Days of the Week in English: Spelling, Order and Pronunciation

How to teach it

1. 1. A weekly chart on the wall

   Draw seven boxes, one for each day, and put one picture in each: school, swimming, a visit to grandma. Every morning, point to the box and say the sentence together: "Today is Tuesday. We go swimming." Move a marker along the row as the week goes by.

2. 2. Say the days with a rhythm

   Chant the days with a steady beat, clapping once for each syllable stress: MON-day, TUES-day, WEDNES-day. A rhythm helps the order stick. Then say the days backwards, or start from Thursday and see whether the child can carry on.

3. 3. Days on cards in a line

   Write each day on a card and mix them up. Ask the child to put them in the right order on the floor. When it is easy, take one card away and ask: "What day is missing?" The child names it and puts it back.

4. 4. What day is it?

   Ask the same question at the same time each day: "What day is it today?" The child answers: "It is Wednesday." After a few days, ask about yesterday and tomorrow too, using the days on your wall chart as a clue.

5. 5. My favorite day

   Each child chooses a favorite day and draws what they do on that day. They share the picture with a sentence: "My favorite day is Saturday. I play at the park." This practices the day names and a full sentence.

6. 6. Weekday or weekend

   Show the child the cards and ask: "Is Saturday a weekday or a weekend day?" Sort the cards into two piles, five weekdays and two weekend days. Talk about what you usually do on each pile.

Common mistakes

• Writing days without a capital letter

  In English the days always start with a capital letter: Monday, Friday. Write "I go to school on Monday", not "on monday". The same is true for the months.

• Using the wrong word before a day

  Use on with days: on Monday, on Saturday. Learners often say "in Monday" or "at Monday". Practice the phrases "on Monday" to "on Sunday" as a chant, then add the activity: "on Tuesday I swim".

• Spelling Wednesday and Tuesday

  Wednesday has a silent d and is spelled Wed-nes-day. Tuesday is Tues-day, with the e before s. Say the word slowly, one part at a time, as you write it, and write it a few times from memory.

• Using the wrong verb with today and yesterday

  Today is Monday, yesterday was Sunday, tomorrow will be Tuesday. Learners often say "yesterday is Sunday". Use is for today and was for yesterday, and practice the two sentences together.

• Leaving out the -s for habits

  For something that happens every week, add -s to the day: "I swim on Fridays" means every Friday. "I swim on Friday" is one Friday. Both are right, but they mean different things.