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“Strive to make everyday the best day of your life, because there is no good reason not to.” Hal Elrod

"I sit by the window with a warm drink, looking out and watching for those first few flakes of snow to fall"

Dec 05, 2024

By Emma Thackray

I have always had Hygge embedded deep within me, I just never knew the name for it or how to describe it, other than “a love of being cosy”.

My husband finds it amusing that in the winter months when snow is forecast, I sit by the window with a warm drink, looking out and watching for those first few flakes of snow to fall. The excitement in me rises as more snow falls. There’s just something so cosy about being in your nice warm house watching the snow lay outside isn’t there.

Autumn and Winter have always been my favourite seasons, with a particular love of Halloween and Christmas, as that’s when I really feel cosy, calm and relaxed.

However, since embarking on the Hygge in the Early Years Accreditation I have come to the realisation that Hygge can be experienced at any time of the year. It’s not all about the weather outside, it’s about the environment you create and the calm that you bring into your home and life.

I am therefore transforming my home, wh...

3 Ways To Add Hygge To Your Provision Today

Apr 15, 2024

There are many ways that we can inject that warm, cosy hygge feeling into your classroom, setting or home. To avoid overwhelm I have 3 tips that you can try today.

Step 1. Storytelling Opportunities

Happiness Psycholgist and author of The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living, MeiK Viking describes one of the aspects of hygge living is the pleasure that is found in everyday activities.

Storytelling plays a big part in finding joy and pleasure in life and especially so if it contains humour (which is shown to reduce the stress hormone!). The coming together for meals or the long walks in the wild offer many opportunities for telling stories in Scandinavia. Perhaps you could have a bigger focus on storytelling in your practice; outside, in the woods and in tiny nooks of your provision. You don’t need to set up a large area for story telling to happen in. An inviting invitation to play on a shelf will do, inside a box or even in a hat! The storie...

"The classroom I inherited was disorganised, chaotic and messy, lacking order and calmness"

Feb 24, 2022

Hygge case study by Philippa S

My practice before the accreditation:

Our classroom was light and spacious but due to the high ceilings and cold colours, prickly carpet and blue lino flooring it was lacking a homely welcoming feel to reflect our nurturing practise. The classroom I inherited was disorganised, chaotic and messy, lacking order and calmness, requiring an air of order enabling the children to feel calm and in control of their own learning.

The visions I’ve created in my work:

I have created a classroom exuberating a nurturing, peaceful but exciting and inspiring continuous provision-based room. I have thoughtfully planned each area of the classroom, with the children at the heart of my planning and practise.

This has included, but is not limited to:

Reading: Working with colleagues to read and sort all of EY/KS1/2 reading books to match their phonetic teaching. Working closely with parents to build a partnership based upon trust and honesty – enabling them to bes

3 Signs You Need To Review Your Provision

Mar 04, 2021

In this weeks blog post I wanted to share with you some warning signs that your early years provision isn't working and you may need to review it.

It's good practice to reflect on your learning environment regularly and adapt it as required. I like to take photos of my provision at least once a half term and write a few notes on why the provision has been set up the way it has. I find this a useful tool for your accountability when in meetings with the senior leadership team.

1. Children are wandering around without focus.

Perhaps you have a few children that never seem to stay in an area for very long. They flit from place to place and when using the Leuvan scales of involvement they score low.

2. You're always getting asked questions like, "where are the scissors?" or "I can't find the glue."

These types of questions indicate that the children are not accessing the environment in an independent way. Perhaps you need to look at re-organising your resources

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Reducing My Provision

Sep 07, 2020

If I have to limit my provision what areas should I prioritise?

Remember here that one of the best resources we have is YOU! Any learning can happen when we have an interested adult, who knows the child and has a good understanding of child development knowledge.

Also children learn holistically and therefore we can offer opportunities for mark making, maths, language development throughout our provision. No longer requiring separate maths areas.

If due to Covid you’re having to limit the number of areas you have to have here are some of my thoughts on areas to include;

Block play

Some of the best learning I’ve seen has happened here. Create a huge block area and make small world and loose parts available. I once worked with Miss 3 who showed sustained interest in using the blocks to make a representation of the airport she had visited on her way to Poland. I watched how she liner the blocks up to make a runway then made a plane using wooden pegs and

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Hygge and the Pandemic

Jul 02, 2020

Many of you are worried that due the pandemic all the hard work you’ve done over the last year on the ethos of your practice and the learning environment has to go.

I’ve heard of heart broken reception teachers having to sit their children at desks in rows, display boards getting ripped down and child led learning getting lost.

We can’t let this happen.

And…

It doesn’t need to happen.

In this blog post I’m going to share with you some thoughts on how we can keep that hygge feeling without losing all of the hard work we’ve already done.

Let’s begin by reminding ourselves what hygge is. Hygge is the Danish approach to living well that focuses on being in the moment and embracing the feelings of warmth, simplicity and togetherness.

It’s not just about how your physical environment is set up (although this contributes to it) but it’s about slowing down to be present in the very moment you’re in. Taking time to acknowledge the feelings and improved joy.

Insid...