Country Kids

Te Whāriki

We plan programmes using the New Zealand curriculum Te Whāriki

For each child this curriculum involves:

Wellbeing
Can I trust you?

• having their daily needs met with care and sensitivity
• experiencing a safe, but stimulating environment
• having their needs responded to
• being supported through change
• having people enjoy their successes
• learning to care for others

Belonging
Do you know me?

• acknowledging that parents are paramount and know their child best
• building a partnership with their parents
• having their family’s culture valued and enjoyed
• having people get to know them and their family
• experiencing routines that are familiar
• feeling that they belong and have a place in the centre
• knowing the limits and boundaries of acceptable behaviour
• learning to follow directions

Contribution
Is this place fair to me?

• encouragement to be part of a group
• learning to share and wait for a turn
• having their choices respected
• understanding their own rights and the rights of others
• being respected for themselves
• having their learning style valued

Communication
Do you hear me?

• being supported in their interactions with adults and other children
• being able to express a point of view
• enjoying stories, action games, finger plays, songs, drama, role playing, pretending, handling books
• making counting and math games fun
• finding out about patterns and shapes
• learning about spatial relationships (over, under, inside outside, between, beside, behind, in front)
• being able to express themselves using a wide range of materials

Exploration
Do you let me fly?

• being permitted to play, as it is through play that learning takes place
• having their curiosity encouraged
• developing their confidence in using a variety of strategies for exploring
• encouragement to move freely to develop large and small muscle group and to build confidence in their bodies
  engaging their minds to meet challenges
• having their world extended through language , science, maths, physical skills
• receiving encouragement to persist when difficulties arise
• learning to make sense of the natural, social, physical, and material worlds

The curriculum is implemented through Play as children are highly motivated by play. Their intellectual development occurs through play that encourages social relationships, language, number understanding, reading, questioning, problem-solving, early writing –EVERYTHING