Find out how we are inspired by Danish day care institutions and implement the special Scandinavian pedagogy in Daisy.

Scandinavian Pedagogy

Equal opportunity to develop at your own pace.

Playing is learning in its nature.

Relations based on mutual respect between child-child and child-adult.

Outdoor life.

Plenty of opportunity to unfold physically.

Diversity and community go hand in hand.

Varied and healthy diet.

Reasonable working conditions and ongoing training of educators.

The Scandinavia area consists of the Nordic countries Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Sometimes Finland and Iceland are also included.

In the Scandinavian countries, almost all children go to day care and kindergarten from the age of 1. The Scandinavian day care centers have playing as their focal point, and there is a focus on the importance of playing for children’s learning and development.

In Scandinavia, playing is considered to accommodate children’s development, education, well-being and learning. While learning in some parts of the world is attributed to school and academics, there has long been an awareness of the connection between play and learning in Scandinavian context.

Exactly because playing is known and meaningful to children and at the same time accommodates learning, teachers can use play to support or direct children’s curiosity towards something specific. Through playing, educators can engage children in a learning activity that is aimed at e.g. certain social skills or cognitive and bodily skills.

Most hours in Scandinavian day care take place outside with plenty of space for children to unfold physically. Children get the opportunity to invent and initiate games themselves, which makes the child independent, vigorous and communicative.

In Scandinavia, there are clear expectations for children’s behavior, but scolding or punishment are not used as methods of upbringing. The children learn to regulate behavior and emotions through dialogue with adults, who take the child’s experiences seriously. It provides children with tools to be able to independently regulate their emotions in the future and enter into contexts where they must postpone their needs (e.g. school context).

Find examples of Scandinavian pedagogy are included in our set of values here.