At Balmoral Kindergarten ā mātou tamariki (our children) enjoy playing ‘Ngā tūru whakatangi’ (musical chairs). This game is where you walk, skip, or dance around a set of chairs while music plays. When the music stops, everyone must find a chair to sit in. The catch? There’s always one less chair than players, so someone gets left standing!
There are many opportunities to develop social skills during the game. Ngā tamariki practice conflict management (who sat in the chair first), showing respect (keeping their hands to themselves as they walk) and having patience. As well as teamwork (everyone has to walk around the chairs at the same time and speed), good sportsmanship (‘getting out’ as gracefully as possible), listening skills, focus and determination.
Losing can be hard for some of our tamariki, but ngā kaiako (teachers) provide emotional support and encouragement. We might not win every game, but we can try again, improve our skills to focus on the music, as well as our reactivity to sit on the chair first.