Rewilding Rituals in Early Childhood

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

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260317-dusking-the-dutch-twilight-ritual-helping-people-slow-down

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