June 2025 | Kōrero from Curious Minds

Welcome to Our Monthly Newsletter

Kia ora e te whānau,

Welcome to this month’s edition of Kōrero from Curious Minds, where we reflect on the small moments that make a big difference in our children’s learning. This month, we turn our focus to the foundations of literacy—how early experiences with language, stories, and symbols shape a lifelong love of reading, writing, and communicating.

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Building Blocks of Literacy Begin in Play

In early childhood, literacy isn’t just about learning letters or writing names—it’s about tuning into the rhythms of language, the joy of storytelling, and the power of communication.

From a child’s first drawing to the way they retell a favourite story or ask a curious question, these early interactions are vital steps in developing strong literacy skills.

At Curious Minds, we embed language-rich learning in everyday play. Whether it’s through waiata, puppet shows, dramatic play, or reading together on a cosy mat, we support children to explore the sounds, meanings, and purposes of language.

Words Everywhere: Creating Print-Rich Environments

Children learn best when literacy is woven into their daily lives. Around our centres, you’ll find:

• Labels and signs to build word recognition
• Lots of text rich items such as books, posters, pamphlets, learning stories, charts.
• Opportunities to "write" using pencils, pens, chalk, sand, paint and mud
• Children’s own words recorded in documentation

These experiences show tamariki that language is not only for learning—but also for sharing, questioning, imagining, and expressing who they are.

Te Reo Māori me te Pūkenga Kōrero

Language learning is deeply enriched by our commitment to bicultural practice. We honour te reo Māori as a taonga, nurturing children’s use and understanding of Māori words, phrases, and stories. Through karakia, waiata, storytelling, and daily greetings, tamariki gain confidence in expressing themselves in both English and te reo Māori. This dual language journey supports cognitive flexibility, cultural identity, and a deeper sense of belonging.

How You Can Support Literacy at Home

Literacy isn’t about worksheets—it’s about connection. Here are a few simple ways to nurture your child’s literacy at home:

• Read together every day. It doesn’t have to be for long—just a few minutes can make a big difference.
• Talk about your day. Use rich language, ask open-ended questions, and enjoy each other’s stories.
• Let them see you reading and writing. Whether it’s a shopping list, a message, or a book, children learn by watching.
• Sing, rhyme, and play with sounds. Songs and rhymes build phonological awareness, a key pre-reading skill.
• Encourage mark-making. Provide pens, crayons, chalk, and let your child draw, scribble, and ‘write’ freely.

This Month in Our Centres

Our tamariki have been embracing language and storytelling in so many beautiful ways:

Johnsonville: We have been learning about sign language drawing on the expertise of one of our centre whānau. NZ sign is an official language of Aotearoa and children who learn sign language often develop stronger reading and writing skills. It helps them understand the structure of language, like grammar and sentence formation. So, learning sign language can help improve literacy learning, as well as becoming more familiar with an official language of New Zealand.

Island Bay: The kaiako and children have been talking about their local community, Island Bay. They printed pictures of some of the local hot spots around the community like New World, Cou Cou, Bluebelle, Floyds, Empire cinema, the beach, the aquarium and library. The tamariki looked through the pictures and were able to recognise and tell us all about any adventures they have had there with their whānau. This encourages children to tell and retell stories and their experiences, as well as strengthening their understanding of place and community.

Miramar: We have spent time reading books, hearing stories, pointing out the letters and discussing the meanings of new words. Our favourite new words were 'investigate' and 'curious', using water droppers to transfer coloured water into our paint trays. This is an excellent way to nail your pincer grip, strengthen your muscles in your fingers, these are pre-literacy skills! We read Milo and the Magical stones again because it has 2 alternative endings and we needed to hear the 'sad' ending. It's great to revisit storytelling as we hear new language and remember the story better for when we want to read the story on our own.

‍Queenstown: The kaiako and children have been engaging in investigative conversations – with the children asking questions and sharing their thoughts and ideas about a variety of topics, from Māori pūrakau (stories) like How the Kiwi lost its wings, to native birds and shells. These conversations not only build confidence and knowledge, they add complex vocabulary and opportunity for back-and-forth conversations – which strengthens oral language and literacy.

Ngā Mihi Nui from the Curious Minds Team

As always, thank you for your continued support and for sharing your child’s learning journey with us. Literacy is a shared adventure—one that begins with the stories we tell, the words we share, and the voices we listen to. Together, we’re raising confident communicators, creative storytellers, and joyful learners.

Kia kaha te kōrero – keep those conversations flowing!

Ngā mihi nui,

The Curious Minds Team

‍Stay Connected: Island Bay, Johnsonville, Miramar, Queenstown