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Exploring Identity at Tauranga Central
We are always exploring ideas and ways that authentically strengthen and affirm children’s sense of culture and identity. With whānau and tamariki's input, we decided to create a pepeha for every child and to display them in a way that children could access and use them easily. Each child has their own pepeha kete, with their photo and name on the front. Each kete contains a simple pepeha written in collaboration with whānau. The pepeha are displayed at ‘child height’ in the Whariki room where we have our daily hui, and they are used continually.
The tamariki are encouraged and supported to respect all the pepeha. Tamariki enjoy the challenge and excitement of sharing their pepeha at mat times. There is never a shortage of children who want to contribute and participate. Some of our older children have proudly shared their pepeha before a large group of whānau. We have found this a simple way to support children to feel a strong sense of belonging and a positive sense of self, to work collaboratively with whānau, and to show our genuine respect for the cultural diversity of our centre community. We are also excited to share and since we have started doing this with the tamariki, parents are feeling more valued within our centre and children are increasing their confidence.