Early Years
He taonga te mokopuna, kia whangaia, kia tipu, kia rea. A child
is a treasure, to benurtured, to grow, to flourish.— MĀORI SAYING
The name Te Whāriki comes from the Māori language meaning ‘woven mat’.
TE WHĀRIKI CURRICULUM
In Early Years 3-4, we are guided by the principles of the Te Whāriki Curriculum. It is based around a single belief that all children are born with immense potential. The curriculum has four main principles:
- Empowerment
- Holistic Development
- Family and Community
- Relationships
These are woven into five main learning areas of:
- Well-being
- Belonging
- Contribution
- Communication
- Exploration
BENEFITS OF MULTI-AGE APPROACH
Our 3-4 year old multi-age classrooms are what make our Early Years setting so unique and has numerous benefits:
- Allows children to interact and learn how to get along with peers of varying ages.
- Provides opportunities for developing social skills and building confidence.
- Empowers our four year olds to learn compassion, patience, and problemsolving skills as they interact and assist younger children.
- Encourages our three year olds to push themselves and be able to participate in more complex activities with their older peers.
- Enables all children to develop and grow at their own pace in order to blossom and create their own learning journey in their own time, whilst also being challenged and stimulated by their teachers, peers and their learning environment.