Matariki ideas for OSHC
6 DIY activities for Matariki at before and after school care or vacation care. Pick and mix, or build a balanced day in one click.
Find Your Star Cluster
A fast outdoor grouping game where children are stars scattered across the sky who race to find their cluster when the call goes out, with a quick fact shared each round.
Matariki · Cooking Day · Wild Aotearoa +2Hākari Shared Kūmara Feast
Children prepare roasted kūmara wedges and winter vegetables for a shared meal, reflecting the Matariki tradition of gathering to share food, remember and celebrate together.
Matariki · Wild Aotearoa · Music and Dance Day +2Make and Swing Poi
Children make soft poi from stockings and wool, then learn simple swings to music, discovering a Māori performance art that builds rhythm, coordination and focus.
Matariki · Wild Aotearoa · Science and Space +2Nine Stars of Matariki Mobile
Children make a hanging mobile of the nine stars of the Matariki cluster, learning what each star looks after and writing a hope for the year on Hiwa-i-te-rangi, the wishing star.
Matariki · Mindfulness Day · Wild Aotearoa +1Remember, Celebrate, Look Ahead
A calm reflective activity where children fill three star-shaped cards: someone or something they remember, something to celebrate now, and a hope for the year ahead.
Matariki · Gardening Day · Wild Aotearoa +1Winter Planting for Tupuānuku
Children plant cool-season seeds such as peas and broad beans, linking Tupuānuku, the Matariki star connected to food grown in the ground, with caring for a garden through winter.