Nature-based early childhood education and children’s social, emotional and cognitive development: A mixed-methods systematic review

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether nature-based kindergarten pedagogy is related to children’s social, emotional and cognitive development. The research questions are: 1) How do nature-based kindergartens affect children’s self-regulation, social skills and emotional development? 2) How are these outcomes compared to those observed in traditional kindergarten environments?

The review showed that nature-based kindergartens often contribute to positive developments in children. Children in nature-based kindergartens showed improved self-regulation, social skills and emotional development compared to children in more traditional kindergartens. Nature-based environments gave children the opportunity to play in several different ways and develop creativity, which promoted good social relationships and learning initiatives. It was also observed that the children had a stronger connection to nature. Although the results were generally positive, the effect on some cognitive skills, such as attention, was more varying. Overall, the findings suggest that nature-based kindergartens can strengthen children’s social and emotional development and increase their involvement in play.

This systematic knowledge review used a mixed methods approach to investigate the effects of nature-based kindergarten pedagogy. The study included 36 individual studies (26 quantitative, 9 qualitative and 1 mixed method). Relevant research was identified through searches in nine databases, and selected studies were assessed by two independent researchers. With regard to quantitative data, results were synthesised based on the direction of effect when a meta-analysis was not possible. Qualitative data were analysed thematically to highlight key patterns and insights.

Johnstone, A., Martin, A., Cordovil, R., Fjørtoft, I., Iivonen, S., Jidovtseff, B., Lopes, F., Reilly, J.J., Thomson, H., & Wells, V. (2022). Nature-based early childhood education and children’s social, emotional and cognitive development: A mixed-methods systematic review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(10), 5967.