Exploring Identity and Creativity at Our Treetops Daycare Centres
It has been another exciting week at our daycare centres in Botany and Pukekohe! We have been diving deeper into our current inquiry, “ME,” which explores identity, emotions, and self-expression. To encourage creativity and self-awareness, our tamariki worked on creating self-portraits. This activity sparked curiosity as they began to explore how they look and the different emotions they experience.
Engaging Activities for Self-Expression
To inspire the children, we set up a range of provocations and provided resources like books, mirrors, and dress-ups. These tools helped create meaningful learning experiences, allowing tamariki to connect with their peers while expressing themselves in unique ways.
The self-portrait activity started with tamariki drawing their faces and emotions using paper and vivid black pens. Following this, we introduced drawing on plastic film, which added an exciting new dimension to their creativity. Seeing their artwork proudly displayed on the wall brought them immense joy and gave them a sense of pride as they shared their creations with parents and whānau.
Collaborative Play and Building Connections At Daycare
Another highlight of the week was building a fort together. The tamariki created different areas in their fort, including a kitchen, dressing room, office with ‘laptops,’ picnic spot, and garden. They used blankets, chairs, and tables to construct the space, showcasing their creativity and problem-solving skills.
This activity demonstrated incredible teamwork. Everyone contributed ideas, shared resources, and supported one another throughout the process. The collaborative spirit of the tamariki was truly inspiring!
A Unique Morning Tea Experience
To wrap up the week, we decided to celebrate with a special morning tea. Since the tamariki had used all the chairs to build their ‘house,’ we improvised with a buffet-style morning tea.
This approach encouraged independence as the children served themselves, selecting their bowls and food, filling their water bottles, and taking turns. It was a wonderful way to celebrate their hard work and end the week on a high note.
Looking Forward to Another Exciting Week
This week was filled with creativity, collaboration, and meaningful learning experiences in the Kea room. We are so proud of how our tamariki embraced each activity with enthusiasm and curiosity.
We can’t wait to see what adventures next week will bring at our Treetops Botany and Pukekohe Daycare centres!
DISCOVER MORE ABOUT SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN YOUNG CHILDREN
Navigating young children’s social and emotional development can be challenging. But have you ever wondered how the early years shape your child’s development and influence their adulthood? This insightful article by Keryn O’Neill from Brainwave explores these important connection.
