Nurturing children in natural contexts is gaining recognition in the scientific community. The curiosity around nature-based learning has garnered national attention through both scholarly literature and inspiring novels such as Last Child in the Woods by Robert Louv. As a result, many teachers and parents consider bringing their students into green spaces. Current research suggests that natural environments may offer rich learning opportunities that nurture physical, cognitive, psychological, and emotional health. Nature-based education is defined as intentional outdoor time in educational contexts. This page discusses how nature-based education can enrich children’s development from a socioemotional perspective. The information on this page is referenced from my undergraduate senior project.

 

Promising studies of nature-based education and its influence on socioemotional development are emerging. Nature-based education is defined as activities in natural settings or outside settings that aim to provide meaningful learning experiences. For example, playing interactive math games on the playground, observing the environment on a hike, and caring for a garden  would all be considered nature-based education. If there is an educational goal for the nature-based activity, then it is considered nature-based education. New research on nature-based education in early childcare settings suggests that children’s socioemotional skills may be enhanced by structured and unstructured activities in the outdoors and in playground settings. 

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At an early age, children begin their journey of building social relationships and regulating their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as they adapt to an increasingly complex environment. Socioemotional development in early childhood is one of the most powerful predictors for child wellbeing and health (Gordon & Browne, 2014). It involves multiple domains of behavior, such as social skills and self-regulation (Lombardi, 2012). The development of socioemotional skills is critical for children’s adjustment into adulthood. As such, longitudinal research has demonstrated the substantial role that socioemotional skills play in predicting:

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“school readiness… and positive social relationships,” as well

as “health, financial stability, and educational attainment to

adulthood” (Blair, 2002; Moffitt et al. 2011).

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Summary of Findings:

Influence of Nature-Based Education on Social Development​

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Two important aspects of social development include prosocial behavior and play behaviors with peers. Prosocial behaviors, defined as a voluntary behavior aimed at helping others, are essential skills that develop throughout childhood (Gordon & Browne, 2014). Some examples of prosocial behaviors include: helping others, sharing, and practicing empathy. Nature-based education can enhance prosocial behavior in both structured and unstructured learning environments. Playing with peers enhances physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development by providing opportunities for interacting and engaging with the world around them. Through play, children learn to interact with peers and important social skills, as well as use their creativity to engage in complex forms of play such as "role play." Role play is when children pretend to be different characters in a creative story. Nature-base education can help children's play behaviors and increase peer interactions. 

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• In two year study observing 74 children at an outdoor preschool, researchers found that the children's prosocial behavior towards peers increased as they developed empathy towards plants and animals in the natural world (Acar & Torquati). ​​

  • 7 themes of prosocial behavior were found: ​​​

    1. Respecting nature 

    2. Respecting people 

    3. Sharing, helping, and taking turns

    4. Building friendships and expressing unity 

    5. Cooperating and working together as a team 

    6. Demonstrating empathy 

    7. Expressing gratitude

  • As the children were able to further understand the needs of the natural world, they were able to generalize those same skills into understanding and empathizing with others (Acar & Torquati). 

  • Through interacting and forming relationships, children can enhance traits such as concern, caring, and empathy for both human and nonhuman living beings (Acar & Torquati).

  •  Direct experience exploring nature is powerful catalyst for developing empathic traits that may be transferrable to other areas within children's lives. 

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• Research suggests that overall effects of children's connectedness to nature may impact prosocial behavior. An assessment called the Connected to Nature Index (CNI) was created and modified to measure this relationship in four domains: 

  1. Enjoyment of nature ​

  2. Empathy for nature 

  3. Responsibility for nature 

  4. Awareness for nature

  • ​Researchers found that a child's connectedness to nature impacts emotional problems, behavioral problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity, inattention, and prosocial behavior (Sobko, Jia, & Brown, 2018). ​

  • The results of the study found that connectedness to nature was positively correlated with prosocial behavior.

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• In a study conducted at the Preschool Laboratory for the College of Human Ecology at Cornell University, outdoor playgrounds and play spaces were studied to examine the influences on different types of play (Maxwell, Mitchell, & Evans, 2008). 

  • Dramatic play (when children take on different roles in their play and use objects to aid their creative​ narrative) was associated with bounded spaces such as outdoor playgrounds (Maxwell, Mitchell, & Evans, 2008). In other words, enclosed areas where children could carry our their dramatic play narratives.

  • Constructivist play (when children use objects to build or create something with a purpose) was found the most in areas that had "loose parts," or moveable materials (e.g., logs, tree stumps, curtains, tires, PVC pipes). The abundance of loose parts in outdoor environments also facilitates dramatic play narratives. 

  • The abundance of loose parts in open and enclosed areas can support children's development of peer relationships through play. Children have the opportunity to practice different social skills and move through conflict in dramatic play. 

