The Connection Between Nature and Child Development

The connections between nature and child development are profound. Nature improves the emotional, physical, and psychological wellbeing in all people. Young children learn through their senses, and nature provides rich, authentic sensory experiences that cannot be replicated indoors. The open-ended nature of the outdoors provides a blank canvas for ourselves and our learners to independently explore, take risks and think creatively and critically. 

Nature Improves Overall Wellbeing

Repeatedly, studies show that time spent in nature is connected to improved emotional regulation, better moods, greater attention spans, and enhanced mental health. Spending time in nature can look vastly different from person to person, but all time in nature improves overall wellbeing. Anytime we consciously connect our body to the earth, soak in sunlight and breathe fresh air, we are making the choice to enhance our wellbeing. Outdoor time can look like rigorous physical fitness, a leisurely walk around the neighborhood, a fire around a campsite, digging in the garden and exploring, photographing insects or fungi, or painting a landscape. There truly is a place for everyone in nature, and when we afford the time to allow our learners to play and work in nature, we are choosing to actively strengthen their development and overall wellbeing. 

Nature Supports Sensory Development

Outdoor experiences allow for increased sensory experiences and social-emotional development. Providing children the opportunities to get dirty in a mud kitchen, mixing up mucky soup and thick clay muffins is not only fun, it improves their development. In fact, sensorial/concrete experiences are one of the major ways children learn about the world around them. Nature provides us with so many different sounds and textures, objects to carry that vary in weight and so many resources to create and concoct all kinds of experiments. When we experience nature together, we build even greater social-emotional development skills through working and interacting collaboratively, learning by observing, and making responsible decisions. Nature tests our limits in many ways and when learners are tested, they are required to learn and practice emotional regulation and naturally they build up resilience, which invites them to continue to take risks. 

Outdoor Environments Enhance Development 

Spending time in nature encourages independence, exploration and risk taking. The outdoors naturally provides an inviting space for children to move, explore and investigate freely. The imagination runs wild when given the time and space in nature. Nature is a space already set up for open-ended play. Logs become balance beams and canoes, rocks become stepping stones or a mortar and pestle. Children make decisions, test their abilities, problem solve, and think creatively through these direct sensorial experiences. 

There is no doubt that there is a strong connection between time spent in nature and robust child development. Here at Goldenrod Montessori we foster these connections throughout our learners’ days, and we encourage you to connect yourself, your learners and family and friends with nature too! If you would like to learn more about how unrestricted outdoor play makes for strong, confident, and capable children, our staff recommend the book Balanced and Barefoot by Angela J. Hanscom. You may also follow along with us, as our upcoming blogs will continue these conversations as we explore the Montessori approach to environmental stewardship and go into more detail about why our Montessori classrooms flow so naturally between the indoors and the outdoors.