Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of rituals in early childhood, especially
alongside our continued focus on Rewilding at our centre. It’s something that’s been
on my mind since we were discussing rituals during our Rewilding training at the
beginning of the year. I found the topic of rituals really interesting as it isn’t
something I had considered much, even though I have since realised that we
ourselves do many rituals on a regular basis at EMCC.
When we talk about Rewilding, we often think about nature, open-ended materials,
and freedom to explore. Which absolutely at its core is what rewilding is about. But
the more that I’ve been exploring rewilding, the more I have realised the link and
importance of rituals. Rituals are great because they don’t have to be structured or
rigid. In fact, they can be quite the opposite. They can be simple, familiar moments
that happen regularly and help children feel safe, connected, and grounded in their
environment.
In Walert class, I’ve been thinking about introducing a few gentle Rewilding-based
rituals. Things like gathering outdoors at the same time each day for a short group
moment. Nothing formal, just sitting together on the grass, noticing the weather, or
listening for any environmental sounds around us. It’s less about “doing” something
in particular and more about being in that shared moment.
Another idea I’ve had, is creating small daily nature rituals, like collecting natural
items together in the garden such as leaves, gum nuts, sticks and bringing them
back to explore. Over time, this becomes something familiar that the children begin
to anticipate and take part in more confidently.
However, we do already have some lovely rituals happening naturally throughout our
day in Walert class. For example, we regularly water the plants together, go and
check on how our tomatoes are growing, and feed our compost bin in small groups.
These moments might seem small, but they give the children a sense of
involvement, responsibility and these moments also help children to build a
connection to the environment around them. Over time, the children are beginning to
recognise these routines and take part in their own ways.
Another interesting thing I’ve discovered since researching about rituals, is how they
can also help young children to understand and cope with daily transitions. If we do
something at the same time each day before a transition e.g. lunch time, the children
will begin to anticipate this and know what’s coming next. Which in turn will hopefully make the children feel calmer and more prepared at transition times.
I also unexpectedly ended up learning and thinking about how rituals can be quite
different for all of us depending on our age, beliefs, where we’re from, etc… This all
began after I randomly came across an on BBC Travel about a Dutch concept called
“Dusking.” It’s a simple ritual where people step outside at dusk to slow down,
reflect, and take in the transition from day to night. Reading it made me realise how
different rituals can look for every person and every family, and how meaningful
those small, repeated moments can be.
An important thing to note, is that there isn’t one “right” way to do rituals. Some
families might have bedtime routines, others might have weekend traditions, and
some might not even realise that they have rituals at all. Even myself! I didn’t initially
notice some of our rituals in Walert Class. Sometimes rituals just happen naturally.
I really think that creating these rituals will not only be lovely to do with the children,
but that it will be a great help emotionally by having these consistent experiences.
Hopefully, they will help to build even more of a sense of security and belonging for
the children. When we pair this with rewilding, it becomes about slowing down,
noticing, and being present together in nature.
I really encourage families to try out doing rituals that feel meaningful or exciting to
you and your family at home. Below I have added a link which helps to explain more
about nature rituals in particular, along with their benefits and some ideas for how
you can try to create your own ones together. I have also added the BBC article
about Dusking too, in case anyone is interested to know more about it or would like
to try it out for themselves!
Childhood Nature Rituals: Nurturing Eco-Conscious Kids
https://www.thezoofamily.com/en/blogs/news/childhood-nature-rituals-eco-conscious
Dusking: The Dutch twilight ritual helping people slow down
Lindsay Harmon
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