Kids learn best when they are having fun. I have found that my toddler is most excited to learn Gujarati when I associate the letters with fun activities or stories. That’s why each week we feature a Gujarati letter of the week, where we share activities and stories that are based on that letter. This week’s letter is મ!
Creating Corner: First up is મ for મોર (mor, peacock)
The more મોર, the better! Bring some peacocks into your life with this fun activity. All you need is playdough and seashells! Luckily, we live in San Diego so seashells are only 1 drive away. But, if you don't seashells close by, then you can make your own "seashells" out of thin rocks.
Check out formal instructions on this wonderful blog:
Next up is મ for મેઘધનુષ (meghadhanushya, rainbow)!
Who says you need rain for rainbows? With this activity, you can bring rainbows straight to your home. Not only is this activity fun, but it will also help your kid learn more about colors. All you need are some crayons, a muffin tray, and some muffin liners.
Check out the full instructions on this blog:
Finally, its time for મ for મગર (magar, crocodile)!
All you need for this craft is some construction paper and glue/tape!
Check out the full instructions on YouTube by clicking on the following link:
Activity time: It's time to learn about opposites with these opposite words (virodhi shabdha, વિરોધી શબ્દ).
Check out this list of opposites that involve words that start with મ. Say one word and have your kid guess the opposite!
મોટું/નાનું (motu/nanu, big/small)
મંગવાનું/ આપવાનું (maangvaanu/aapvaanu, to ask/to give)
મીઠું/કડવો (mitu/kadvo, sweet/bitter)
મોળું/તીખું (modu/tiku, bland/spicy)
મુકવાનું/ લેવાનું (mukvaanu/levaanu, to put/to take)
માંદા/તંદુરસ્ત (maanda/tandurast, sick/healthy)
મસ્તીખોર/શાંત (mastikaur/shaant, mischievous/calm)
Now its time for મ for માપ (maap, measure).
This activity is great way to bring some easy math into your kid's life.
Grab a measuring tape and measure the height of each member of your family.
Make a graph to depict how tall each family member is. You can use the picture to the right for some guidance, but essentially put the names of your family members on the x axis and their heights on the y axis. Color in the graph for extra spunk!
Next up, is મ for મૂર્તિ (murti, idol).
The Hindu religion has many different depictions of God. Each depiction highlights different values or traits that we should try to develop in our lives. When I was a kid, I definitely had my favorite murti. Ask your kid what their favorite murti is. Then have them practice murti pooja/concentration by closing their eyes and imaging their favorite murti. This will be a great way to ease your kid into concentration.
Finally, its time for મ for મુગટ (mugat, crown).
Who says the head who wears a crown has to be heavy? The only thing that will be heavy after this activity is your heart!
Cut strips of paper into large rectangles. Tape them together until they are long enough to fit around your kid's head. This will be your crown.
Draw different shapes on the crown. These will be the jewels of the crown.
Put the crown on!
Storytime: My kid LOVES stories. I have found that relating Gujarati letters to specific stories helps her associate the letter with more words and helps her practice saying the letter out loud. For the letter મ share the story of કૃષ્ણ અને માખણ (Krishna and the maakhan/butter) or share the story ગજેન્દ્ર મોક્ષ (Gajendra Moksha). You can read this stories (and more) under the “Gujarati stories” tab on our website.
Character/Quality Corner: While learning letters is super important, learning character is even more important. So why not do both simultaneously? Associating letters with characters and qualities helps pique my kid’s interest in great historical figures while also allowing her to practice saying the letter out loud. Characters:
મંદોદરી (Mandodari)
માદ્રી (Madri)
મીરાંબાઈ (Meerabai)
Sing-A-Long: The best way to learn a letter is to sing it! For the letter મ, check out the following songs!
Maaraa prabhu to naanaa che (મારા પ્રભુ તો નાના છે ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YMO8OBfdTw
Maaro che mor (મારો છે મોર) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLZMNPvaPzc
Word Salad: The best way to learn another language is to hear as many words as possible. Here are just a few extra words to practice during the week that start with મ!
મ for મસ્તી (masti, fun/mischief)
મ for મંદિર (mandir, temple)
મ for મેઘ (megha, cloud)
મ for મોર (mor, peacock)
મ for માછલી (maachli, fish)
મ for મરઘી (maraghi, hen)
મ for માટલું (maatlum, floor)
મ for મરચું (marchu, pepper)
મ for માખી (maakhi, fly)
મ for માથું (maathu, head)
મ for મોઢું (modu, mouth)
મ for માતા (maataa, mother)
મ for મહિનો (mahino, months)
મ for માટી (maati, clay)
મ for માતૃભૂમિ (maatrubhumi, motherland)
મ for મરી (mari, pepper)
મ for મંગળવાર (mangalvaar, Tuesday)
મ for મહિલા (mahilaa, woman)
મ for માણસ (maanas, person)
મ for મહેનત (mahenat, hard work)
Question of the Week: Take a break from learning about મ and stretch your mind with the question of the week!
Q: How is a rainbow made?
A: When it rains, the white light from the sun passes through rain drops. These rain drops act like very tiny prisms, which just means that the white light bends as it passes through the rain drops. When the white light bends, the light spreads out into different colors and creates a rainbow!
Check out a more detailed explanation on this blog:
https://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-optical-illusions.htm