Teaching Resources
The Year Programme
43 themed weeks across the four school terms. Today falls in Week 25 — Small Creatures - Insects and Bugs. Every week gives you the ring time, the words, one activity per learning area, a story, a song, an outdoor game, what to watch for, and a message to send parents.
SELECTED WEEK
Winter is Here
22 Jun – 26 Jun 2026
Week 23
Naming the season's changes, staying warm and well, and closing the term with the warmth of sharing.
Well-being
Winter wellness routines: cough into the elbow, wipe-and-bin noses, wash hands; quietly note children without jerseys for the donation cupboard.
Identity & Belonging
Winter at my house: how does your family keep warm at night? Every home's way is respected.
Communication
Soup-pot circle story: each child adds an ingredient to the imaginary pot and repeats the whole growing list - a memory chain game.
Exploring Mathematics
Mitten and sock pairs: match them, count in twos; sort winter and summer clothes into two labelled boxes.
Creativity
Torn-paper patterned 'blankets'; white wax-crayon frost pictures revealed with a thin dark paint wash.
Physical & the World
Warm-up circuit: star jumps, tall stretches, and the 'shiver-shake-freeze' dance to keep bodies warm.
⏰ Morning ring
- Signs of winter: cold mornings, dry grass, early dark
- Keeping warm safely - fires and paraffin need a grown-up
- Winter foods: soup, warm pap, tea
- School closes on Friday - winter holiday plans
📖 Story
'Stone Soup' (folk tale) - a hungry traveller and one stone teach the village that everyone sharing a little makes plenty. Act it with real stones and a big pot.
🎵 Song
Original to the traditional 'Twinkle Twinkle' tune - first line: 'Winter, winter, cold and bright, keep me cosy through the night'.
🏃 Outdoor
Hug tag ('melt the ice'): frozen children are freed by a warm hug from a friend.
💬 Words this week
winter cold warm jersey blanket fire soup shiver
ubusika (isiZulu - winter)
busika (siSwati - winter)
xixika (Xitsonga - winter)
ingubo (isiZulu - blanket)
👁 Watch and record
Term 2 checkpoint: counting range, colours and shapes, sentence length, scissor skill; record children needing winter clothing support for welfare follow-up.
🎓 Grade R stretch
Winter word wall with initial sounds (w-winter, c-cold, s-soup); number bonds to 5 using 'coal' stones (3 and 2, 4 and 1).
📱 Message home to parents
Theme: Winter. School closes Friday 26 June and reopens Tuesday 21 July. Keep warm, keep telling bedtime stories, and let your child help cook one pot of soup in the holiday.
The whole year
14 January - 27 March 2026 (11 weeks, 53 school days; unified national calendar - no separate inland/coastal clusters in 2026)
Myself and My World: settling in, separation security, my body, senses, family and home. Colours red/blue/yellow/green, shapes circle/square/triangle, numbers 1-5.
8 April - 26 June 2026 (12 weeks, 54 school days; public holidays: Freedom Day Mon 27 Apr, Workers' Day Fri 1 May, special holiday Mon 15 Jun, Youth Day Tue 16 Jun)
My Community and the Working World: the people, places, helpers and transport around us, farm life, and winter. Numbers to 10, shape consolidation, positional language.
21 July - 23 September 2026 (10 weeks, 46 school days; National Women's Day observed Mon 10 Aug; Heritage Day 24 Sep falls in the holiday)
The Natural World and Our Heritage: wild animals, small creatures, water, plants, spring, birds, and Heritage Month. Numbers to 10 and beyond, patterns, measurement.
6 October - 9 December 2026 (10 weeks, 47 school days; learners close 9 Dec, educators 11 Dec)
The Wider World, Big Dreams and Celebration: life cycles, storms, sky, sea, money, aspirations, summer safety and the year-end concert. School readiness consolidation for Grade R.
