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I read a book called ‘The Little Book of Hygge’ by Meik Wiking and was intrigued by the
meaning of hygge. I researched the internet and came across your website. I felt excited
about a different way to approach teaching reception children. I talked to my head teacher
and my colleagues about my ideas and feelings. As I changed the classroom, I had a new
energy for teaching. I felt motivated rather than overwhelmed.

I often smile when people come in to the classroom and mention how calm and cosy it feels.
I am proud of how my classroom enables children to learn in an unrushed, nurturing way. I
used to make the provocations for the children to use but now I include them in the process.
When a child came in with some feathers to add to a provocation, it dawned on me that it is
their learning experience, a journey through their imaginary world and I should include them
in the process.

At times, managing behavioural issues in the class has been challenging. However, I believe
the calm environment I ...

Not necessarily. An invitation to play is often open-ended, sparking curiosity and child-led exploration, whereas a new theme can be more structured and adult-driven. However, invitations to play should be used intentionally and sparingly to avoid taking over the whole environment. 

 Key Points for Reflection and Rebalancing

1. Intent vs. Impact

 • Ask yourself: Why am I setting this up?

Is it to introduce a skill, a theme, or to enrich curiosity?

 • Then ask: What was the children’s actual response?

Did they engage meaningfully, or did they ignore it?

This helps separate teacher intention from child impact.

2. Too Many Invitations = Too Much Noise

 • Overloading a space with multiple setups can actually overwhelm rather than inspire.

 • Sometimes, one carefully thought-out invitation is more powerful than five visually appealing ones.

Try leaving more blank space for children to build their own ideas.

3. Continuous Provision as the Core

 • Revisit yo...

We love eating outside all year round but in an early years setting or school the warmer months of the year do make things a little easier. 

I always find that eating outside in nature is a great way to simply slow down. It can be a picnic in the woods, a snack on a walk at the side of the river or simply bringing your snack table outside into your outdoor provision. It doesn’t need to be fancy! 

We love growing fruit and vegetables around our outdoor play spaces. There is something wonderful about spotting a child in the summer months barefoot, mid play and selecting a tomato from the garden then choosing a quiet place to sit and eat it fresh from the vine.  Think of all the sensory input and conversations you can have while eating in nature, or simply just having stillness and nature sounds when you eat which is so soothing. 

School mealtimes has always been a bug bear of mine and working with schools and settings to make it a more enjoyable experience. You can find out more about this ...

The popular Danish term “Hygge” which features in the Oxford dictionary is described as ‘ Esp. with reference to Danish culture: a quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being; contentment from simple pleasures, such as warmth, food, friends, etc.’

With the Scandinavian countries of Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland consistently holding the top places for being the World’s Happiest Countries it’s no wonder we’ve all been wondering how we can have our own piece of hygge.

The popular trend has seen us adding fairy lights to our living room in a hope that it would make us all feel a bit more joy!....but maybe it’s failed to make you any happier.

This is because hygge is so much more than adding a string of twinkly lights. It’s about creating an environment where those within it feel connected, settled and at peace.

In order to create those feelings of contentment we can explore some changes to our spaces. We might add t...

Ah the fields are bright and yellow with the delight of buttercups! I have such fond childhood memories of spending time in the uncut fields near my house. 

Whilst the buttercups are appealing, please take care as they are toxic if eaten and it's always best to handle with garden gloves on to reduce the risk of skin irritation. 

Here are some simple Buttercup Activity Ideas that you can enjoy over the next few weeks....

1. Play hide and seek in the long swishy grass and buttercups

2. Choose a spot to just sit and observe them. Who visits them? How do they smell? Notice their shiny and reflective petals. How do you feel when you sit amongst these? Why not take a picnic?

3. Run free through a field of buttercups. Feeling the buttercups across your hands as you run. 

You might be wondering where all the fancy resource set ups and invitations to play are here. Have we missed them out of this blog post?

No!

I often get asked ,'Am I not doing my job well if I don’t have lots of inv...

I started my Hygge journey because I have an interest in creating a more cosy and comfortable indoor and outdoor environment to help the children feel safe and secure when in my setting, just as they would in their own homes. And to see if it will help aid their development. Something that I do find difficult is that I am a pack away setting I found it quite difficult to find the correct decor that could easily be put away after each day.

Carpet Area

I started with a focus on my carpet area, as I felt it was quite colourful, and was not a very inviting space for quiet or reading. To help this I have stopped putting on the big lights and started to put a warm light lamp, which I have put on top of a wooden crate which I then use to put the books inside. I have also bought some hessian leaf pillows and soft fluffy blankets to create a cosy area. To make the carpet area feel more like the children’s homes, I asked the parents to bring in some family photos, which I put out around the se...

With the wonderfully warm weather here in the U.K this week the challenge is to keep everyone nice and cool. What not better than embracing some simple water play! 

It doesn't have to be fancy to be effective and create opportunities for high levels of engagement. Young children find water truly fascinating. From watching the shape rain makes as it lands in a puddle to the flow of water down stream. 

Over in my Rewilding Your Wanderlust Nature Study Programme I offer a whole module on the wonderful elements of water and the natural ways we can explore this safely with young children. From visiting bubbling becks, splashing in puddles and reviewing your water provision.

Here is a handy getting started list for water play taken from my Rewiding Your Wanderlust Audit. 

• Pipes and Guttering Connectors for the pipes Measuring jugs in different sizes
• Watering can
• Funnels
• Brushes
• Paint roller
• Plant pots with holes in Jerry cans
• Spray bottles
• Bubble blowing set
• Sponges of di...