Wishes & Worries Te Whaariki Curriculum Links

​STRAND 1 WELL-BEING/MANA ATUA
The health and well-being of the child are protected and nurtured.
This strand is based on the principle of Empowerment.
Goal 2 Children experience an environment where their emotional well-being is nurtured.
Children develop an ability to identify their own emotional responses and those of others
Goal 3 Children experience an environment where they are kept safe from harm.
Children develop: ability and confidence to express their fears openly
             : trust that their fears will be taken seriously
                : a sense of responsibility for their own well-being and that of others

STRAND 2 – BELONGING/MANA WHENUA
Children and their families feel a sense of belonging.
This strand is based particularly on the principles of Family and Community and of Relationships
Goal 1 Children and their families experience an environment where connecting links with the family and the wider world are affirmed and extended.
Children develop connecting links between the early childhood education setting and other settings that relate to the child, such as home, school, or parent’s workplaces
Goal 2 Children and their families experience an environment where they know that they have a place.
Children develop the confidence and ability to express their ideas and to assist others

STRAND 3 – CONTRIBUTION/MANA TANGATA
Opportunities for learning are equitable and each child’s contribution is valued.
This strand builds especially on the principles of Empowerment and Relationships.
Goal 2 Children experience an environment where they are affirmed as individuals.
Children develop a sense of “who they are”, their place in the wider world of relationships, and the ways in which these are valued
Goal 3 Children experience an environment where they are encouraged to learn with and alongside others.
Children develop an increasing ability to take another’s point of view and to empathise with others

STRAND 4 – COMMUNICATION/MANA REO
The languages and symbols of their own and other cultures are promoted and protected.
This strand is grounded particularly in the principle of Empowerment.
Goal 2 Children experience an environment where they develop verbal communication skills for a range of purposes.
Children develop: language skills in real, play and problem-solving contexts as well as in more structured language contexts, for example, through books
                               :language skills for increasingly complex purposes, such as stating and asking others            
about intentions; expressing feelings and attitudes and asking others about feelings and attitudes etc
Goal 3 Children experience an environment where they experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures.
Children develop familiarity with print and its uses by exploring and observing the use of print in activities that have meaning and purpose for children.

STRAND 5 – EXPLORATION/MANA AOTUROA
The child learns through active exploration of the environment
This strand is founded particularly in the principles of Holistic Development and Empowerment.
Goal 1 Children experience an environment where their play is valued as meaningful learning and the importance of spontaneous play is recognised.
Children develop the attitude that not knowing and being uncertain are part of the process of being a good learner
Goal 3 Children experience an environment where they learn strategies for active exploration, thinking, and reasoning.
Children develop confidence in using a variety of strategies for exploring and making sense of the world, such as in setting and solving problems, looking for patterns, classifying things for a purpose, guessing, using trial and error, thinking logically and making comparisons, asking questions, explaining to others, listening to others, participating in reflective discussion, planning, observing, and listening to stories.

Te Whāriki is the New Zealand Ministry of Education's early childhood curriculum policy statement. It is a framework for providing tamariki (children's) early learning and development within a sociocultural context. It emphasises the learning partnership between kaiako (teachers), parents, and whānau/families. Kaiako (teachers) weave an holistic curriculum in response to tamariki (children's) learning and development in the early childhood setting and the wider context of the child's world.