Early Childhood Behaviour Resources
Essential Resources supports New Zealand early childhood teachers by providing resources to address behaviours that challenge and promote positive behaviour support strategies. Our resources focus on helping early years educators understand and respond to young children's behaviour, using positive reinforcement, conflict resolution and cooperative play activities.
With guides on teaching emotional regulation and fostering social-emotional development in the early years, Essential Resources equips teachers with evidence-based behaviour management strategies. Our expert authors' practical tips empower educators to create inclusive, supportive environments. These titles will help New Zealand educators in early childhood settings support children exploring and learning to manage feelings, behaviour, rights and responsibilities.
What are the best resources for supporting social-emotional development in New Zealand childcare settings?
Supporting social-emotional development is a cornerstone of early childhood education (ECE) in New Zealand. Essential Resources texts such as ‘But I want to be good!’ and Exploring Emotions offer practical, activity-based strategies for helping children build self-awareness, empathy and communication skills.
New Zealand’s unique cultural context, including the principles of Te Whāriki, is reflected in Essential Resources’ publications. For example, their resources integrate activities that promote whanaungatanga (relationships) and manaakitanga (caring), encouraging children to work collaboratively and develop respect for others. These materials help teachers nurture children’s ability to manage emotions, resolve conflicts and participate in group settings effectively.
By using these resources, educators can create environments that foster a sense of belonging and equip children with lifelong social and emotional skills.
How does Te Whāriki support positive behaviour guidance in early learning?
Te Whāriki, New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum, provides a strong foundation for positive behaviour by emphasising holistic development and the importance of relationships. Its principles, strands and goals guide educators in fostering children’s well-being, communication and sense of belonging.
Essential Resources aligns its publications with Te Whāriki to ensure teachers can seamlessly integrate positive behaviour support into their practice. Te Whāriki encourages educators to view challenging behaviours as opportunities to understand a child’s needs and provide guidance. Essential Resources supports this approach by offering tools that promote open communication with whānau (families) and collaborative strategies for guiding children towards positive behaviour. This alignment ensures that teachers can effectively meet the curriculum’s aspirations for tamariki to grow as confident, connected and resilient learners.
What are effective strategies for managing challenging behaviours in New Zealand early childhood education?
Essential Resources provides educators with practical tools to address behavioural challenges effectively.
Key strategies include positive reinforcement, emotional regulation activities, conflict resolution skills and individualised behaviour plans. Our texts include tools to address common challenges in social-emotional development, such as teaching children to recognise and name their feelings. Visual aids, storytelling activities and cooperative games are used to help young learners develop these skills. With a focus on practical application, these resources equip teachers to guide tamariki through real-world scenarios, such as sharing, taking turns and resolving peer conflicts.
Essential Resources also emphasises the importance of building strong relationships with children and their whānau, ensuring a collaborative approach to behaviour management.
Furthermore our expert authors such as Niki Buchan emphasise the importance of investigating the cause of challenging behaviours. Niki is an expert in issues related to neurodiversity and trauma and strategies for responding to behaviours that challenge. For more information on neurodiversity check out our resources on additional needs and inclusion.
By offering clear, actionable strategies, Essential Resources ensures that educators have the tools they need to address children’s behaviours proactively. With a focus on skill-building and social-emotional learning, these resources help create calm, engaging environments where children feel secure and supported.