Days and Times of the Day: a week of ready-to-teach maths
Five days of lessons for Foundation. Print this pack and the week is prepared: each day has a one-page plan and a student worksheet, plus cut-out cards, a mini-check and every answer.
Start here: five minutes to Monday
- Skim the week at a glance on the next page.
- Print the five days. Each day is two A4 sheets: a plan and a worksheet.
- Cut out the two card sheets once; they are reused all week.
- Open the free interactive unit on your board. Every plan tells you which picture to show and when.
- Teach straight from the plan. Timings, talk prompts, misconceptions and answers are all on the one page.
No maths background needed
This pack is written for the busy generalist teacher. Each plan explains the idea in plain words, lists the misconceptions children bring, and gives model answers, so you can walk in and teach it.
One day, one lesson
The five lessons fill a week of maths, one lesson of about 40 minutes a day. Run them in order: each day stands on the one before. Every lesson can also split into a short warm-up and a main session if your timetable runs small blocks.
The week at a glance
One lesson a day for a week. Each day stands on the day before, so run them in order.
| Day | Lesson | Children learn and do | On screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Times of the day | Name morning, lunchtime, afternoon and night time; match an action to each | Match the Event |
| 2 | Days of the week in order | Say and sequence the seven days, Monday to Sunday | The Week in Order |
| 3 | Before and after | Yesterday, today, tomorrow; the day before and the day after | Before and After |
| 4 | Connect events to times | Link a familiar event to its day and its time of the day | Match the Event |
| 5 | The weekly calendar | Read a simple weekly calendar and fill your own week | The Weekly Calendar |
How the week builds
Day 1 names the parts of a single day; Day 2 puts the seven days in order; Day 3 works out what comes before and after a day; Day 4 pins familiar events to their day and time; and Day 5 reads and fills a weekly calendar. It builds on comparing how long things take, and it opens the way to reading a clock and a calendar later on.
Materials for the week (one trip)
- From the classroom: scissors, pencils, this pack printed.
- A class wall calendar or a pocket chart, if you have one, to mark the day together each morning.
- Cut out once, use all week: the day cards, the time-of-day cards and the event cards in this pack. No maths equipment to buy.
Dear families
This week in maths, Foundation is learning the days of the week and the times of the day. We name morning, lunchtime, afternoon and night time, put the seven days in order, and tie them to things we do.
Try this at home
- Each morning, ask together: what day is it today, what day was yesterday, what is tomorrow?
- Talk through the day as it happens: this is the morning, now it is lunchtime, soon it will be night time.
- Name one thing you do at each time of the day: breakfast in the morning, a story at night time.
- Look forward to a weekend event and count the sleeps until it comes.
My week
Fill one row a day. Tick when you have said the day and named a time of the day.
| Day | Something I did today | I said the day | Time of the day it happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | □ | ||
| Tuesday | □ | ||
| Wednesday | □ | ||
| Thursday | □ | ||
| Friday | □ |
Printed from the free seegongsik Days and Times of the Day teaching pack · seegongsik.com/au/foundation/measurement/AC9MFM02/pack
Times of the day
A single day moves through the same parts in the same order: morning, then lunchtime, then afternoon, then night time. Foundation children feel these parts through what happens in them, so we name each one and tie it to an action.
We are learning to
- name the four times of the day,
- put morning, lunchtime, afternoon and night time in order,
- match an action to the time of the day it happens.
Success criteria
- I can name morning, lunchtime, afternoon and night time.
- I can say when an action happens.
You need
The time-of-day cards and the event cards (cut-out sheets 1 and 2), one set per group. The worksheet, one per child.
Lesson flow (about 40 minutes)
| 10 min | Our day so far Lay out the four time-of-day cards in order. Talk through the day the class has had. Ask: “What have we done since we woke up? Was that in the morning or the afternoon?” |
| 20 min | Sort the actions Groups take the event cards and place each one under a time-of-day card — breakfast under morning, sleep under night time. Ask: “When do we eat lunch at school? Which time of the day is that?” |
| 10 min | Say the order Chant the four times of the day in order together, then out of order to catch it out. Ask: “What comes after lunchtime? Which time of the day comes last?” |
Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after sorting the actions. Start Session B by chanting the four times of the day, then play a quick guessing game with the event cards.
Watch for these ideas
- Mixing up afternoon and night time: anchor each to a real action, like play time and bedtime.
- Thinking any meal is lunchtime: lunchtime is the middle of the day.
- Naming a time but not its order: practise saying all four in order, morning first.
Answers
- Eating breakfast is in the morning. Eating lunch at school is at lunchtime.
- Playing after school is in the afternoon. Going to sleep is at night time.
- The order of the day is morning, lunchtime, afternoon, night time.
When does it happen?
Read each action. Write which time of the day it happens: morning, lunchtime, afternoon or night time.
| What we do | Time of the day |
|---|---|
| Eating breakfast | |
| Eating lunch at school | |
| Playing after school | |
| Going to sleep |
Draw your day
Draw one thing you do in the morning and one thing you do at night time.
