Yurt: The Structure of Well Being

Environment plays an enormous role in emotional well being. Afterschool Village takes great care in creating an environment that will give your children both the internal and external base that is so essential to their healthy development. There are few structures more suited to give children that strong base than a yurt.

What is a yurt?

The yurt was traditionally a portable, round dwellings covered with skin or felt. Family and community members would gather together inside to eat and share news of the day. The circular shape of the yurt both maximized the living area and imparted the subliminal message that each person in the family system was equally valued.

Modern day yurts are sturdier and less mobile, while keeping the simplistic design intact. In recent years, yurts have been rediscovered for their beauty, comfort and therapeutic value.

Why a yurt?

The minimalist style of a yurt allows children to disconnect from the disruptive noise of everyday life and listen for the sound of their own inner voice. Without artificial stimulation, children’s minds and bodies will re-adjust to a slower and healthier pace.

Yurts rest gently on the earth, protecting us from the rougher parts of nature, while also letting in the beauty and the rhythm.

The arched walls of the yurt create a comforting nest-like atmosphere. The sunlight streaming in from the domed ceiling offers warmth and natural light. The pitter-patter of rain and the rustling of wind provide soothing sounds.

How will the yurt help my child self-regulate in the real world?

While initially the yurt will be a comforting physical environment for your children, it will eventually become a tool they can use for emotional and mental self-regulation.

Entering the yurt will be a full sensory experience. Carefully chosen textures, sounds, and smells invite children to release the heavy weight of the day— feeling calmer, lighter, more at peace. The activities done in the yurt will be carefully curated to reinforce this separation between the chaotic world outside and the calm oasis inside the yurt.

Through repetition, mindfulness, and full sensory integration, children will begin to internalize the yurt, not just as a physical space, but as a powerful inner oasis.

No matter how scary or stressful the outside world becomes, they will always have the ability to access their “inner yurt” to center themselves.