Easing the Transition to Kindergarten
- Kidsfirst
- Jun 17, 2021
- 2 min read
Proud Award Winner – Kidsfirst Wales Street
Kidsfirst Wales Street tamariki were bursting with pride as they starred in their very own ‘Welcome to Kindy’ video, designed to ease the transition for new children and whānau by showing them what kindergarten life is all about.
Giving tamariki an insight into everyday kindergarten life can help make the transition to kindergarten less overwhelming.
“We wanted to create a supportive tool that would help new tamariki and whānau feel welcomed by offering an introduction to the daily routines of kindergarten,” says Kidsfirst Wales Street Head Teacher, June King, “There’s a lot to take in when starting kindy, but we thought seeing this at home first could make the initial visits less overwhelming.”
“We know the more informed a tamaiti is, the more positive the start can be. There is lots of information and lots to learn in the beginning and we felt that finding a way to share this without overwhelming both the tamaiti and the whānau would be of benefit.”
Wales Street tamariki are the stars of the video which offers insight into their kindergarten, and an introduction to the daily routines. Parents now receive a link to the video before their child embarks on their first day, providing an opportunity for whānau and tamariki to watch it together.
“Our movie starts outside the kindergarten gate with two tamariki saying ‘Kia ora, Hi I’m Oliver, Hi I’m Marnie, Welcome to our Kindy’. It goes through each stage of arrival at kindergarten, where to hang your bag, where to put your lunch box, where to have lunch and introduces the kaiako.”
Wales Street tamariki were more than excited to get involved at every stage, from planning the original idea, all the way through to the execution.
“They determined what would be helpful for new children to know before starting. Some confident tamariki had the opportunity to have a speaking role, but everyone had the opportunity to star in the movie which helped them gain a sense of responsibility and leadership.”
The decision to have tamariki lead the film was a deliberate one.
“We felt it was important for our tamariki to be the ones extending the welcome and showing new families around, because it would be more relevant and create a greater impact for the new children. The film also helped showcase to whānau how competent and capable our tamariki are.”
June says that the children felt a real sense of ownership of the project.
“It is very clear how proud our tamariki are of their kindergarten and how proud they are to be starring in the movie welcoming new tamariki. The information is delivered confidently, and competently, and this reflects their strong connection to the kindergarten. They are saying, ‘This is our place and we love showing it to you.’”
Caption: An excerpt of Kidsfirst Wales Street's 'Welcome to Kindy' video
Our thanks to Grocare for their generous support of this year’s Proud award.