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• Outdoor settings also promote children's risky play, which is a fundamental skills to enhance children's exploration, risk-analysis, and decision making (Brussoni et al., (2017). Risky play includes a variety of behaviors such as climbing trees or other places at great heights, using tools like knives and saws, playing near potentially dangerous elements such as fire and water, playing in areas where one could get lost, and rough and tumble play.

  • In study cited above, observations of play found that outdoor play promoted opportunities for risky play behaviors. ​

  • Researchers found that with increased risky play behaviors, children had "decreases in depressed affect and moderate to vigorous physical activity, and increases in play with natural materials and prosocial behaviors" (Brussoni et al., (2017). 

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• Results of a study examining the spatial physical properties of external spaces, green spaces, and interior spaces show that green spaces may offer richer play experiences than indoor spaces (Carrus et al., (2012). ​​

  • Small group play and self-organized play was significantly more frequent in external green spaces than internal play spaces (Carrus et al., (2012). 

  • A lower frequency of direct interventions by educators and expressions of boredom was found in external green spaces than internal play spaces (Carrus et al., 2012). 

  • The authors argue that external green spaces in educational settings can have a positive impact on preschool social behaviors and performance (Carrus et al., 2012).

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Summary of Findings: 

Influence of Nature-Based Education on Emotional & Behavioral Development

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Emotional regulation is a term derived from emotional intelligence and emotional awareness. Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to observe one's self or other's emotions and utilize that information to guide one's actions (Hayashi et al. 2013). Emotional regulation is defined as the controlling or awareness of the emotional state being experienced.  Behavioral regulation is the other side of this coin. Behavioral regulation is one of the most important skills children need to obtain and practice to become functioning members of society (Smelser & Baltes, 2001). Strong behavioral regulatory skills are associated with academic, economic, and social benefits (Flook, 2015). While emotional regulation refers to the development of emotional management skills, behavioral regulation is a broad construct that refers to the ability to follow the everyday customs of a specific culture (Smelser & Baltes, 2001). Behavioral regulation encompasses a diverse range of behaviors such as coping, compliance, the ability to concentrate on tasks, direct attention, regulating impulses, and following directions. Outdoor environments provide unique opportunities for emotional and behavioral regulatory skills. 

 

• Nature based education can enhance the interactions that happen between peers that allow for the opportunity to improve emotional regulation. Experiences in nature can play a big role in how children regulate their emotional expressions (Berman et al. 2005). 

  • In a 2017 study, children who engaged in outdoor activities found a sense of relatedness while interacting with peers. The researchers concluded that a sense of connectedness amongst other children allowed for collaborative work and emotionally stable interactions (Murakami et al. 2017). 

  • Peer activities in an outdoor environment improved emotional expression​ (Murakami et al. 2017).

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• According to Berman and Davis-Berman (2005), effective outdoor education gives children a boost in their general perception of themselves. This boost of confidence comes from achieving and successfully navigating their own learning.

  • Natural settings may provide more opportunities for self-directed behavior, which can lead to higher self-esteems.

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• A 2018 study examined how nature-based education may help children develop behavioral regulation.

  • Reports from the children, parents, and staff suggest that achieving greater self-regulation was "the most constructive contribution to [the children's] wellbeing" (McCree et al. 2018).​

  • The authors found that the children knew that being outdoors could help them recover from negative experiences (McCree et al. 2018). 

    • One child regulated themselves in this way:

      • “I’m doing time out. I’m digging alone. That’s all I want to do” (McCree et al. 2018).

    • Another demonstrated feelings about nature through dialogue with an adult practitioner (pg 987): 

      • Child: “When we get into the woods, please can I go and sit somewhere by myself for five minutes?” 

      • Adult: “Of course. Why would you like to do that?” 

      • Child: “Because this is the only time I get some peace and quiet.”

  • The authors concluded that children find meaningful ways to regulate their emotions within nature-based education.

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• According to the Attention Restoration Theory (Kaplan & Kaplan 1980), natural elements "may bolster children's attention and self-regulatory skills by allowing neural inhibitory mechanisms to rest and recover from use" (Ulset et al. 2017). 

  • A 2015 study found that the level of vegetation surrounding homes, schools, and commuting routes was associated with improved working memory and a reduction in inattentiveness in 7-10 year old children (Dadvand et al. 2015).

  • A more extensive study based in Norway explored the relations between the amount of time children spent outdoors and their behavioral development during preschool and first grade. The authors found that the "number of daily hours spent outdoors is associated with lower inattention-hyperactivity symptoms" (Ulset et al. 2017). The authors conclude that outdoor daycare settings may offer "rich opportunities for both effortless and effortful attention" (Ulset et al. 2017). 

  • Combining the results of these studies provides evidence that quality time in nature may boost children's ability to regulate their behaviors and attention. 

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