Days of the week in order
The seven days come in one fixed order, and the order loops forever: after Sunday comes Monday again. Once a child holds this sequence, they can say what day it is today, what was yesterday and what is tomorrow.
We are learning to
- say the seven days in order from Monday,
- name the five school days and the two weekend days,
- know the order loops: after Sunday comes Monday.
Success criteria
- I can say the days in order, starting at Monday.
- I can name the two weekend days.
You need
The day cards (cut-out sheet 1), one set per group. The worksheet, one per child. A class calendar helps.
Lesson flow (about 40 minutes)
| 10 min | Chant the week Say Monday to Sunday together, clapping once for each day. Speed up, then slow down. Ask: “Which day do we always start on? Which two days are for the weekend?” |
| 20 min | Peg the week Groups lay the seven day cards in order. Take one card away and hide it; the class names the missing day. Ask: “A day is missing. Which one? How did you work it out?” |
| 10 min | Loop it Point past Sunday: what comes next? Show the week starting again at Monday. Ask: “After Sunday, does the week stop? What day comes round again?” |
Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after pegging the week. Start Session B with the loop, then the worksheet.
Watch for these ideas
- Reciting the days smoothly but not being able to name which one is missing.
- Only being able to start from Monday, and getting stuck if asked to begin mid-week.
- Forgetting the order loops back, so after Sunday they think the week ends.
Answers
- In order: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
- The missing days on the worksheet are Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
- The weekend days are Saturday and Sunday. After Sunday comes Monday.
The week in order
Fill in the missing days
Write the days that are missing. The week starts at Monday.
| In order | Day |
|---|---|
| 1 | Monday |
| 2 | |
| 3 | Wednesday |
| 4 | |
| 5 | Friday |
| 6 | |
| 7 |
The weekend
Circle the two weekend days.
The weekend days are ____________ and ____________.
Before and after
Once a child knows the order of the week, they can answer what comes before and after a day. Going forwards (tomorrow, the day after) is easy; going backwards (yesterday, the day before) is harder, just as it is with counting, so we practise both.
We are learning to
- use the words yesterday, today and tomorrow,
- say the day that comes after a given day,
- say the day that comes before a given day.
Success criteria
- I can say what day comes after another day.
- I can say what day comes before another day.
You need
The day cards (cut-out sheet 1), laid in order. The worksheet, one per child.
Lesson flow (about 40 minutes)
| 10 min | Today, yesterday, tomorrow Name today together. Then name yesterday, then tomorrow, checking against the day cards. Ask: “What day is it today? So what day was yesterday? What day will tomorrow be?” |
| 20 min | Point and predict Point to a day card. The class says the day before it, then the day after it. Try Monday, so before must loop back to Sunday. Ask: “What comes just before Monday? Do we run out of days, or does the week loop?” |
| 10 min | Backwards is harder Play a quick round of only the day before, hopping back down the week. Ask: “Going backwards is trickier. What did we do yesterday to help us name the day before?” |
Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after point and predict. Start Session B with the backwards round, then the worksheet.
Watch for these ideas
- Answering after quickly but freezing on before: going backwards needs more practice.
- Swapping yesterday and tomorrow, which point in opposite directions.
- Forgetting the loop: before Monday is Sunday, and after Sunday is Monday.
Answers
- If today is Wednesday, yesterday was Tuesday and tomorrow is Thursday.
- Friday: before is Thursday, after is Saturday. Monday: before is Sunday, after is Tuesday.
- Sunday: before is Saturday, after is Monday.
What comes before and after?
Yesterday, today, tomorrow
Today is Wednesday.
Yesterday was ____________.
Tomorrow will be ____________.
The day before and the day after
Fill in the day that comes before and the day that comes after each one.
| The day before | Day | The day after |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | ||
| Monday | ||
| Sunday |
Careful with Monday and Sunday: the week loops, so before Monday is Sunday.
Connect events to times
The order of the week and the day become useful when we pin them to real events. A child learns morning as the time they eat breakfast, and Saturday as the day of the footy. Today we tie familiar events to both a day and a time of the day.
We are learning to
- connect a familiar event to its time of the day,
- connect a familiar event to its day,
- talk about when things happen across our week.
Success criteria
- I can say the time of the day an event happens.
- I can say the day an event happens on.
You need
The event cards, the time-of-day cards and the day cards (cut-out sheets 1 and 2). The worksheet, one per child.
Lesson flow (about 40 minutes)
| 10 min | Our class week Name the events that happen on set days in your room, like library day or sport day, and the events that happen every day, like lunch. Ask: “Which things happen on just one day? Which things happen every day?” |
| 20 min | Pin it twice Groups take an event card and place it under a day card and a time-of-day card — the footy under Saturday and afternoon. Ask: “When does this happen? Which day, and which time of the day?” |
| 10 min | Share our week Each group shares one event with its day and time of the day for the class to check. Ask: “Does that time of the day fit the event? Could it happen at another time?” |
Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after pinning it twice. Start Session B with the share, then the worksheet.
