Learning the 7 days of the week can be hard for young learners. However, it is something that we all have to learn. Collected below are some resources that we believe will help you teach someone this vocabulary as easily as possible.
This includes:
- A Days of the Week poster (downloadable)
- A Days of the Week chart with audio and translations
- An Explanation of weekdays vs. the weekend
- YouTube videos to help with reinforcement
- Game ideas
Days of the Week Chart with Translations
| # | Day of the Week in English | Weekday/Weekend | Hindi | Mandarin |
| 1 | Monday | Weekday | सोमवार | 星期一 |
| 2 | Tuesday | Weekday | मंगलवार | 星期二 |
| 3 | Wednesday | Weekday | बुधवार | 星期三 |
| 4 | Thursday | Weekday | गुरूवार | 星期四 |
| 5 | Friday | Weekday | शुक्रवार | 星期五 |
| 6 | Saturday | Weekend | शनिवार | 星期六 |
| 7 | Sunday | Weekend | रविवार | 星期日 |
In some instances, the beginning of the week is considered Sunday and not Monday. This is an older tradition, but you may still see this on some calendars.
Audio Recordings for Pronunciation
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Weekdays Vs. Weekend
In English, we split our week into two different sections: weekdays and the weekend.
Weekends are sometimes referred to as workdays. These are the days where you are working, going to school, etc. Generally, the weekdays are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
The weekend refers to the days where you are not working or studying. When we talk about the weekend, we usually mean Saturday and Sunday. However, this can change depending on your situation. If your job has you working Wednesday-Sunday and relaxing on Monday and Tuesday, then your workdays would be Wednesday-Sunday, and your weekend would be Monday and Tuesday. One thing to note, we would not refer to Saturday and Sunday as weekdays in this example.
One other exception is a long weekend. A long weekend is when a holiday falls on a Monday or Friday. In these situations, that Monday or Friday would become apart of your weekend or long weekend. If this week you have a holiday on Friday and next Monday (like during Easter), then your weekend would be from Friday to Monday.
If a holiday falls on a weekday that is not Monday or Friday, we would just refer to this day as a holiday. It would not be considered the weekend like in the long weekend example.
YouTube Resources
YouTube is not a replacement for a teacher, but it can really help for reinforcement through repetition. I especially like it for songs that can help teach children vocabulary. Here are some YouTube videos I have used in the past.
7 Days of the Week Game Ideas
Games are the best way to teach anything. So, once you have gone over the days of the week with your child/student, then play some games to really reinforce what they have learned.
Board Games
Board games work for reviewing pretty much anything. The 7 days of the week are no different. Play your favorite board game, but have your child name a day of the week before each round. You could do this by holding up a flashcard or even your fingers (with a number corresponding to the day you want them to recall).
We have some free board game resources already made, plus some explanations of how to use them. Check them out over at our Board Games for English-Learning post.
Arrange the Days in Order Race
Start by making some quick flashcards of the days of the week. If your child is a bit older, have them help! They can decorate them and practice their writing by making them.
After the flashcards are made, you are going to want to shuffle them. Place them all face down on the floor. Start the stopwatch, and then have your child place them in the correct order and say them out loud as quickly as possible.
This is best done with multiple children so you can have some competition, but otherwise, you can always just offer up praise or a reward for beating a certain time.
Other Vocabulary Game Ideas
We have a whole list of vocabulary games for you. Head over there to learn about some different games we often use to teach vocabulary.
Final Thoughts
No English education is complete without knowledge of the days of the week. Get them started early, and it will quickly become second nature. This vocabulary is used every day, so you shouldn’t even have to worry about reviewing periodically. If you need any more help, please reach out.
We have also made a post on the months of the year. Once you have finished up here, you should check it out and begin working on that.