Respond

Engage in quality interactions with whānau in the presence of the children, to foster a sense that they are valued, and role-model inclusive relationships.

Ensure that children can see themselves and their families reflected in pictures, stories and other resources, including diverse family structures, genders and abilities.

Talk with mokopuna about the similarities and differences between themselves and others as a way of acknowledging and appreciating that there are different ways of knowing and being.

Include songs and musical activities where mokopuna work together (e.g., singing row, row, row your boat) and acknowledge children’s enjoyment that comes from playing together.

Discuss with children their developing skills, strengths, interests and dispositions.

Use kai times as opportunities to enjoy being together. Invite all mokopuna to contribute to conversations and incorporate shared activities such as singing songs. Support children to help each other.

Discuss with mokopuna through a positive lens the similarities and differences in the foods that children bring from home that reflect their cultural and home preferences.

Select picture books, games and toys for children to engage with that depict diverse genders, cultures, family structures, ethnicities and people with different abilities in a variety of roles.

Consider artworks, fabrics and other furnishings that may reflect the children’s different home environments. Consult with whānau about what aesthetic elements from their cultures would be authentic and appropriate to include in the setting and act on this where possible.

Provide simple explanations of fairness when children exclude others or take things from them (e.g., “I’ll hold the book up so you can all see the pictures easily – that way it will be fair for everyone”).

Provide an inclusive climate where everyone is valued for their uniqueness, demonstrated by both actions and language used by kaiako.

Provide enough of a resource to allow more than one child to access at the same time and use it as an opportunity to talk about fairness and sharing.

Ask children to stop and describe to them how their actions or words may upset or hurt someone else.

Role model language that provides information without judgement or blame.

Be available to mokopuna during group play, offering a higher level of support for conflict resolution according to the children’s emerging capabilities.

Comment on the positive interactions that mokopuna engage in with each other.

Look for simple opportunities to include children in helping others, e.g., helping to get an ice pack for a friend if they have hurt themselves.

Point out and discuss children’s skills and abilities when mokopuna are nearby one another (e.g., “Are you trying to put the ball in the hole? Maia’s been practising that for a while. She wants to help”).

Name and describe the different plants and animals within the local environment.

Describe weather conditions and the outdoor environment and how it can affect the way we feel.

Model and support mokopuna to show respect and care for the natural environment in the centre.

Invite all children to experience nature, beginning with the outdoor environment of the setting. Stay close to support mokopuna in their earliest explorations and encourage curiosity and sensory experiences.

Share stories and sing waiata that have significance for local iwi and hapū, with the aim that these become familiar to mokopuna over time.

Use te reo Māori to name and describe elements of nature, including the associated atua, supporting children to see the connection between te taiao and ngā tangata.

Provide opportunities for mokopuna to share their families and home lives with others (e.g., display family photos that children can revisit and discuss).

Support children to include others during play, especially when this is challenging. Discuss similarities and differences in abilities and preferences for play to help mokopuna develop understanding and empathy for others.

When normative stereotypes emerge in children’s play regarding gender, ability and family structure, challenge the ideas in gentle ways and use it as an opportunity to openly discuss inclusion and diversity.

Use musical games that involve mokopuna having an active role together (e.g., 5 currant buns in the baker’s shop, 6 little monkeys jumping on the bed, 'Tahi rua toru wha' song). Acknowledge children working together and provide sensitive support to those who may be more reserved about participating or prefer to observe.

Sensitively acknowledge the contributions that mokopuna make to shared experiences, including how some children share their expertise and experience to help others.

Facilitate collaborative artmaking experiences, such as painting together. Use these experiences as opportunities to acknowledge children’s various contributions, and to discuss sharing space, skills and resources.

Discuss with mokopuna the foods that they eat at home and during celebrations or cultural events. Provide different options for eating utensils that reflect their home experiences.

Provide books, games and resources that depict diverse genders, cultures, ethnicities and different abilities in a variety of roles and have discussions with mokopuna about having positive images of difference. Ensure representation of rainbow families and various family structures in resources across the setting.

Acknowledge children’s awareness of similarities and differences among people (e.g., skin tone, hair and eye colour, use of glasses or a walking frame) within the setting and celebrate diversity.

