Helping tamariki navigate big emotions with ENGAGE

Superhero breathing, ninja turtle walking, and musical statues – these fun games are more than just play. They’re empowering tamariki at Barnardos Aotearoa to navigate big emotions and build confidence, one activity at a time.

Since mid-June 2024, Barnardos Aotearoa has proudly started implementing the ENGAGE programme across our services to help tamariki develop vital skills like emotional regulation, patience, and focus. These tools are especially crucial during the first 2,000 days of a child’s life – a period of incredible growth and development.

“[ENGAGE] focuses on three domains: emotional, cognitive, and behavioural. We implement this programme in the form of games so it’s fun for our children in our centres and social services across the country,” says Dianne Kabigting, Barnardos Aotearoa Assistant Service Delivery Manager.

"We explain to them that we use this breathing exercise when we have really big emotions, when you're feeling angry, frustrated this is a really good time to do this breathing... and then when it happens in real life we can coach them to do these breathing exercise.”

ENGAGE was developed by Associate Professor Dione Healey (University of Otago) and has been widely researched in Aotearoa.

Barnardos is committed to supporting tamariki and whānau with playful, meaningful strategies to overcome challenges, build resilience, and create lasting opportunities for success. With ENGAGE, Barnardos is helping shape brighter futures for tamariki in Aotearoa.

Watch the media coverage Barnardos has received from Radio New Zealand about the rollout of the programme at our Barnardos Early Learning Centre in Wellington.