Creating childhood hygge for your family

Have you heard of hygge (hue-gah)? 

It’s a defining part of Danish culture, and while I’m definitely no expert on it, it is described as being able to recognize the coziness, contentedness, simplicity, goodness of a moment, and consciously creating a life full of these moments.

This is something I think about in the back of my mind for myself (think a warm tea first thing in the morning, taking time to look out the window, having a fiction book on the go) but I realized a few weeks ago that I wanted this to be a focus for my mothering, as well.

I want my kids to have a hygge childhood. 

To look back on these defining years and say, I felt secure, I felt cozy and happy and content. And it’s felt really good to homemake in this way, to mother from this mindset. I find myself looking at mess in a different way, observing my children with a different level of calm and awareness. 

What are some of the ways I am consciously preparing our home and our days to give my children a more hygge childhood?

First of all, being present, being more conscious of our time together. Really listening to, really looking at my children. Working on unconditionally loving and responding to their needs, talking with a quiet voice. Redirecting with understanding and patience. 

What gives a child more security than feeling well-loved?

Some examples and activities you can incorporate to intentionally create hygge memories: 

In the kitchen/food related

• Baking together. 
• Making cinnamon buns for no special reason on a Friday.
• Making cozy, warm, special drinks to savour over poetry.
• Letting kids create their own recipes.

Things to do

• Making board games accessible for children to play on their own.
• Playing board games with them.
• Reading through stacks of books.
• Having read-aloud chapter books on the go.
• Nature walks.
• Doing handicrafts or other creative activities together.
• Bathing in the middle of the day (with bubbles.) 
• Listening to audiobooks.
• Letting the playdough get out of hand.
• Telling Stories.
• Slower paced movies and programs, especially old classics like the Swiss Family Robinson or Anne of Green Gables.

Environment/home atmosphere

• Creating beautiful areas everywhere in the house.
• Making family mealtimes special with beautiful serving dishes, candles, and thoughtful conversation. 
• Clean and organized spaces that encourage deep, immersive play
• Lighting candles.
• Dimming lights.
• Listening to good music, having instrumental music on when we’re just hanging out.
• Diffusing essential oils. 
• Bringing in nature

Mindset/intentionality

• Taking the time to have really intentional bedtime routines with prayer weaving over them as they fall asleep.
• Whispering affirmations to them.
• Putting away technology.
• Snuggling together, all piled in my cozy bed (bonus when there’s a sweet baby to lavish love on).
• Apologizing with sincerity as often as I fail.
• Making space in our home for fort building, mess making, the play that is explosive and engrossing and warm in its way.
• Staying home.

There’s so many ways, ranging from the simplest to the more difficult to enforce. I often wonder what they will remember about childhood, what they will say when they are asked later on in life. I hope, at the very least, they can say they remember being loved.

Are there any other ideas you have incorporated in your home? Contact me and I will add it to the list!

Thank you for reading! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact me. I would also love to hear any suggestions for posts you would like me to write about. And if you are interested in following along in our daily adventures, follow us on Instagram where I post daily.



God bless,
Olivia Fischer