Use the concept of fairness to frame explanations and remind mokopuna of social interaction expectations in the setting.

Recognise that many children are making sense of their worlds using aspects of similarity or difference between people. Acknowledge and respond to children’s questions about differences between people, using non-discriminatory language and challenge when mokopuna use difference as a reason to exclude (e.g., “you can’t play – you’re a girl”).

Use resources (e.g., books, puppets, and small figures) to tell stories about how people feel when they are included, excluded or stereotyped.

Read pukapuka and point out when the words or actions of a character makes another character feel sad or upset. Talk about why this might be.

Explain to mokopuna when their actions or words might make someone else feel upset.

Support mokopuna to work through social conflicts. Ensure that every child’s mana is upheld, and that every child feels supported in the setting.

Name the actions and behaviours that support children's positive engagement with others.

Help mokopuna notice cues from other children and offer suggestions for how they might respond. Describe and explain the non-verbal cues of frustration or distress that children might not yet be aware of, such as body language and facial expressions.

Use stories or resources to facilitate learning about the perspectives of others and standing up for others when needed.

Support mokopuna to observe and describe features of the natural world within the setting’s environment. Point out and accurately name specific aspects of plant and animal biological structures during discussions.

Offer children meaningful ways to contribute to looking after the setting’s natural resources, e.g., gardening, composting food scraps, or collecting rainwater.

Use visual cues to support mokopuna to sort waste and food scraps as part of their helping with tidying up times.

Plan excursions into local natural environments such as parks and bush walks and share stories and history of that place with mokopuna.

Regularly use whakataukī and karakia that describe connections between the people and the land, and actively support mokopuna to learn the words and pronunciation.

Invite whānau including those with iwi affiliations to share their stories and connections with the land. Revisit these narratives repeatedly over time and talk to the mokopuna about their significance.

Invite children to talk about their families and home lives, supporting them with open-ended questions and prompts to extend these conversations in complexity and depth.

Ensure that experiences and resources are accessible to everyone as appropriate; think through what adaptions and support you can offer so that everyone has equal opportunities to participate. Discuss with mokopuna accessibility and changes to the environment so everyone can feel included.

Using pictures, stories and other resources as a starting point, engage children in conversation about different family structures, genders and abilities, and about the value of including everyone.

Offer regular opportunities for children to participate in acting out familiar stories and legends. Support mokopuna including prompting what comes next within the story and ensure that all children get regular opportunities to participate in these experiences.

Notice, recognise and respond to interactions where children are working collaboratively and actively helping one another.

Support long-term projects with groups of mokopuna where they can experience how everyone makes different contributions over time.

Encourage mokopuna to try foods from other cultures when these are offered within the setting, while ensuring that whānau preferences for dietary requirements are met.

Use resources (e.g., books, puppets, and small figures) to tell stories about people from different cultures, family structures or with different abilities, and foster open conversations about how their experiences and perceptions of the world may vary.

Provide art materials that enable children to realistically reflect different people (e.g., pastels with a range of skin, eye, hair tones) and encourage discussion of similarities and differences among people.

Expand the concept of fairness to include the rights and responsibilities of children and others in the setting when framing explanations and reminding children of social interaction expectations in the setting.

Support mokopuna to explore and discuss the concepts of fairness and rights, and to recognise when they or others are being discriminatory or have biased ideas.

Identify a range of resources and everyday experiences that include opportunities to discuss concepts around rights and responsibilities (i.e., local pūrākau, picture books, daily happenings such as making space for everyone on the mat).

Engage in puppet shows or read pukapuka that explore intimidation and the feelings of others who may have experienced it.

Support children to understand that their words and actions have an impact (positive or negative) on others.

Use questioning techniques, ‘wondering’ and commenting to involve mokopuna in thinking about how they might feel and ways they can make sure they treat everyone with respect.

Support mokopuna to notice cues from others and what they might mean or need. Model how to check with someone to see if they need help. Stay nearby to support these interactions if needed.

Acknowledge when mokopuna respond to others’ cues for support.

Use role play to help children think about and brainstorm ideas about what they could do to help another person who needs help.

