Puzzles and games can be a fun way to learn te reo, say husband and wife team Scotty and Stacey Morrison.
Their new all-ages activity book Māori Made Fun features crosswords, word-finds, colouring, riddles and a bit of maths & science.
Scotty and Stacey Morrison Photo: MasseyHumSocSci @MasseyHumSocSci
Photo: Penguin Books New Zealand
Māori Made Fun is a good way for kids and parents to do learn a little te reo together for a few minutes a day, Stacey tells Kathryn Ryan.
"[It helps us] realise that there's playfulness in the reo … its one of the parts of the reo we sometimes miss. We talk about how deep it is, how spiritual it is, but it's very playful and very fun."
"Your kids will feel good that they know as much or even more than you. That's the playfulness that we want to encourage … this gives you a chance to do something together where Māori is part of your life. It's a tiny but impactful way that you can do that."
The idea for a te reo Māori puzzle book came about from Morrison family trips "in the olden days, pre-Covid" when the kids enjoyed doing activity books on planes, Scotty says.
The couple thought a Māori version suitable for all ages and language abilities could be fun.
You need to have "some time in the game" every day to really make progress with a language, Stacey says.
Scotty says it's time to jump aboard and start learning.
"We've noticed a really positive change towards the reo, people are starting to value the reo a lot more. If you're not riding the waka of te reo now you need to get on the waka because otherwise, you're going to get left behind. A lot of people are getting on the waka now."
Scotty Morrison (Ngati Whakaue) is the presenter of current affairs programmes Te Karere and Marae. He holds a Master's degree (Education), is working towards his PhD, and has been an Adjunct Professor and the Director of Māori Student and Community Engagement at Auckland's Unitec Institute of Technology.
Stacey Morrison (Te Arawa, Ngai Tahu) is a radio and TV broadcaster. She and Scotty co-wrote Māori at Home to help other families use te reo in everyday settings, and Stacey's first children's book, My First Words in Māori, became a number-one bestseller.
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