Blog

"When I first joined my setting at the end of 2018 was the first time I heard the word “Hygge.” I remember it took me a while to remember how to spell it, ‘Hoogah, Huggeh’ I could never get my head around it. We used to have a room dedicated to all things ‘Hygge’ and it was my favourite place in the nursery. The room only lit by the salt lamp, fairy lights and whatever cosy image was projected on the wall, a crackling fire, a calming underwater scene or even a forest with the sounds of rain and bird song. The diffuser always puffing out a gorgeous smell. No matter how busy I was I always had time to stop and appreciate how the ambiance of that little room made me feel. After around 6 months unfortunately the man who used to look after the Hygge room left for another setting and as time went on the Hygge room disappeared, something broke, someone took bits of it for a project they were working on and it was soon in a state of disarray and later turned into a cloak room. I really missed ...

Hygge Case Study by Natalie Carrigher

I began my Hygge in the Early Years Journey in January 2020 after 15 years in Early years, and 8 years in the same school (through special measures to good) I felt lost.  I was at a stage in my career where I needed ‘something’ but I had no idea what!  I still loved  working in Early years but felt my CPD had severely lacked in the past few years.   Through teaching in my mixed Reception/ Year One class I felt lost between knowing in my heart what the children needed and pressures from SLT (OFSTED/school improvement support/LEA) to deliver the National curriculum.  My practice had become segmented between the two curriculums, where I felt divided in  both my time and being able to provide a challenging learning environment for all children in my class.   I spent hours during evenings and weekends planning for both curriculums in great detail and  resourcing sessions. I would have all these great ideas to engage the children and develop a love of l...

Finally, the right fit!

A Case Study from A Little Fascination, Australia

The pressure for perfection, within a one-size-fits-all model, left me constantly exhausted, stressed and feeling as though I wasn't good enough for the children.

Professional learning frameworks, community expectations, family expectations and government expectations all contributed to a sense of failure within me. To make a difference in the lives of the children, I wanted to enjoy my work again.

I believe in authentic resources and practice upcycling; I gradually shifted my approach towards more natural and unstructured approaches with resources. In addition to creating a sustainable learning environment, I wanted the environment to encourage child curiosity, engagement, and holistic growth.

A search for professional development opportunities led me to ‘loose parts’, which led me to discovering The Curiosity Approach and a concept called ‘Hugge’. I was intrigued, and I instinctively knew I must learn ...

By Little Chickens Childminding

I’m a childminder who works by herself, and after 10 years of childminding I had lost the joy in my job. My setting was full of all the usual colourful plastic, noisy light-up toys, separate baby toys and preschool toys all designed with one purpose in mind, colourful displays on the walls with the children’s identical craftwork. Outside was set-up with more laminated displays, and bright toys - the nursery look that seemed to be expected. I was feeling claustrophobic and overwhelmed with it all, the children weren’t even engaging with anything and were flittering between toys, not interested in the carefully laid out tuff trays. there would be a chaotic ‘mess’ at the end of the day. I was struggling to switch off when not working, the playroom wasn’t being used by my family, and it had become a separate entity within our home. I was feeling under pressure planning activities - my work, life, and home was completely out of balance, and I wasn’t even fin...

By Louise Fleetwood Childminding

As a Childminder of eight years each Ofsted inspection brought new pressures to work harder, strive for better and produce even more paperwork to 'prove' how you were meeting every childs needs. I was spending my evenings and weekends writing up, documenting and preparing resources and had very little work life balance, or even enjoyment for the job anymore.

When Covid hit I knew I needed a new direction, focus and a renewed sense of worth. Through embarking on my Hygge journey I have brought the outdoors in, loose  parts and uninterrupted opportunity form the best parts of our play and outdoor picnics and adventures are a daily must. Over the past year I have noticed how physically capable my children have become, far more resilient and loads healthier than I have ever looked after. Each and every one of the children I care for now has a desire to get outside each and every day. Parents have thanked me for surrounding their children in nature and h...

Hygge in the Early Years At Pownall Hall School

In April 2019, I introduced the Hygge approach into my home and felt the benefits instantly. I was therefore keen to introduce it into our nursery setting.

Hygge is about sharing and enjoying small moments together, every day. It is about slowing down, being together and building relationships.

At Pownall Hall School Nursery we believe in all the benefits that a Hygge environment brings. We have used the Hygge approach to create a Nursery environment that captures the feeling of cosiness, warmth and togetherness for all who enter into it.

Our Nursery is a calm space filled with cosy nooks, soft lights, warm textures and interesting objects to encourage curiosity and discussion. We bring nature inside and connect with nature outside daily.

We believe that wellbeing is key to our provision and our children are comfortable to have fun, explore or just snuggle down when they want to. Children should experience happiness and other emoti...

This year at Kinderworld Day Nursery the staff team have embarked on a journey together studying for the Hygge in Early Years Accreditation. We started this because as the manager of the nursery I could see and feel how the covid pandemic has had such a detrimental effect on the health and wellbeing of many families, staff and children. As a team, we wanted to feel calmer, less stressed and happier. Coming myself from a very Hygge home (as my mother is Danish) and having grown up with the concept of Hygge and basing our nursery around this when we first opened 25 years ago, along with other Danish philosophies and what we called always called ‘home from home’, I was overjoyed to find this course so I could better share our ethos with my staff and the families that attend. I am so happy that finally Hygge is recognised outside of Denmark, as it is a way of life and can really only be embraced if everyone understands it and is on board with it- creating a culture of Hygge.

At our Nurser...

Guest blog post by Sarah Rawson, Normanton All Saints C of E (A) Infant School

"During the pandemic, our setting, like many others, were keen to not only spend the majority of our day outdoors but also encourage our families to do the same. Making the most of the daily walk quickly became part of the new ‘norm’ for families and schools in the world of home learning.     Our love for the outdoors continued to grow and this is when we stumbled upon the Wanderlust nature study program. This amazing 52 week plan has totally transformed our outdoor provision and the way in which we use our outdoor space. The level of engagement has increased, behaviour has improved and we have been in awe of the knowledge that the children had gained about the world around them. Inspired by Kimberly and her Nature Study, we enrolled onto the Hygge Early Year’s accreditation course.  Core values, such as a community and child-centered approach, a curriculum that focuses on well-being, the promotion of respe...