

• nana – ngana
• kōrero – kōwhai
• māra – para.

Make a 'sound treasure box' by:

• finding items around the house that start with the same sound (for example, mīraka, māhita, māripi)
• asking your mokopuna to name each item, listening carefully to the first sound
• putting them in a box and label it with the letter and sound (for example, "/m/ mō mīraka")
• creating new boxes for different sounds over time.