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🌿 Feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to constantly plan activities?

What if children didn't need more activities, but more time to wonder, explore and simply be?

In my FREE 30-minute training, I'll share the three simple Scandinavian-inspired shifts that helped me create calmer days, happier children and a more joyful way of teaching.

✨ Watch the free training here.

Perhaps it's because as a teacher, summer felt like a chance to finally breathe. Or perhaps it's because some of my happiest childhood memories happened outdoors, with very little planned at all.

I remember long days building dens, making potions from flowers and spending hours outside until someone called me in for tea. Nobody worried about whether the activity was educational. Nobody had printed a worksheet. We were simply allowed to be children.

Now, as a mum to Oliver, I find myself wanting the same thing for him. We lean towards the Scandinavian summers we've experienced (Read more about that here)

Not a summer...

Hygge is all about embracing the simple moments in life with such warmth and comfort. Winter time offers us the perfect opportunity to make some seasonal changes to our home to create a calming and warm atmosphere. Getting that hygge feeling in our home is especially important when Christmas time can at times feel quite busy and chaotic with so much going on.

Here are my top tips for bringing some hygge into your home at this time of year.

Consider lighting

Turn off the overhead lights and instead be more creative with the way you light up your spaces inside. Go for lamps on tables, the warm flicker of a candle dancing , light the fire or adda string of fairy lights to jam jars to give  twinkle of magic. 

Some of the things that I loved seeing in Scandinavia were the lanterns filled with fairy lights on a porch creating a warm welcome to visitors. Or the paper stars hung in the windows to light the way on a dark night. It it snows you could even have a go at making some snow lant...

Autumn is one of the most beautiful times of year. 

Here we share 50 play activities for you to get inspiration from. Some wonderful ideas for your left over pumpkins too - not just for Halloween!

You can also find weekly nature planning ideas and invitations to play in my Rewilding Nature Study Programme

A Gentle Reminder Before You Begin 🌿

It can be tempting to look at a long list of activities and feel like you should do them all. But the Hygge approach is about slowing down, not speeding up.

Children don’t need a packed timetable. What they need is:

• Experiences linked to their current skills (what they are practising right now).

• Play that reflects their interests (what lights them up and holds their attention).

• Learning that grows from what we already know about them as individuals.

✨ Instead of rushing through all 50 ideas, choose just a few as seasonal hooks. Perhaps puddle jumping, conkers, or pumpkins. Offer these gently over the season, observe where t...