Natural Force for Good

Written by Gemma Goldenberg for Early Years EducatorVolume 22, Issue 301 Sep 2020

Understanding how exposure to nature might affect child self regulation and prosocial behaviour is something that practitioners may wish to reflect on as children return to school and nursery after a period of lockdown.

It is inevitable that during the time spent at home polarisation will have occurred between those children who had opportunities to be outdoors and have contact with nature, and those who have not. 

While some may have spent an increased time in local nature spots as a result of nurseries, schools and other places being closed, others may have ventured outdoors very little – especially if parents were working or if they didn’t have access to outdoor space such as a garden at home. 

Practitioners may find that children need to re-learn how to wait their turn, share resources and manage conflicts with peers, particularly if they have been at home for long periods of time, where they may not have had to exercise these self regulatory capacities. 

Green space and behaviour
A number of studies have looked at correlations between the amount of nature surrounding children’s home or school environment (as measured using satellite imagery) and children’s self regulation (generally measured using parent questionnaires). 

Most of these studies report a relationship between green space and reduced behavioural problems (Madzia et al., 2019), although some of the findings are contradictory. Flouri et al (2014) measured the percentage of green space in children’s neighbourhoods as well as their behaviour at age three, five and seven. Results indicated that access to parks, playgrounds and gardens related to lower incidences of conduct, peer and hyperactivity problems and that poorer children aged 3-5 who lived in greener areas had fewer emotional problems than their counterparts in less green neighbourhoods. 

Another study found that urban children living more than 500m from the nearest green space were more likely to have behaviour problems than those who lived closer to nature. This was particularly true for boys (Markevych et al., 2014). 

Another study suggested that having access to a garden is also associated with fewer peer and conduct problems and less hyperactivity in four and six year-olds (Richardson et al., 2017). 

Taylor et al (2002) focused on seven to 12 year-olds living in the same housing estate and found that those that could see more nature from their windows performed better in tests of self-regulation. Interestingly, this relationship only existed for girls. 

In explaining this, the authors referred to previous research which indicated that boys tend to play further from home than girls do. Therefore, boys may be more affected by the levels of nature where they most frequently play, rather than those in the immediate residential surroundings. 

One issue with these studies is they tend to use parent reports of behaviour rather than direct observations or ratings given by a medical professional. As parents differ in their perceptions of behaviour, this raises questions about the accuracy of such measures.  

Although studies calculate the green space in a child’s surroundings, it is usually unknown whether the child actually spends time in local green areas. It cannot be assumed that access to nature guarantees contact with nature.

Amoly et al (2014) addressed this by asking parents to report the amount of time their child spent playing in green spaces each week. They found that seven to 10 year-old children who spent more time playing in nature had fewer emotional symptoms and peer relationship problems. A higher percentage of greenness surrounding children’s homes was also associated with fewer behavioural difficulties and lower ratings of hyperactivity and inattention. 

Opportunities for self-directed play
Overall a number of studies have shown that living close-by to nature associates with better behavioural self regulation in children across a range of ages. All of these studies, however, are correlational – meaning they may identify a relationship between nature and self regulation, but cannot prove that nature affects self regulation directly. 

Families growing up in greener environments differ from other families in lots of ways – screen time exposure, diet, socio-economic status, and so on – and it could be that these other differences are what cause the associations observed between nature and self regulation. Although these studies try to control for these other differences, this can never be done perfectly.  

A technique to address this is to take a group of children, matched in characteristics, and expose half of them to nature, and the others to a different ‘condition’ and then to compare the results, before and after. The number of studies that have done this, though, is much lower. 

One study found that, for seven – 12-year-old children with ADHD, a 20 minute walk in the park improved children’s attention immediately afterwards, more than a walk in a more urban environment (Faber & Kuo, 2009). 

This is important, because it suggests that it’s not just the walking itself that makes the difference – but where the walk takes place. However, they only looked at how attention was affected immediately after the walk, and not at how long the effects were maintained afterwards.  

Other studies have introduced elements of nature into the learning environment. For example, one study found that adding natural materials such as plants, sand and water to a pre-school outdoor play space used by two–five-year-olds improved socialisation, focus and self regulation (Brussoni et al., 2017). 

