The Days of the Week Song

Lyrics:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
What day is it today?
What day is it today?

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
What day is it today?
What day is it today?

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
What day is it today?
What day is it today?

Gestures and activities to use with the “The Days of the Week Song”

Some simple actions can be used with this song:

1. Stand up with both hands straight up in the air.
2. As the song plays each of the day words (Monday, Tuesday, etc.) slowly lower both arms, stretching right out, getting lower on each beat of the day words. So, for “Monday” both arms will be straight up at 12 o’clock, “Tuesday” your arms will be at 5-to and 5-past, … “Thursday” at quarter-to and quarter-past and finally by “Sunday” both arms are pointing down to half-past.
3. Then for the “What day is it today?” part, do the ‘palms of the hands up’ question gesture.

Using The Days of the Week Song in class

Teaching days of the week can be really fun and the song really helps the students to learn the words and remember the order of the days.

1. Teach the days of the week vocab. Start off by looking at a calendar with everyone (and English one, if possible). Have some fun with the calendar first: ask students to point at days such as Christmas and to point out their birthdays.  Ask what day their birthdays are on this year and point to the days row at the top of each month. Start to teach / elicit the English words for the days as you discuss their birthdays. Ask what day it is today.
2. Play “Put the days in order”. Before class, prepare some colored rectangles of card and write the days of the week in thick marker pen on each rectangle of card.  You’ll be putting students in pairs so make enough sets for each pair.  Also, if each day can be written on a different coloured card it will help the students to quickly identify each day. Put your students in pairs and give each pair a set of mixed up cards. By referring to the calendar, have the pairs put the days in order on the floor or table. Then get everyone to touch each card and repeat after you as you chorus the days of the week paying special attention to the fist letter of each word (e.g. “Th” for “Thursday”).  Run through a few times, getting faster and faster. Finally, get the pairs to mix up the cards and tell them they are going to race to see which pair can put their cards in order first.  Say “Ready, steady, go!” and let the students put the cards in order.  The winner pair finished first with the correct order.
3. Play “Wall Touch”. Give each pair some Blue-Tak or something to stick the cards on the wall with.  Ask everyone to randomly stick the cards all over the walls around the room.  Then bring everyone into the middle of the room.  Shout out “Monday” and everyone has to race over to a Monday card and touch it.  Then “Tuesday” and so on (in the correct order) until you make it through all the week days.  Play another round, this time faster!
4. Sing “The Days of the Week Song”. Put one set of day cards on the board in the correct order (or use our song poster). Run through the gestures (see above) first. Then play the song and sing along doing the gestures.  If this is the first time to sing the song, play it a second time.
5. Do a “Days of the Week” worksheet. To finish off this section of the lesson, give out worksheets based on the days of the week. As your students are doing the worksheets, ask questions (e.g. “What day is it?”, etc.). You can also give a worksheet for homework. We have two good worksheets: Days of the Week Scramble 2 and Days of the Week Order.