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
Food We Eat
23 Feb – 27 Feb 2026
Week 7
Food language, gratitude and the start of healthy-choice thinking - linked to the daily school meal.
Well-being
Healthy plate game: cut food pictures from old shop pamphlets and sort into 'every day food' and 'sometimes food' hoops.
Identity & Belonging
My favourite food show-and-tell drawing; talk about how different families cook different good food.
Communication
Make a pretend plate by pasting pamphlet foods, then 'read' your menu to a friend: 'On my plate I have...'
Exploring Mathematics
Bean counting into egg-box cups numbered 1 to 5 - put exactly the right number of beans in each cup.
Creativity
Vegetable printing - dip cut potato, okra and apple ends in paint and print patterns.
Physical & the World
Harvest carry relay - carry mealies or stones in a basin on the head or in both arms across the yard without dropping.
⏰ Morning ring
- What did you eat this morning?
- Grow foods and sometimes foods - which makes us strong?
- Where pap comes from: mealie, mill, pot
- We say thank you for food - who cooked yours today?
📖 Story
'The Little Red Hen' (folk tale) - 'Who will help me plant the wheat?' Children answer as the lazy animals; end with a talk about helping and sharing food.
🎵 Song
'One Potato, Two Potato' (traditional counting rhyme) - first line: 'One potato, two potato, three potato, four'.
🏃 Outdoor
Fruit-salad ring game: children named apple/banana/orange swap seats when their fruit is called; 'Fruit salad!' means everyone swaps.
💬 Words this week
pap bread fruit vegetables milk egg hungry full
ukudla (isiZulu - food)
swakudya (Xitsonga - food)
kudla (siSwati - food)
isinkwa (isiZulu - bread)
umbila (isiZulu - maize)
👁 Watch and record
Children who arrive very hungry, eat unusually fast or pocket food - flag quietly to the principal for feeding follow-up. Also note counting to 5 with correspondence.
🎓 Grade R stretch
Sort foods by first sound (b-banana, m-milk, p-pap); count out the right number of plates and cups for the class table.
📱 Message home to parents
Theme: Food We Eat. Let your child help make one meal this week - washing veg, stirring or dishing pap - and name each food as you cook.
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.
