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The language of Friendships
Children’s whanaungatanga | relationships and whakahoahoa | friendships shape the way they see the world, while influencing their thinking and learning. At BestStart Kelvin Street we use a whanaungatanga approach that recognises and responses to the relationship between people, places, and things.
Children improve their abilities and confidence through socialising and communicating with others. Friendships through social play allow children to be creative as they make up their own stories and enact them either by themselves or with a group of others. Children are drawn to group experiences with others which is a great way for children to learn about cooperation and understanding that people have different views and ideas.
Friendships play a rich learning experience for children as they connect ideas about their everyday lives, they socialise and learn to cooperate with others and in this way build their communication skills as they choose roles and create stories together. Language, and thinking skills are at the core of friendships as it helps children to further gain a better understanding of their experiences, enabling them to reenact/relive them in their own time and with others.
Throughout this video you will see images of tamariki spending time with each other, sharing ideas, enjoying time together, learning new skills and importantly, having FUN together. They are always further building on their social skills through engaging with friends, group learning experiences, and hanging out together in shared interests.
We encourage togetherness through tamariki | children having spaces that are nurturing and safe, where they can freely explore, while encouraging them to test out their theories to help them make sense of their world and sharing their successes with others.
So many amazing friendships and relationships have been forming throughout this month and so many more yet to come.