Openwoodgate Preschool - Our Hygge Journey

Hygge in summertime is not that different to hygge in Autumn or wintertime. I was inspired to continue our Hygge journey over the summer holidays even though our setting is term time only.

Here are my top 10 ideas for creating inspiring Hygge activities for your little ones...

 1. Sunflower Soup

A super quick and easy water play activity requiring very little set up.

All you need is a large pot full of water (i like to colour my water), bowls, spoons, sunflowers (I tend to use ones that are almost past their best) and any other added extras you like! (Pipets are always fun and good for fine motor development)

2. Ice play  

Sticking with the water theme and with the British summer being a bit unpredictable you have to grab these hot days when you can! And what better way to cool off than with an ice play activity?

All you need is a couple of things...

Ice (make sure to freeze the day before if doing a large volume), cutlery, pots and pans! You can add in coloured water, flowers or even small toys for your little one to rescue)

3. Playdoh in its many forms!

Our minis absolutely love Playdoh so setting it up with anything at all is always a hit!

Whether your own little mini loves pirates, dinosaurs, birds, butterflies or anything in between Playdoh is always a go-to sensory activity.

We have set up our Playdoh on a small scale using the butterflies as a topic of interest, adding in the life cycle as well as sensory stones is a great way of not only developing fine motor but also critical thinking.

4. Texture tray

Now this is a fun one!

Take a theme or topic (here I went with dinosaurs because I think they're fascinating) and add in a whole variety of different textures, scents, colours, sounds, maybe like we did you add in Playdoh then add some fossils to press into it leaving behind the imprint. Maybe you want to add more holistic and nature in, such as pinecones and dried seed pods.

The ideas and combinations are limitless!

5. Shadow drawings

A super simple one to do on a sunny day! All you need is some white or coloured paper, something to draw with (I used crayons) and an area which casts a shadow or items to achieve this.

6. Coloured rice

This is fast becoming a new favourite of mine! Really simple to do in any form.

To colour your rice just add rice to a food bag, add a dollop of paint (your choice of colour), tie and shake! Leave your rice to dry overnight.

We turned our coloured rice into a few different activities but this mermaid-themed activity is simply divine, using cut up tubes to create scales with spaces to scoop the rice into.

7. Mud play...

Love it or hate it we certainly love it!

Here we turned one of our favourite stories 'Superworm ' by Julia Donaldson into a mathematical opportunity.

Just add string or cooked spaghetti to some mud, tweezers and scoops for fine motor and numbers - from here you really can tailor it to what you want! The perfect activity indoors in a tray or outdoors.

8. Treasure baskets

We absolutely love a treasure basket, so full of wonder and exciting items you just can't help but want to dive in and have a rummage yourself!

All you need is a basket (any shape size or colour) and objects or items that spark curiosity and interest.

Textures are always a fun thing to add as they give another element to explore.

9. Tea parties

Another simple set up which you can add water to too.

All you need are cups, jugs, teapots, spoons and water (if you're using it as a water play opportunity)

Our minis love water play and especially loved pouring from one container to another, this activity is a brilliant way of developing communication as well as sharing and turn-taking.

10. Oobleck

This is a newer sensory activity to us, just add corn flour (uk version) and a little water, mixing until it combines. You can add food colouring here too.

This activity is almost like magic as you can press on the oobleck and it doesn't yield but once you scoop it up it becomes a liquid - here I've created a mini construction world that got extended using oobleck. Great Messy Play! Also, once it dries, the children can see it crack and break it up or paint on it! 

Thank you to Gemma for writing this blog post. Gemma is the deputy manager of Openwoodgate Preschool in the heart of Derbyshire.

'We've been on the Hygge journey for a few years now and completed our accreditation in September 2023 and officially became an accredited setting.

Since joining the accreditation I've found a new-found love of all things nature and outdoors and love to post photos on our social media pages about what we have been doing. Hopefully i'm inspiring people along the way.

Being able to inspire and teach our minis is what drives me to become better myself and create new activities and inviting play.

We refer to the children in our preschool setting as our 'minis' and each of them are incredible and unique in their own way, this is why the Hygge approach works! We've been able to introduce more nature-based learning into our setting which has had a huge positive learning impact on all of us.'

Find out more about my Hygge in the Early Years Accreditation here.