Volunteers as part of everyday community life in early years education 

In January, Perttu’s nursery braved the freezing temperatures and went for a walk in woollen socks. The children put three pairs of woollen socks on one foot each for the fresh-air walk. Apparently, they didn’t feel cold, but did work up a bit of a sweat, even though going outside without shoes felt rather strange.  

Heidi Kajan, the head of Pertu’s nursery, explained that behind the woollen socks lies a story of community spirit.  

– Years ago, in the Pertu area, an elderly lady donated a large number of woollen socks to the nursery, and this ‘woollen sock walk’ was organised thanks to those donated socks, explains Kaja. 

– There were so many woollen socks that every child in the group got three pairs to wear, and they didn’t get cold whilst walking, Kaja continues. 

Forest Granny helps children develop a positive relationship with nature 

Marja Tikka, the ‘forest granny’, has been visiting the Lepola nursery’s hut once a week in the mornings for the third season running.  

– Marja, our ‘Forest Granny’, has been actively involved in our outdoor activities with the children. We always agree in advance what we’re going to do next time, says early years teacher Eva Koivikko. 

The Forest Granny has sometimes taken materials out into the countryside in advance or helped to collect them after the activity. From time to time, she has joined in with group drama sessions, listened to the children’s stories and marvelled with them at the animal tracks in the countryside. 

– The children greet Forest Granny enthusiastically when they meet her and give her lots of hugs when she leaves, Koivikko continues. 

Forest Grannies and Grandads is a form of voluntary work that has emerged to support schools and nurseries with forest excursions and outdoor activities. Forest Grannies and Grandads want to help nurseries in their efforts to foster a positive relationship with nature. 

Reading grannies and grandads as guides for Reading Week

Tuusulanjärvi Nursery School held a reading week organised by the parents’ association during week 9. The event originated at Kievarin Nursery School, and we are delighted that the tradition has continued since the activities moved to Tuusulanjärvi Nursery School. 

During Reading Week, volunteer ‘reading grannies’ came along to read books in Finnish, whilst the ‘reading grandad’ read fairy tales in Swedish. The books read were either the children’s own chosen favourites or works on a specific theme.  

– ‘For example, last term the books focused on family diversity, and this term’s theme was community spirit and doing things together,’ explains Milja Juutinen, deputy head of the Tuusulanjärvi nursery.  

The grandparents of the children at the nursery have been actively involved in the parents’ association’s activities in other ways too.  

– People have continued to take part in the activities even though their own grandchildren have already moved on to primary school. We have been very grateful for this, says Juutinen. 

Storytime at Vaunukangas Nursery 

– Our collaboration actually began when the members of the Hyrylä Pensioners’ Association wanted some nursery-aged children to visit their Thursday club meeting, so we were delighted to accept the invitation at Vaunukangas Nursery, explains Kaisa Suomalainen, Deputy Head of Vaunukangas Nursery.  

So, on a Thursday morning in September 2024, the pre-schoolers from the Mintut group hopped on an HSL bus and headed for the centre of Hyrylä. Their specific destination was Mäntymäki, where the pensioners usually gather on Thursdays.  

The nursery school children had prepared a few songs to perform. In addition to these, they sang and played along to some more traditional songs, in which the pensioners also took part. Both the little ones and the slightly older ‘elephant friends’ were invited to join in the ‘Little, Little Elephant’ singing game, because travelling together was so much fun. 

The autumn visit was such a warm and pleasant experience for everyone involved that Mintut decided to invite the pensioners to visit the pre-school in return in the spring of 2025. The morning flew by once again. The pensioners were, of course, shown round the nursery premises and introduced to the children’s important nursery folders. There was even time for a spot of play and fun together.  

– ‘The visitors could only marvel and admire the fact that today’s pre-school education offers children a wide range of activities and a diverse learning environment,’ recalls early years teacher Sinikka Kemppinen. 

Kemppinen explains that, in the autumn of that same year, our nursery hoped that this collaboration, which had got off to such a good start, and our joint meetings would definitely continue, and that the collaboration would be extended to other groups as well.  

– So we suggested to the pensioners that they come along from time to time to read fairy tales and stories to the children. A few enthusiastic readers from the pensioners’ club soon signed up, and that’s how we got the ball rolling, Suomalainen enthuses. 

During the autumn, the reading grandmothers visited on a total of three agreed dates and with different groups on each occasion. Two meetings have been arranged for the spring of 2026. As well as reading stories, the reading grandmothers have also played games with the children. 

Thoughts from the children of the Timjami and Kaneli families on visits from the reading grandmothers 

It’s been lovely having Grandma read to us. 

It’s been really lovely having Grandma come to visit.

 I’ve been playing a memory game with Grandma. It was fun. 

 I hope he’ll come over to do some crafts. 

 I hope the reading granny comes to play with us. 

 The storyteller read us a fairy tale, *Mopsisarvisen*. 

 The reading granny also played a memory game with us once. 

It would be lovely if the reading granny came back many, many more times. 

A warm thank you to all the volunteers for their valuable and heartfelt work in promoting children’s wellbeing. These various interactions are important and meaningful both for the children and for the community as a whole. 

This content has been translated using AI