I can't memorize and repeat quickly the days of the week even though I studied English for several years (I always need to count with my fingers). How are the name of the days taught to children? Is there a song, a doggerel or something else?
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It might help if you associate their names to planets they are named after. The most obvious ones are Sunday and Monday, from the Sun and the Moon. Saturday is from Saturn. Thursday is named after Thor (Yes, the god in those superhero movies!) Here is the complete list: Sunday (Sun), Monday (Moon), Tuesday (Mars), Wednesday (Mercury), Thursday (Jupiter), Friday (Venus), Saturday (Saturn).– Damkerng T.Commented Nov 3, 2014 at 18:12
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1@DamkerngT. Sunday, Monday, and Saturday are named after the Sun, Moon, and Saturn (the god, not the planet), but Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are all named after Norse gods (Tiu, Wodin, Thor, and Freya.)– Jason PattersonCommented Nov 3, 2014 at 18:26
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I used the song in this video to teach my children the names of the days of the week. There are puppets...– Jason PattersonCommented Nov 3, 2014 at 18:34
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1@JasonPatterson The names of those Norse gods are useful! Because they sound quite close to English days of week. (Tiu's day, Wodin's day, Thor's day, Freya day) I suggested the planets because in my first language, days of week can be mapped to those planets, and exactly in that order. I just hoped that the OP's first language might have something similar, too.– Damkerng T.Commented Nov 3, 2014 at 18:49
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2The best way to really learn these is to use them every day. Don't just think of them as a list to memorize, use them! Do everything with an English calendar, say the full date to yourself including the day of the week every day, and so on. If you're planning on doing something tomorrow, say to yourself "It's Tuesday now, so tomorrow, on Wednesday, I'll take the garbage out and water the lawn."– user230Commented Nov 4, 2014 at 21:27
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3 Answers
Community wiki answer to compile the suggestions.
Songs
The Days of the Week - MapleLeafHashima
Days of the Week (Adams Family) - Michelle Lebowe
Seven Days of the Week (I Never Go to Work) - They Might Be Giants
Happy Days Theme Song - Charles Fox (score) and Norman Gimbel (lyrics)
Rhymes
Monday's Child Poem - Nursery Rhyme
Techniques
Get 7 index cards. On each index card, write down one day of the week. If possible, write a sentence that uses the day of the week in a specific context, preferably one personally meaningful to you. Ex: On Sundays people go to church. Monday is the first day of the work week. Tuesday is when I watch -- on TV. Wednesday is hump day (the middle day of the work week). Friday is the last day of the work week. Saturday I watch football on TV. Practice the index cards.
Read English-language news, as days of the week are commonly encountered there.
Physical action can sometimes help you remember. My husband learned some Polish words because his Physical Education teacher (who was Polish) would count out the student's push-ups and other exercises using Polish numbers, week day names, month names, etc. and he remembered them quite well.
If you take a vitamin every day, a weekly pill box might help you remember the days.
To answer the question... Children are taught the days of the week by exposure, not songs or mnemonics. There may be repetition, much as I learned how to count to 20 in Spanish or all of my names (I have three middle names), but it's mostly just repetition.
I know this is less-helpful than the other suggestions made, but I hope it explains why there aren't any really catchy jingles to help. Good luck!
Hope this mnemonic will help: "My Turtle Won't Take French Studies Seriously".
It gives you a basic scaffolding to remember and helps to choose between Tuesday (Turtle) and Thursday, between Saturday (Studies) and Sunday.
