Nurturing a sense of responsibility for our belonging

Our children’s mana whenua, their sense of belonging, is at the heart of all that we do at the Preschool. Within our Pohutukawa group for example, we continue to nurture and place significant focus on ensuring our children learn how to make connections with people, places, and things around them.

It is crucial for our children to make sense of ‘their world’ at the Preschool and gain a deeper understanding of routines and rituals that help to make them feel safe and secure. Towards this end, we have begun establishing regular routines together with our children where they get involved, are encouraged to think, have their voice heard, and in doing so, develop a sense of ownership to the actions that are expected of them.

We start our day with ‘Hui Time’ where our children come together and welcome each other. Here, we introduce a ‘provocation’. Over the course of a few weeks, the children were challenged to think about their bags and all of the belongings they need for their ‘Day at Preschool’.

As a collective Pohutukawa group, our teachers help facilitate a discussion on the importance of what we have in our bags and pose some questions:

“Do I have everything I need for my day at the Preschool?”

“What do I do if I get wet clothes?”

“Where do I put my wet clothes?”

“What else do I have/need in my bag?”

Through this exercise, our children build their confidence by learning to take responsibility for their belongings, as well as thinking critically to ensure they are prepared for their day ahead.