A nature-based education is beneficial for children for a multitude of reasons. Research highlights that education with a strong nature component helps reduce stress, improves focus, increases resilience, enhances discipline, and encourages healthy physical activity. Waldorf Education emphasizes scientific field work, nature-based play, and hands-on learning, which all support academic growth, engagement, strong social skills and overall well-being
Nature-based education can promote resilience and well-being among youth.
An alarming increase in mental health problems in children and youth around the world raises the question of what might be done by way of intervention and prevention. This review of current research focused primarily on prevention. The primary purpose was to identify factors that impact the well-being of children and youth and to investigate a new approach to preventing ill health. In addition to focusing on prevention, this review also considered issues specific to education.
Studies included in this review concerning youth mental health issues were examined for evidence of nature-based activities promoting resilience. In this context, resilience is considered to be “the process by which people successfully adapt to challenges” or are able to “bounce back” from adversity. Different types of protective factors can make the ability to bounce back more likely. Protective factors – sometimes referred to as “buffers” – can occur at the individual, family, and community levels and involve interactions between youth and their families, friends and education providers. Numerous studies have identified nature as a potential community-level protective factor promoting resilience.
Benefits associated with nature experiences include improved academic learning, personal development and environmental awareness. While educators tend to focus on the academic learning benefits of nature-based activities, the findings of this review highlight the role of nature in helping youth and children in other areas of development, especially as these concern mental illness or problematic school absences. While studies show that “nature-based education outperforms traditional education in academic contexts,” they also identify nature as a promoter of endurance, resilience, teamwork, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The studies show that nature has a positive effect on “stress levels, attention, self-discipline, physical activity and the enjoyment of learning.”
The findings of this review suggest that it may be time “to shift from schools’ primary focus on academic intelligence to equally focusing on learning, well-being and health to optimize the development of each child.” The findings also call for more research on the benefits of green schoolyards, school gardens and green walls in classrooms. Greater support for outdoor instruction and teacher professional development on how to use natural settings is also warranted.
Citation
Hofman-Bergholm, M., (2024). Nature-based education for facilitating resilience and well-being among youth—A Nordic perspective. Education Sciences, 14(43)
