Trips and visits provide opportunities to explore people, places, resources, and events that have shaped your local community.

Outings do not have to be major. A simple walk to the park or to watch nearby roadworks can be interesting for your tamaiti.

Take your time and allow them to think about what they see. A book with photographs telling the story of your trip or visit can be helpful for your tamaiti to understand what’s going on. It can be a starting point for talking about and remembering the experience.

Example of a trip – visit to the marae#

Marae provide excellent learning opportunities about Māori culture and traditions. Visiting your local marae can be a fun way for you and your tamaiti to learn new things about Māori culture.

It is important to ask the marae if they are able to host you for a visit. It is also a good idea to have someone that knows the tikanga of the marae to go with you to help support and guide your visit.

When visiting a local marae, it is important to understand and show respect and reciprocity.

Learning through visits and outings#

Visits and outings help your tamaiti to:

• learn about the community they belong to
• discover the local history and culture
• experience new sights, sounds, and smells
• question and explore
• learn new vocabulary and have conversations
• build confidence, social skills, and a sense of belonging.

Support your tamaiti#

You can support your tamaiti by:

• involving them in planning for a trip or visit
• supervising them on the outing
• asking questions about different things on the trip
• keeping a photographic or written record of the trip
• using simple te reo Māori words and phrases
• identifying te reo Māori street names and researching what they mean or who they are named after.