Core Skills

Self Management: Mana ake: Ta'ita'i Mataala:

Right place, right time, right thing, Respecting yourself, Managing emotions, Believing in yourself, Bouncing back

The younger children are able to learn to control their emotions and behaviour, the more successful they will be in classroom learning—and life.

These fun games can help.

1. Freeze dance. Have a dance party with a small group of family members and tell everyone that when you stop the music, they must hold very still. The first person to move is eliminated for the next round. The winner is the last one dancing.

2. Traffic lights. One child plays traffic cop and turns to face a wall. The others start at the other side of the room—or if they’re outdoors, at a starting line. When the traffic cop shouts “Green!” the kids can advance. If the traffic cop shout “Red!” the kids have to stop, and the cop gets to turns around and see if everyone obeys. If they catch any kid still moving, they can send them back to the start line. The winner is the first person to cross the room (or space) and tag the traffic cop. The old-fashioned version of this game is "What's the Time Mr Wolf".

3. Musical chairs. Set out enough chairs in a row, alternating facing front and back, for every player—minus one. Play music and have the kids walk or dance around the chairs. When the music stops, they must make a beeline for the closest chair. Each round, the player who doesn’t manage to grab a seat is eliminated, until just one winning player remains.

4. Orchestra. Give kids percussion instruments to tap and wave and have them follow the person at the front, who is playing conductor, with a baton in hand (a pen, ruler or stick will do). The conductor sets the tempo and everyone must speed up and slow down accordingly. Children will learn to control their body movements to create a harmonious sound together.

5. Board Games: Board games require some self-control and dealing with winning and losing. The frustration of losing is softened by the fun of participating, so it especially good to help learn this skill.

6. Simon Says: Children have to perform an action only when the leader says “Simon Says do…”. For example, if the leader says “Simon Says touch your toes” all the participants touch their toes. If the leader says “Touch your toes”, no one should touch their toes.

Teamwork: Mana whānau: Galulue Fa'atasi:

Understanding expectations, Respecting others, Being reliable, Supporting & valuing others, Learning from others

• Make a list together of ways to be kind to each other and help each other out. This might include a daily roster for each family member.

• Play board games (have a tournament)

• Make a scavenger hunt for the family

• Do a puzzle together

• Create your own board game for others to play

• Build an obstacle course together

• Put on a play for other family members to enjoy

Courage: Mana tū: Fa'amalosi:

Using initiative, Handling change, Using feedback, Sharing ideas, Trying new things

There are many things that lead to success and happiness, but one of the most powerful of these is courage. Courage to keep going, to find a different way, and of course the courage to try in the first place. It’s about something magical that happens inside us to make us push through fear, self-doubt, anxiety, and do the things that feel hard or risky or frightening.

Encourage your children to do activities that push them to the edges of their physical or emotional selves – drama, sport, music. Anything that will help to nurture the truth to life that they are strong, powerful, that they can cope, and that they are not as fragile as they might feel sometimes will help to nurture their brave hearts.

Let them know that it’s okay to hang on while they’re getting comfortable – while they’re working on a plan, fanning the brave spark inside them (and it’s always inside them), but then there will be a time to let go.

Problem-solving: Mana Māui: Fa'iuga Lelei:

Seeking support, Owning mistakes, Asking questions, Making improvement, Persevering

Effective use of problem solving skills can lead to rational thinking.

There are four basic steps in problem solving:

• define the problem

• consider some possible solutions

• evaluate and select the best solution

• try out the solution to see if it works

Communication: Mana kōrero: Feso'ota'iga:

Sharing self interests, Listening well, Making connections, Interacting positively, Understanding others

A few interesting communication activities and games:

• Telephone: This popular and fun game may help enhance good listening skills in kids and can be played by kids of all age groups. You can include other members of the family as well. Have them all sit in a circle close enough to whisper easily. Start with one person who will whisper a message into the ear of the player sitting to the right, who then whispers it into his/her neighbour’s ears until everyone in the circle have taken a turn. You can start with a simple message and slowly progress to more complex sentences.

• Pointing Directions: Nonverbal communication activities for kids can include this simple game. Ask your child to write down directions to his/her nearby favourite shop or park. Then embark on a journey along with your kid following those written directions to reach the place. On the way, help him/her understand how can he/she make it better or things he/she may mention to communicate better. Remember to stay local and keep your distance from others.

• Show and Tell: The show and tell activity can be a delightful verbal communication game for kids. Give your child a topic like his/her favourite fruit, a favourite book or movie. Have him/her show an item related to the topic and ask him/her to speak five lines about it. This activity can assist in furthering your child’s confidence, vocabulary and presentation skills.

• Picture Storytelling: Picture storytelling can be a very interesting activity as children love to tell stories. Provide your child with a set of pictures. Ask him/her to arrange them in a logical sequence and spin a story from it. Alternatively, you can offer him/her just one picture and have them describe the things they perceive in the picture like the scenery, people, colours and other details.

• Presentation: This exciting activity may not only promote your child’s oral language skills but also aid him/her to get comfortable with speaking in front of others. You can propose various themes ranging from reading a favourite poem to expressing his/her views on current topics like saving water, recycling, etc. Ask him/her to prepare a short presentation to present to a family.

• Extempore: Extempore or spontaneous speech forms an important part of oral communication and can be used to expand communication skills. Extempore may support your child in thinking on his/her feet and articulating their inventive ideas correctly with accuracy. Make chits on interesting topics and have your child pick a chit and speak on the chosen topic impromptu for a few minutes.

• Emotional Charades: This fun activity is great for helping children understand different facial expressions, signals, body posture when communicating. These are the non-verbal communication cues which complement verbal communication. Hand out a few cards to your child, each card depicting a particular emotion like anger, sadness, boredom, tiredness, happiness and have them act one out. Your child can also draw the different emotions he/she is likely to experience in ordinary situations.

• 20 Questions: 20 questions is a wonderful game which may enable your child’s ability to formulate and ask direct questions. Ask your children to stand in a circle with one child in the centre. The child in the middle has to think of a famous place or a known personality. Other children in the group have to identify it by asking a set of 20 questions. The child can only respond by saying only yes or no. In case the group fails to guess then the child is declared the winner.