On the 15th of May, BestStart Parau Drive celebrated Pink Shirt Day, a special day dedicated to promoting kindness, inclusion, celebrating diversity, and standing up against bullying.
Activities related to Pink Shirt Day were carried out throughout the week, giving the tamariki many opportunities to learn and take part in meaningful experiences.
The children explored and expressed their creativity through art while learning about the meaning behind Pink Shirt Day. They wore pink coloured shirts and made promises about how they can show kindness to others in their everyday interactions.
They also practised collaboration as they worked together to create the “Kindness” frames. The children enjoyed posing and smiling with the frames while being reminded of the importance of kindness, empathy, and respect for everyone around them.
Our preschool children also listened to the story, "We Are All Equal" by P. Crumble and Jonathan Bentley, which encouraged thoughtful conversations about inclusion, fairness, celebrating differences, and treating others with kindness.
Kaiako supported these discussions by asking questions and encouraging children to share examples of how they can help their friends feel safe, valued, and included. Throughout the week, the tamariki demonstrated caring behaviours by using kind words, helping one another, and showing respect during play and group activities.
It was a meaningful and engaging experience that helped nurture these important values in the children from a young age while strengthening our centre’s culture of kindness and belonging.