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Building relationships in the Manuka ruma at BestStart Redwood
Pride, identity, and inner strength are some of our top learning priorities at BestStart Redwood. In the Manuka ruma we have been supporting our tamariki to gain mana through building positive relationships with their Kaiako and their peers. Through building an empowering environment, children have the agency to create and act on their own ideas, develop knowledge and skills in areas that interest them, and increasingly make decisions and judgments on matters that relate to them.
We believe that play enables tamariki to develop social competence and enjoyment of the environment to make sense of the world and to express and control emotions. Through having activities that allow children to decide whether they want to be involved in playing alongside others we can support our tamariki as they start to build new funds of knowledge around how to be involved and build the skills needed to develop their social skills and further build relationships with those around them.
To support this learning we have ensured that there are plenty of opportunities for children to explore and make sense of their world with lots of sensory experiences and small-group activities where they can be encouraged, but not pressured, to contribute. This promotes self–discovery and encourages tamariki to explore new textures, which in turn supports social and emotional development.
We understand that our children need preferences to play alone or alongside others Kaiako supports attempts to initiate social interactions and empowers them to develop relationship skills by choosing carefully when to intervene in conflicts and relationships with peers. We have loved watching our tamariki build new relationships, form bonds with others, and even support their younger peers.
Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa.