Articles

Hōngongoi/July 2024

Written  by Kaiako Nicola from the nursery

The Tamariki in the nursery are developing their communication skills every day. I really enjoy talking to whānau in the morning and hearing what the tamariki have been communicating at home. They are very adept at letting their family, and especially their siblings know what they want. The tamariki are also very clear when communicating to me about what they do and don't want. Many have started using the word 'No' very clearly as well as 'Yes' with a firm nod so I understand clearly, other words included 'hello', 'Bye bye' and 'dog', and some are making great attempts at saying their classmates names.

We have been celebrating Cook Island and Tongan language weeks this month also, so have been introducing greetings and listening to music from these cultures as well as incorporating Te Reo Māori into our everyday conversations.

Some of the teaching strategies, I will use to help the tamariki develop their communication skills are listening, questioning, recognising, repetition, modeling, scaffolding and encouraging. I will introduce new vocabulary through conversation, books, especially board stories and songs. I will work with the tamariki to support them in working towards the communication outcome indicator of "Understanding oral language and using it for a range of purposes'

This focus aligns with our learning priority of ‘Affirming Te Ao Mauri – Embodying taha hinengaro, we view children as competent, capable, and confident learners and treat each child with respect and dignity to strengthen their mana, enable then to express manaakitanga and increase their independence and encourage social interaction’

Whakarongo ki ngā reo o te tekoteko

Listen to the voices of the tekoteko