Another found that the presence of plants inside the classroom may reduce misbehaviour in 13-14 year old children. Jenkin et al (2018) found self-regulation in eight –11 year-olds to be significantly better after they watched a video of a natural environment, compared to after watching urban scenes. 

However, this research did not find that the natural environment enhanced self regulation, but that the urban environment depleted it (Jenkin et al., 2018). 

Why we need more nature contact
Overall, the evidence strongly suggests that access to nature associates with better self regulation and reduced problem behaviours in children. Interestingly, though, our understanding of why nature has a beneficial effect on children’s self-regulation remains unclear. Answering this question is vital for early years teachers so that they can understand how to get the maximum beneficial effects for their children, working within the practical constraints imposed on them. 

For example, one theory that has been proposed for why nature has a beneficial effect on self regulation is the Biophilia Hypothesis (Kellert & Wilson, 1993). This suggests that humans have an innate affinity to nature, which results in them feeling happier and less stressed in natural environments. Consistent with this theory are the studies that showed that simply introducing photos or videos of nature into a classroom, or having a view of nature from a window at home – had beneficial effects on behaviour. 

Another possibility is that because natural environments are generally bigger, they offer more opportunities for children to move around – and it might be free and unconstrained movement or increased physical activity that improves childrens’ self regulation (Becker et al, 2014). 

A third possibility is that nature may act as a buffer against other environmental influences which have been shown to have a negative effect on self regulation – such as pollution, crowding and noise (Weeland et al., 2019). No study yet though, has looked at whether reducing noise in indoor settings may have the same beneficial effect as being outside. 

Other researchers suggest that self regulation occurs in such places where children feel secure, private and in control – and that natural environments afford children more opportunities to be alone, escape from social demands, clear their minds and regain perspective (Korpela et al, 2002). For example, Waite et al (2013) assert that outdoor spaces offer more opportunity for children to be self directed, because classroom-activities can sometimes be more ‘adult directed’ and ‘outcome-dominated’. 

When children are outside they are more likely to initiate their own experiences and play without adult interruption – and they are, therefore, more likely to engage in playful interactions which are important for social and emotional development (Samborski, 2010). As yet, though, no research has scientifically tested this idea. 

So while research suggests that exposure to nature associates with better self regulation, we don’t yet understand exactly why - whether it’s just being able to see nature, or the increased space it affords, or the lack of noise, or pollution. 

Increasing children’s exposure to nature can be achieved by introducing more natural materials into classroom and outdoor areas, arranging furniture to allow for nature views through windows and by making greater use of outdoor space on site as well as nearby nature such as parks and forests. Early years practitioners may also want to work alongside parents to encourage them to visit natural sites with their children, suggesting local sites as well as outdoor activities to try together. 

Research suggests that children from ethnic minorities and more deprived backgrounds are less likely to visit nature with their families (Hunt et al, 2016) but providing nature contact during early years education can be a valuable way of ensuring equality of access. 

Understanding self regulation
∙ Children with good self regulation skills are better able to focus on the task at hand, delay gratification and control their emotions and behaviour (Becker et al, 2014). 

∙ Self regulation is thought to be an important component of both academic and social success. It involves inhibition (to manage impulses), working memory (to keep aims in mind) and controlling attention (to keep focused on important priorities) (Becker et al, 2014).

∙ One study, which tracked children from age three until they were 11 (Sylva et al, 2008), indicated the power of early years provision in the development of self regulation skills. They reported that attending a high quality pre-school related to better pro-social behaviour and lower hyperactivity levels later in life at age 11. 

∙ Support for learning at home during the early years was also found to have effects on self regulation and prosocial behaviour, indicating the importance of both home and school environments.

Key points:

• Research suggests that access to nature has a positive effect on children’s self regulation. However, the pathways though which this occurs are largely unknown

• Most of this research has been conducted with older children. It is important to question its applicability to EYFS

• Correlational research indicates that there is a relationship between greater access to nature and improved self-regulation but it cannot ‘prove’ that nature causes changes to self regulation

• The coronavirus pandemic may have either limited or increased children’s access to nature

• Self regulation skills may be particularly important when returning to early years settings after prolonged time at home.

• Improving access to nature in EYFS settings may enable all children to maintain regular nature contact, which could have a positive impact on their behaviour and development

Visit earlyyearseducator.co.uk to access additional material for this article and a full list of references.

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