Te Ara Pū Māori

Tamariki know a waiata-based game they can play with peers.

Te Ara Pū is a great way to practice the sounds of te reo while needing to stay focussed and part of the group.

You may know A Haka Mana which is a fantastic waiata tamariki enjoy, made up purely of the sounds of te reo Māori. This may be a great place to start before moving onto this activity, OR you can just jump right in!

Start by sharing these Te Ara Pū videos which show the activity in action.

Then learn and practice the intro together!

Here are the kupu (words):

Ko tēnei te kēmu
O te ara pū Māori
Ka huri ki a koe

Once you have the intro down, ask your tamariki to sit in a circle and try the intro to an easy clapping rhythm, e.g. two claps and two thigh pats.

At the end of the intro, say a single-syllable te reo sound to the beat, e.g. "ka". Tamariki must repeat this sound and add another, e.g. "ka pa!"

Repeat "ka pa" followed by "da da da daaa da" (as in the above video), before trying a new sound.

Keep going until there is a natural laugh or pause.

The first few times you play you may like to write a range of te reo sounds up on the board, so tamariki have lots of options to choose from. Practicing these sounds between games can boost knowledge and be good fun too.

See here for a thorough list of the basic sounds.

If you're up for a challenge, encourage tamariki to always add a new sound to the one you say (e.g. trading "ma-ma" for "ma-na" or "pa-pa" for "pa-ka").

You may also like to try: Listen to the Rain

Koa – enjoy!

Warmest thanks to Haeata Community Campus for suggesting this Te Ara Pū activity. We so appreciate your mahi and all it brings to Sparklers. Many times, ngā mihi.