Plan for regular group walks to local nature reserves/gardens, using these as opportunities for exploration and discussion about Papatūānuku, Tāne Mahuta, and the plant and animal life observed.

Role model an appreciation for nature and talk with mokopuna about the benefits and joy of te taiao, the natural world.

Explain why we say karakia before eating kai and before gathering food and resources from nature and discuss tikanga with mokopuna.

Plan excursions to local historical sites that are significant for mana whenua. Discuss with children why these sites are important.

Engage in research with mokopuna to understand more about the stories and history of the local environment and ngā tangata.

Involve children in caring for te taiao, for example picking up rubbish when out in nature, or caring for native plants and gardens in the setting. Talk with mokopuna about their connections to, and responsibility for, nature during these experiences.

Involve children in planning how to include their whānau in the setting. Mokopuna may be interested in helping to plan events and celebrations or helping to plan and create communications for whānau about what is happening.

Invite and support mokopuna to champion inclusion. Notice when children are concerned about issues of inclusion and expand on these opportunities to foster their sense of responsibility and advocacy.

As children further develop their sense of identity, be aware of ways they might feel constrained by stereotypes. Have conversations about the ways everyone can be themselves in the setting. This includes challenging gender stereotypes and assumptions about abilities and interests.

Invite mokopuna to develop their own story to act out and support them to find roles for others to participate. Provide support to children to negotiate roles and participation and acknowledge each child’s contributions.

Support mokopuna to recognise and describe how they supported other children’s engagement in play, and how other children have contributed.

Support mokopuna to initiate long-term group projects in areas that interest them, so that different children have opportunities to take turns leading and sharing their unique skills and knowledge over time. Highlight these different contributions in conversations with children, including appreciation for everyone’s contribution (e.g., mokopuna who prefer to paint the scenery or gather props).

Involve children in planning cooking experiences within the setting that include recipes reflective of different cultural traditions, including identifying required ingredients and making shopping lists.

Help mokopuna to gather information about different cultural traditions, including sharing their own, talking with others and using books and online resources.

Have open conversations with mokopuna about different family structures, including rainbow families, and encourage children to talk about their own family structure with pride.

Support mokopuna to use the concepts of fairness and rights when talking about and responding to instances of discrimination or biased ideas. Such situations may include interactions within the setting or in response to kaiako-initiated provocations, such as using books or puppets to explore discrimination.

Use resources to share stories about Aotearoa histories, including colonisation and Te Tiriti of Waitangi, and encourage mokopuna to think about the fairness or unfairness of actions in our history and what that might mean for how they understand the world today.

Expand children’s conception of fairness and justice to include people in the wider world who the children may not ever have contact with. Consider ways mokopuna can make meaningful contributions to social justice in the wider world, for example writing to the local council about including equipment in the playground that disabled children can use.

Talk with children about experiences of intimidation. Validate and affirm children’s feelings during these conversations.

Discuss supports and strategies mokopuna can use in situations when they have been or observed others who may feel intimidated.

Support mokopuna to begin to see themselves as helpers, negotiators and facilitators in social conflicts.

Encourage mokopuna to be advocates for themselves and others. Discuss the importance of advocating for those who may need support in a situation.

Invite children to reflect on times when they have stood up for or looked after the needs or rights of others.

Engage in more in-depth conversations with children about social justice to include the importance of standing up for people in life and in the wider world. Talk openly with mokopuna about the impact of collective action for social justice.

Invite and support children in planning the garden ‘diary’ in tune with seasons, e.g., preparing soil, growing seeds, and planting in time to harvest.

Use books and the internet to explore with mokopuna the impact of waste on the natural world and to talk with them about local solutions to reduce the amount of waste in the environment.

Share information about environmental and sustainability activities to help children relate concepts of sustainability to their local community.

Plan with children to participate in community activities implemented by local iwi and hapū. Share with mokopuna the importance of making such contributions to these groups and projects.

Offer creative opportunities for mokopuna to explore and develop their connections to te taiao, through visual arts, music, dance and drama.

Support mokopuna to be advocates for te taiao and ngā tangata. Children may want to plan ways to communicate these ideas with the wider community, for example through a mural, a poster, or an item in the local newspaper.