Best for
Movement lessons, hauora inquiry, school sports warm-ups, and cultural learning where students need reflection as well as participation.
Hauora and tikanga • Ngā tākaro Māori • Years 4-8 • Ready to use tomorrow
Traditional Māori Games
Use this handout to help ākonga understand that ngā tākaro Māori are more than “fun activities”. They carry movement learning, observation, oral transmission, tikanga, and relationships with others in class and community.
Free classroom scaffold, premium adaptation path
This handout is ready to use in class or outside. If you want it localised for one specific game, a sports day rotation, a bilingual instruction set, or a performance and reflection sequence, Te Wānanga can adapt it while keeping the tikanga and hauora framing clear.
- Adapt the prompt set for one game or a multi-station lesson.
- Create support and extension versions for younger or older learners.
- Save the adapted resource and reopen it later in My Kete or Creation Studio.
Kaiako planning snapshot
- Use length: 20-40 minutes depending on whether the class plays one game or rotates through several.
- Grouping: Pairs, small teams, or station groups depending on the chosen game.
- Prep: Decide which game to use, what equipment is needed, and what tikanga or safety expectations must be explicit before starting.
- Teaching move: Make the debrief as important as the game itself so students talk about learning, not just winning.
Resources already provided
- Tikanga and purpose prompts
- Observation checklist
- Post-game reflection scaffold
- Teach-it-to-someone-else planning space
- Curriculum companion for teacher planning clarity
If your lesson mentions observation, reflection, or oral retell after the game, those supports already exist here.
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions
- We are learning how traditional Māori games carry knowledge, values, and physical skill.
- We are learning how movement can grow whanaungatanga, strategy, and confidence.
- We are learning how to explain a game respectfully to others.
Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria
- I can describe how the game works and what it develops.
- I can identify one value or tikanga expectation in the game.
- I can explain how I would teach the game to someone else.
Curriculum integration / Te Marautanga alignment
Use the linked curriculum companion to make the oral transmission, movement learning, tikanga, and teacher-only planning rationale explicit.
Games as taonga tuku iho
Ngā tākaro Māori can pass on rhythm, coordination, observation, teamwork, and ways of relating to others. Good classroom use respects tikanga, avoids token “cultural activity” framing, and treats the explanation of the game as part of the learning.
Before you play
- What is the name of the game?
- What is its purpose or learning focus?
- What tikanga, fairness, or safety expectations need to be clear?
- What equipment or space is required?
While you play
- What physical skills are needed?
- What kind of communication or teamwork helps most?
- Where do you see patience, fairness, or support for others?
- What makes the game challenging in a good way?
After you play
The game helped us practise: _________________________________________
The tikanga or value I noticed most was: ___________________________
This game is different from a modern sport because: ________________
One thing I would keep teaching others is: _________________________
Teach the game to someone else
Write or draw the instructions you would use if a younger class or a whānau member asked you to teach the game.
Draw the setup
Sketch the space, players, or equipment layout so someone else could understand how to begin.
Support, core, and stretch
Support
Use the sentence stems, complete one reflection question at a time, and talk through the game orally before writing anything down.
Core
Complete the observation and reflection sections, then explain how you would teach the game to someone else.
Stretch
Compare the game with a modern sport or playground game and explain what different values or skills each one emphasises.
Neurodiversity and inclusion note: use oral rehearsal, paired explanation, and alternative response modes so writing load does not block participation.
Teach this tomorrow
Print or share
- One copy per learner or pair
- Any game equipment list you need ready
Decide before class
- Which game or station sequence you are using
- How you will explain tikanga and safety at the start
Good progress looks like
- Students talk about values and learning, not just enjoyment
- They can explain how to teach the game clearly to others
Natural continuation
- Move into te reo instructions or wider hauora reflection
- Adapt the task in Te Wānanga for your local sports or cultural day
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Social Sciences — Tikanga ā-Iwi
Level 3–4: Investigate social, cultural, environmental, and economic questions; gather and evaluate evidence from diverse sources; communicate findings and reasoning clearly for different audiences and purposes.
English — Communication
Level 3–4: Read, interpret, and evaluate information texts; write clearly and purposefully for specific audiences; apply critical thinking skills to evaluate sources and construct well-reasoned responses.
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
This resource sits within a kaupapa that recognises mātauranga Māori as a living knowledge system with its own frameworks, values, and ways of understanding the world. The New Zealand Curriculum calls for learning that reflects the bicultural partnership of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which means every subject area has an obligation to engage authentically with Māori perspectives — not as cultural decoration but as substantive contributions to how we understand our topics. The concepts of manaakitanga (care for others), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whanaungatanga (relationship and belonging), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) provide a values framework applicable across all learning areas, and all are relevant to the work in this handout.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials
This handout is designed to be used alongside the broader unit resources available at Te Kete Ako handouts library. Related resources from the same unit are linked in the unit planner. All resources are provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.