http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.omarapeti.net.nz en-us Thu, 30 Apr 2026 03:28:23 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/post/156104/returning-to-calm-dysregulation-and-co-regulation/ We live in a time where we are saturated with parenting advice like never before. Some of it is useful, some of it not, and much of it can be conflicting and confusing. While I want to offer some practical advice here, I also acknowledge that being honest about our parenting struggles is often even more useful than reading advice. This blog offers an account of something that I know many of us parents struggle with - feeling overwhelmed - and what I try to do to make these situations a little be... Thu, 13 Nov 2025 12:38:57 +1300 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/#post156104 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/post/146560/supporting-young-childrens-autonomy/ From the moment they are born, children begin their journey towards independence. It can be hard to think about it now, while our children are so young, but most parents would probably agree that the end goal is for our children to no longer need us day-to-day. We want our children to ‘need’ us but also not need us! As parents and early childhood teachers, one of our most important roles is to nurture children’s developing autonomy while providing the safety and security they need to thriv... Thu, 05 Jun 2025 09:43:39 +1200 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/#post146560 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/post/140867/gentle-parenting/ Gentle Parenting is a relatively new term that has seen a recent rise in popularity with the help of social media. As consumers and parents, it can be tricky to recognise which parenting philosophies are more than a passing fad and which ones might have a bit more depth to them, possibly even aligning with, and supporting, our own parenting values. This blog offers a brief look at the Gentle Parenting philosophy, its connection to our centre’s philosophy at Oma Rāpeti Freeman’s Bay, and inc... Mon, 20 Jan 2025 15:21:48 +1300 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/#post140867 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/post/135361/saying-sorry/ While our children are young, we often find ourselves in situations where we reflexively prompt them to apologise. ‘Say sorry to your friend,’ we might insist after an incident. It’s instinctive because this is generally how we were brought up and what we think society expects of us as parents. But is this approach truly effective in teaching empathy and showing genuine remorse? At Oma Rāpeti, we believe there are more meaningful ways to help children understand and practice apologies, an... Mon, 30 Sep 2024 09:17:37 +1300 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/#post135361 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/post/132169/biting-in-early-childhood/ If you are, or have ever been, a parent of a child who attends an early childhood centre, it’s likely you have experienced the dreaded message from your child’s teacher:‘Unfortunately, your child was bitten today.’Or, perhaps even worse:‘Unfortunately, your child bit another today.’ It can be distressing to learn that your child has bitten someone or has been bitten at their early childhood centre, however, it may be of some comfort to know that biting is a relatively common beh... Wed, 24 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/#post132169 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/post/72014/what-is-te-whariki/ At Oma Rāpeti, we feel it's really valuable for whānau to understand the basics of our curriculum so they too, can recognise more of the amazing learning their tamariki undertake. Te Whāriki is the national early childhood curriculum for Aotearoa New Zealand; the framework that every early childhood education provider in Aotearoa uses as a basis for their curriculum. The curriculum has “the vision that children are competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in min... Sat, 20 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/#post72014 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/post/69266/part-1--making-sense-of-an-ece-ero-report--akanuku/ We know as parents and whānau a centre's ERO result can be a great place to start to figure out exactly what is happening behind the scenes. We also know it can be really confusing to wrap your head around things, especially when there are changes. We've tried to break this down to the basics, without too much "teacher talk!"  If you want to find out more about ERO, jump on their website and if you want to view our ERO result, you can click here. We'll be discussing it more further down th... Sat, 20 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/#post69266 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/post/69268/part-2--making-sense-of-an-ece-ero-report--akarangi/ Have you read the first part of this blog over here? Here we set out the previous way ERO worked, what it looks like for new owners and how an Akanuku review would work.  Part of quality education for tamariki consists of some basic health and safety/safety checking/premises. Therefore Te Ara Poutama starts initially with an Akanuku reivew. Akanuku focuses on the issues that ERO sees as being paramount to tamariki safety. This is based around the emotional safety of the children, the p... Fri, 19 Nov 2021 00:00:00 +1300 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/#post69268 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/post/71524/supporting-childrens-brain-development/ I once taught a four-year-old who had joined our early childhood centre after moving to a new house. After a few weeks with us, this child made a confession. “I’m not supposed to tell you this,” they whispered, “but I have a tutor who comes to my house after childcare to teach me about letters and numbers.” This child’s parents were focussed on their child’s academic development and, having chosen to attend our play-based and child-led ECE centre, they were concerned that their fou... Mon, 13 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/#post71524 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/post/46431/what-do-i-do-with-all-of-this-art/ It's a typical Thursday, and you've come to collect your child from their centre. They greet you happily from the kai table where they're finishing off their afternoon tea, and you head inside to sign them out and get their bag. When you get to their bag, it's once again overflowing with paintings and drawings that they've been busy creating during the day. This is the fourth day this week that their bag has been this filled with art, and you're not sure what you're going to do with it... Wed, 08 Sep 2021 00:00:00 +1200 http://www.omarapeti.net.nz/blog/#post46431