Topic

Language is very important to the Pasefika community and that is why most of Pasefika families enrolled their children into their own background early childhood setting. It is really important for us to embrace our language and culture into early childhood setting so that our children feel that they can still learn their language and culture in Aotearoa New Zealand. Learning a new language can be challenges to children especially children who just introduce into a new language. It is really important to an early childhood setting to have some teacher's that speak fluently Te Reo, Samoa, Niue, Tonga, Cook Island and other Pasefika language so that they can teach their own mother tongue to this centre. According to Goodwim (2004) "teachers' knowledge of enthusiasm for children's literature is at the heart of the teaching" (pg, 14). Basically what it means if teacher have the knowledge and interest for children literature is the key point of their teaching. Therefore, children required interaction with other language-user in order to bring the language-faculty into operation with a particular language (Yule 1996). Learning a new language extend children's linguistic and understanding about the cultural and their ability to interact appropriately with other speakers. (Ministry of education 2007).