Welcome to this resource for elfin leaders and helpers. Our aim is to provide you with ideas for addressing a wide range of suitable themes and issues with 6 to 9 year olds in the Woodcraft Folk.
The activities were collated from past and present elfin leaders across the UK. They are examples of what has worked well with actual elfin groups. The result is a sharing of ideas to help new and experienced leaders and helpers alike. No two elfin groups are the same and flexibility is the key to using this resource. Groups meet in different places, with different resources, for differing lengths of time, with differing needs! A particular group’s circumstances may also change from week to week.
A Typical Group Night
A typical elfin group session might consist of:
- Game (10 minutes) – Aim for a game that the children already know so they can join in as they arrive.
- Circle (10 minutes) – News time – Each child (if they want) tells us something from their past week. You may have to limit some children to only one piece of news and others will be reluctant to say anything.
- Activity (30-40 minutes)
- Game / Discussion / Singing (15 minutes)
- Many groups finish each group session with our song ‘Link your hands together’.
How to use this Resource
In the PDF below, we have set out each session with an introductory game, an activity and then some circle time discussion points with timings given as a guideline. This is not intended to be a format that your group must stick to and as you can see it does not include news time, further games or songs. The point is that you should adapt the sessions to your group’s needs; take what you need, mix and match, be creative!
As we digitise the activities they will be available in the filterable list below to view online.
Some activities may take up the whole of your session and some you may feel you can separate out into two sessions. You don’t have to follow the resource in the order they are listed (please feel free to dip in and out). However, be aware that some activities will be outdoors and some should be timed around certain dates of the year. There should be more than enough sessions included for a year’s worth of group meetings. Then we hope to have inspired you to go on and create your own.
A core part of The Woodcraft Folk is to develop children’s self-confidence and activity in society. In an elfin group, children should have the opportunity to take part in deciding themes, prioritizing and even leading sessions. It is therefore important to take this into consideration when using this resource.