Watch for these ideas
- Naming the day but forgetting the time of the day, or the other way round.
- Thinking every event has one special day, when some happen every day, like lunch.
- Choosing a time of the day that does not fit, like breakfast at night time.
Answers
- Morning drop-off at school is in the morning, on a school day. Bath before bed is at night time, on any day.
- Weekend sport is on Saturday or Sunday, often in the morning or afternoon.
- My favourite TV show depends on the child: check the day and time of the day they give make sense.
When is it on?
For each event, write which day it is on and which time of the day it happens. Ask your teacher if you are not sure of the day.
| Event | Which day? | Which time of the day? |
|---|---|---|
| Morning drop-off at school | ||
| My favourite TV show | ||
| Weekend sport | ||
| Bath before bed |
One thing I do every day
Write one thing you do every single day: ____________________________________
The time of the day it happens is: ____________.
The weekly calendar
A calendar gathers the whole week into one picture and pins events to days. Reading one brings together everything from the week: the order of the seven days and the events tied to them. After the calendar, the class does the end-of-week mini-check.
We are learning to
- read a simple weekly calendar,
- find what is on for a given day,
- fill a calendar with our own week.
Success criteria
- I can find what is on for a day.
- I can write an event on the right day of a calendar.
You need
The worksheet, one per child (it carries the calendar). The mini-check from the back of the pack. The day cards for a floor calendar, if you have space.
Lesson flow (about 40 minutes)
| 10 min | Read our calendar Show a class calendar. Point to a day and read what is on; find the day with the footy game. Ask: “What is on today? Which day has the footy game on it?” |
| 20 min | Read and fill Children read the printed calendar and answer the questions, then fill their own week underneath. Ask: “How many days have nothing on them? How can you tell?” |
| 10 min | Mini-check Hand out the end-of-week mini-check from the back of the pack. Children work on their own; read each question aloud. |
Two half-sessions instead? End Session A after reading and filling the calendar. Start Session B with the mini-check.
Watch for these ideas
- Reading down the wrong column, so an event lands on the wrong day.
- Missing that some days have nothing on them.
- Losing the day order when filling their own calendar.
Answers
- Library is on Tuesday, Sport is on Thursday, the footy game is on Saturday, and Sunday is a rest day.
- Three days have nothing on: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
- The own-week calendar varies: check each event sits under the right day.
Our week on a calendar
Read the calendar
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Library | Sport | Footy game | Rest |
- What is on Thursday? ____________
- Which day has the footy game? ____________
- Which day is Library? ____________
- How many days have nothing on them? ____
Fill your own week
Write or draw one thing you do on some of these days.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Day and time-of-day cards
Cut out the cards. Use the day cards to build the week in order (Day 2) and to work out what comes before and after (Day 3). Use the time-of-day cards to sort actions (Day 1) and to pin events (Day 4). One set per group is plenty.
Day cards
Time-of-day cards
Teacher note: the four time-of-day cards read morning, lunchtime, afternoon and night time, the same words the class matches on screen in the interactive unit.
Event cards
Cut out the event cards. Match each one to a time of the day (Day 1), and to a day and a time of the day (Day 4). There is room to draw a picture on each card so young children can read it without words.
Teacher note: the event cards are everyday actions, so the floor sorting game and the screen match. Add cards for events that are special to your class.
What we know: days and times of the day
Work on your own. Your teacher will read each question aloud.
- Put the times of the day in order, first to last: afternoon, morning, night time, lunchtime. ____, ____, ____, ____
- Cleaning your teeth in the morning happens in the ____________.
- Turning off the light to go to sleep happens at ____________.
- Write the day that comes after Thursday: ____________
- Write the day that comes before Saturday: ____________
- Write the seven days in order, starting at Monday: ____________________________________
- Netball training is on Thursday afternoon. Which day is it on? ____________ Which time of the day? ____________
- Feeding the dog before school happens in the ____________.
Answers and marking guide
Answers
- morning, lunchtime, afternoon, night time.
- morning.
- night time.
- Friday.
- Friday.
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
- Thursday; afternoon.
- morning.
A quick three-level guide
| Idea | Working towards | At standard | Beyond |
|---|---|---|---|
| Times of the day (Q1) | names some of the four times of the day | orders morning, lunchtime, afternoon and night time | explains why night time comes last, using the day |
| Connect events to times (Q2, Q3, Q8) | matches one action to a time with help | matches an action to the right time of the day | explains the choice by what happens then |
| Days of the week (Q4, Q5, Q6) | says some of the days in order | says the days in order and names before and after | handles the loop, so before Monday is Sunday |
| Connect to day and time (Q7) | names the day or the time, not both | names both the day and the time of the day | describes another event with its day and time |
Eight questions, four ideas. A child at standard answers most questions and can name the day and the time of the day for a familiar event.
Weekly class record
Jot a tick as you move around the room; the mini-check fills any gaps. A tick a day is plenty.
| Name | Times of the day | Days in order | Before and after | Events and times | The weekly calendar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The five columns are the five days: name the times of the day, order the days, before and after, connect events, and read the calendar.