Children attending a nature preschool had a higher sense of responsibility toward nature than children attending a typical preschoolThe term “nature connectedness” refers to an individual’s sense of their relationship with the natural world. As a psychological construct, nature connectedness can be measured and has been shown be a significant predictor of pro-environmental behaviors in adults and children. The aim of this study was to determine if time spent in natural settings during the preschool year is associated with nature connectedness.
This study involved 150 preschool children (age 6-7) in Finland. Eighty-five of the children attended a nature preschool and spent an average of 13.1 hours per week outdoors in a natural setting. Sixty-five attended a typical preschool and spent an average of 1.7 hours per week in a natural outdoor setting. Parents of the participating children completed a short-form version of the Nature relatedness scale (as a measure of their own nature connectedness) and provided information about how frequently they visit nature on their own and how frequently their child visits nature during their free time. Parents also administered the Connection to Nature Index (CNI) to their child. The CNI, in addition to a sum scale, includes four subcales: (1) enjoyment of nature, (2) empathy for creatures, (3) sense of oneness, and (4) sense of responsibility for nature.
Average CNI sum scores for all the participating children (nature preschool and typical preschool) indicated a high level of nature connectedness. Regular visits to nature during preschool, however, were associated with one of the subscales – that is, a higher sense of responsibility for nature. There were no differences between the two groups in any of the other CNI subscale scores (empathy for creatures, enjoyment of nature, or in sense of oneness). In addition to type of preschool, other factors not associated with the CNI sum score included child’s gender, parent’s nature connectedness, and socioeconomic status (SES). Children with lower SES across both groups scored higher in the enjoyment of nature subscale than children with higher SES.
A primary finding of this study indicates that more time spent in a natural setting during the preschool year is linked to a higher sense of responsibility toward nature. This finding suggests that offering children “regular nature experiences in preschool may be beneficial for developing responsibility toward nature.”
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