What is nature based play?

Outdoor nature-based play and learning in early learning and childcare settings integrates learning and playing in and with nature in the curriculum, environment and culture. This includes opportunities for children to gain nature-based experiences, explore specific natural elements, and take part in risky and loose parts play outdoors with natural elements such as trees, logs, water, sand, leaves or soil.

Children immersing themselves in nature, being outdoors, feeling and touching the earth and all of the beautiful natural materials we are lucky to have around us is invaluable to their learning and development journeys. From hands-on and meaningful interactions with the natural world, children learn invaluable skills and develop an incredible thirst for knowledge about the world around them. Nature play is accessible to everyone within the early years sector, it’s free and it is readily available and we should ensure that outdoor nature play is a key component of our pedagogy regardless of our localities and the types of outdoor spaces available to us. Children need to learn about nature in every season, every environment and every stage of the growth and decay process and the only way they will be able to do that is if we provide ample opportunities for hands-on and real-life exploration of the world around us. Many settings worry about the types of opportunities and resources they provide within their outdoor space and whether these are beneficial for children’s learning and development, but we must remember that regardless of the type of outdoor space we have as a setting or the types of natural materials readily available in our outdoor spaces, children are can learn just as much, if not more, from natural play resources and opportunities such as trees, breakwaters, streams, the beach, rope swings and other natural, readily available opportunities that the natural world and the vast space, freedom and natural beauty we are all lucky enough to have within our localities. A connection between nature and nature-based play has been proven to significantly impact not only children’s learning and development opportunities but it is also proven to have significant calming influences on their moods and behaviours simultaneously. By experiencing nature play firsthand within their early years education, children are becoming more responsible for the world around them, taking care of their environment, learning about life cycles, growth and decay and the changing seasons which is invaluable learning for children so young.

Nature-based early childhood education may support children’s growth in multiple areas of social, emotional, and cognitive development. Possible pathways to the positive outcomes include more diversified play, increased creativity and imagination, and prosocial interactions with peers and teachers. The contribution of nature play to child development and sustainability is extensive and rich. The 32 studies included in this systematic review of the literature reported a total of 98 positive child development outcomes of nature play. When these outcomes were mapped to early childhood education for sustainability outcomes, nature play was determined to be a valid contributor to sustainability. Results provide evidence of NBL supporting both early childhood development and environmental sustainability. Nature-based early childhood education may support children’s growth in multiple areas of social, emotional, and cognitive development, including consistent positive links between nature-based early childhood education and growth in self-regulation, nature relatedness, and play interaction.

Nature-based play publication explores the important relationship between play, nature and climate resilience, considering the perspectives of leading urban development, early childhood, play and nature-based solutions experts. The publication aims to integrate play with nature to create healthier, more playful and more resilient environments where children, communities and our planet can thrive. This is followed by case studies from cities around the world that demonstrate the integration of nature-based play into diverse urban environments – through parks and woodlands, neglected buildings and school yards. Each example highlights how the design of these interventions has combined play, nature, culture and climate to create environments that support childhood well-being and development, while also enhance climate resilience.