Te Aroha Kindergarten

What a fantastic Pyjama Day we had at kindergarten today!

The highlight of the day was seeing all of the children arrive in their cosy pyjamas, excited and ready for a special day together. There were so many smiles as they proudly shared their special toys from home, sparking conversations, storytelling, and imaginative play with their friends.

Breakfast was another wonderful part of the morning. The children loved choosing what they would like to eat and enjoyed sitting together, sharing a relaxed breakfast at kindy. It was lovely to see them chatting, laughing, and enjoying this special experience together.

A big thank you to our amazing whānau for helping make the day such a success. Days like these create such a strong sense of belonging, connection, and joyful memories for our tamariki.

Another exciting day of Kindy Games!

The fun and enthusiasm continued today as our tamariki took part in more gymnastics, running races, and our balloon challenge. It has been wonderful seeing children returning to the activities with confidence, trying today’s new challenges, and celebrating their own achievements and those of their friends.

The outdoor balloon activity brought lots of smiles and laughter as tamariki worked on their timing, coordination, and control while tapping the balloons hanging from a string. Our gymnastics area continued to be a popular spot, with children proudly practising and refining jn their rolls and encouraging one another along the way.

It has been fantastic seeing the level of engagement, teamwork, and enjoyment these experiences have created. Our tamariki have truly embraced the spirit of the Kindy Games — having a go, supporting each other, and most importantly, having fun together.

Ka pai to our amazing tamariki! The games continues again tomorrow 🌿🏃🎈

🏅 Our Kindergarten Games inspired by the Commonwealth Games continued today, and what a fun-filled day it was!

The tamariki eagerly took part in running races, that was so much fun!!! We also introduced a balloon game inspired by badminton, where children worked together to keep the balloon moving over a barrier. Alongside this, many children chose to revisit the gymnastics challenge, proudly showing just how much their confidence with forward rolls, backward rolls and side rolls has grown since the beginning of the week.

We will be continuing our Kindergarten Games over the rest of the week, giving tamariki more opportunities to take part, have a go, and enjoy being active together.

One of the highlights of the day was presenting each child with a congratulatory handshake and a participation medal. The proud smiles on their faces said it all! It was a wonderful way to celebrate having a go, showing perseverance, encouraging friends, and being part of the team. At kindergarten, we know that success isn’t just about winning—it’s about building confidence, resilience, and enjoying being active together.

We’re also incredibly fortunate to have such a spacious outdoor environment that allows tamariki to run, move, challenge themselves, and experience the joy of physical play every day.

Ka pai, tamariki! What a fantastic day of movement, teamwork, and fun our Kindergarten Games have been. 🥇🌿

We’re so fortunate to be able to offer our regular Ninja sessions as part of our kindergarten programme, and we’re excited to be back for another term at Piako Gymnastics! 🤸‍♀️🏃‍♂️

Providing opportunities like these is something we value deeply. It gives our 4-year-olds the chance to experience a specialised learning environment where they can challenge themselves, develop new skills, and build confidence through movement.

As tamariki climb, balance, jump, swing and explore new movements, they are strengthening their muscles, developing coordination, building cardiovascular fitness, and refining their gross motor skills. These experiences also help to establish positive, lifelong habits around physical activity and wellbeing.

Beyond the physical benefits, Ninja is a wonderful place for tamariki to grow as learners. We see them showing courage as they give new challenges a go, perseverance when something feels tricky, confidence as they celebrate their achievements, and resilience as they keep trying. It is a joy to watch them encourage one another, celebrate each other’s successes, and discover what they are capable of.

These experiences reflect the aspirations of Te Whāriki, where tamariki are supported to develop confidence in their bodies, a willingness to take on challenges, and a love of active learning.

We feel incredibly lucky to provide experiences like this for our tamariki and are grateful to our community partners for helping make them possible. Here’s to another fantastic term of learning through movement! 💙

Our kindergarten has been full of excitement as we prepare for our upcoming Matariki celebration! ⭐✨

The tamariki have been busy practising their kapa haka, creating beautiful Matariki-inspired artwork, and learning about the significance of this special time of year. It has been wonderful to see their enthusiasm, creativity, and pride as they work together to get everything ready.

We are looking forward to sharing this special evening with our whānau and celebrating Matariki.

IT'S WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY. Autism | Takiwātanga is characterised by different ways that people perceive the world, think and behave, and how they communicate and interact with others.

All autistic learners are different, but some may demonstrate these sorts of strengths or preferences:
❤️ Strong preference for well-planned, structured, predictable, routine-based environments, and quieter, clutter-free spaces.
❤️ Special interest in particular topics and activities.
❤️ Processes visual information quickly.
❤️ Strong rote memory, retaining particular facts and details.
❤️ Honesty and direct communication.
❤️ Unique problem-solving perspectives.

Some areas where additional support may be helpful:
✔️ Coping with change, unfamiliar routines, and lack of structure.
✔️ Sensory regulation.
✔️ Abstract thinking.
✔️ Verbal communication and social interaction.
✔️ Engaging in learning that doesn't seem relevant.

For more information on how to reduce barriers and enable autistic learners to participate, belong, and thrive, check out our Inclusive Education website: https://inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/autism-and-learning/

What a wonderful week we’ve had to end the term at TK!

From dance parties and dress-ups to Easter crafts and our scavenger hunt, our tamariki have been busy learning, creating, and celebrating together. We also enjoyed a special visit about road safety, a fun trip for music and movement, and took time to acknowledge Autism Awareness Day 💙.

Wishing all our whānau a safe and happy Easter 2026🐣💛

Today, I took a small group of children for a walk down to Future Te Aroha for the Easter Show. We started by having a play and looking in their infinity room. When it was time for the show, we walked down and sat on the stage. We got to watch the shadow puppets and listen to a story. Once the story was finished, the children got to have a turn with the puppets and make shadows with them. After this we explored some of Future Te Aroha and had a look in the glow room. We then decorated an Easter egg picture, listened to a story and then had a look through another area where we searched for eggs and bunnies. The children enjoyed finishing off with a dance party.
A big thank you to Future Te Aroha for inviting us down to the show and to our parent helpers – Erica and Amy.

- Kaiako Alana.

🎉 Congratulations to our Meat Raffle Winner! 🎉

A big congratulations to our lucky winner, Rhys! 🥩👏 We hope you enjoy your delicious prize.

Thank you so much to everyone who supported the raffle — we truly appreciate it. Keep an eye out for our next one… you could be our next winner!



Thanks also to Greenleas and Kim at Villa Nine for helping draw the prize.

One of the highlights of our week at Te Aroha kindergarten is Ninja Gymnastics—and our tamariki absolutely love it! Every visit is full of energy, laughter, and determination as children climb, balance, jump, and explore the exciting obstacles.

They are always so keen to go again, excited to try new challenges and cheer each other on. It’s not only a lot of fun, but it also helps build confidence, strength, coordination, and resilience.

A huge thank you to our wonderful parent helpers who make these sessions possible, and to Piako Gymnastics for providing such a fantastic, engaging programme for our tamariki. Your expertise and support make every visit safe, fun, and inspiring!

If you’re looking for a kindergarten that combines learning, adventure, and fun, come see why our tamariki can’t wait for their next Ninja Gymnastics adventure!