Getting Outside in Nature in the Early Years
Helping our children to connect with nature is an important part of early years care and education.
Children are curious about the world around them, and outdoor experiences that we provide offer valuable opportunities for them to explore, investigate and develop an understanding of living things.
Within your early years setting, you can provide the children in your care with opportunities to experience nature in a variety of ways. This could include growing flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables, caring for plants, observing insects and birds, collecting natural materials or exploring different outdoor habitats. They do not need to be complicated or expensive experiences; the smallest of planting opportunities or a small garden will give them opportunities to connect with nature.
Learning through growing
Growing plants and vegetables can be a valuable experience for young children. They can help prepare soil, plant seeds, water plants and observe how they change over time. Through this they will develop an understanding of the natural sciences that, without these opportunities, they may not experience.
This can help children to understand where their food comes from, rather than only seeing fruit and vegetables in a shop. Children can experience the process of growing, harvesting and preparing food themselves. In turn, this can encourage healthy eating and help children develop an appreciation for the resources involved in producing food.
Growing activities also provide opportunities for holistic development. Children can count seeds, measure plant growth, compare sizes, learn new vocabulary, and record changes through drawings or photographs.
Exploring insects and wildlife
Learning through nature supports more than understanding of the environment. Outdoor experiences can contribute to children's physical, emotional, social and cognitive development.
Exploring natural environments encourages children to move, climb, balance, dig and investigate. These activities can support physical development and coordination.
Nature can also provide opportunities for imaginative play. Sticks, stones, leaves, mud and other natural materials can become anything a child imagines. This encourages creativity and allows children to lead their own play.
Spending time outdoors can also support children's wellbeing. Natural environments can provide opportunities for children to experience calm, freedom and exploration away from more structured activities.
The benefits for children's development
Outdoor spaces provide children with opportunities to observe insects and other wildlife in their natural environments. Children may discover bugs in the mud, watch bees visiting flowers, partake in bird watching or look for butterflies.
These experiences can encourage children to ask questions and develop their understanding of the world. Practitioners can support this learning by encouraging children to observe carefully and discuss what they can see.
It is important that children learn to treat wildlife with care and respect. Practitioners can model gentle behaviour, explaining that insects and animals are living things and should not be harmed or disturbed unnecessarily.
Developing respect and responsibility
One of the most important benefits of connecting children with nature is the development of respect and responsibility. When children regularly care for plants, observe wildlife and explore their environment, they can begin to understand that their actions have consequences.
For example, a child who helps to grow a plant may begin to understand that it needs regular care. A child who feeds birds can begin to recognise that animals need food and suitable habitats. These everyday experiences can help children develop empathy and a sense of responsibility towards living things.
Practitioners can build on these experiences by talking with children about caring for their environment, reducing litter, protecting wildlife and using natural resources responsibly.
Conclusion
Connecting children with nature provides meaningful learning experiences while helping them develop a positive relationship with the environment. Through growing plants, observing wildlife, exploring habitats and caring for living things, children can develop knowledge, curiosity, responsibility and respect.
Early years settings have an important opportunity to help children understand that they are part of the natural world and that everyone has a role to play in caring for it. Small, everyday experiences can create lasting attitudes towards nature and sustainability.
Useful links
Sustainability page: https://showcasetraining.co.uk/sustainability/
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2