Nature-based preschools enhance resiliency among students

Developed at a young age, mental resilience is the ability to “bounce back” from difficult situations, cope and adapt in times of stress and uncertainty, and work through unanticipated challenges. Research indicates that childhood anxiety is rising while perceived resilience of people overall is declining. Previous studies have found evidence of heightened happiness and life satisfaction as well as reduced stress and anxiety with increased time in nature. Nature preschools integrate environmental practices into their educational programming. Children enrolled in nature preschools spend the majority of their days outside in unmanaged natural spaces. In contrast, non-nature preschool students spend most of their days inside in more managed play spaces. In this study, researchers explored whether nature preschools foster an environment in which children learn and internalize resiliency skills that would help children navigate and learn from challenging situations.

Preschools provide a space for children to develop key resiliency skills, which this study defines as initiative, self-regulation, and attachment. Initiative is demonstrated in a student when they sets in motion independent play which may attract others, or when the student embraces challenges and problem-solves in order to meet their own personal needs. Self-regulation is demonstrated when a student encounters frustrating, challenging, or difficult situations but is able to keep his/her emotions calm and collected. Lastly, students demonstrate the skill of attachment in holding positive, happy relationships with adults and children.

This study took place in Minnesota over the course of one school year (2016-2017). In total, the authors assessed the parents and guardians of 92 children, with 78 students from 4 nature schools and 14 students from 1 non-nature school. All parents and guardians of the children at the five schools were invited to participate. Participants were three to five years old, with an average age of four. The nature schools were headed by a single teacher, each of whom had founded and directed the implementation of the school. In the nature schools, 50% of students were male and 50% were female. In the non-nature school, 64% of students were male and 36% were female.

Researchers used the Deveraux Early Childhood Assessment for Preschoolers, Second Edition (DECA) to collect data. The behavior rating questions ask about 27 varying strengths related to resiliency factors in children. Parents of the participants completed the DECA during the first week of preschool, while teachers completed the DECA after the first month of school to allow for them to become more familiar with their students. Both parents and teachers then re-completed the DECA at the end of the schoolyear in April. Researchers developed scores for each student in the three “skills” of resilience (initiative, self-regulation, and attachment). Teachers completed the assessment based upon in-school observations, while parents completed the assessment based upon at-home observations. Researchers also then calculated an overall resiliency score. The researchers classified each student along a strength scale for each skill, classified as “strong,” “typical” or an “area of need.” They compared assessment scores from the beginning of the year to those from the end of the year.

The researchers concluded that students at the nature preschools increased in resiliency measures through the course of the schoolyear both in school and in the home setting. In nature preschools, both parent and teacher assessments showed an overall increase in students' resilience over the schoolyear. Specifically, scores increased in the initiative and self-regulation categories, but not in the attachment category. At the non-nature preschool, assessments from teachers and guardians of children indicated that students' overall resiliency scores did not increase, but that their initiative scores did increase. Given that initiative scores increased for all students, however, researchers concluded that gaining initiative may be a normal part of early childhood development, regardless of the type of school setting.

Researchers found that particular aspects of the nature preschools could lead to the development of resiliency skills. The schools had minimally maintained outdoor nature spaces in which children spent the majority of their time each day. Additionally, researchers noted a relatively hands-off approach by the teacher while the children engage in nature play. This approach may have allowed the children to develop their resiliency skills in initiative through independent (apart from the teacher) problem-solving, which encouraged self-reliance. Further, researchers noted that children in nature preschools developed more self-regulation, defined as the ability to persist and remain level-headed while working through challenging situations. The hands-off approach by teachers allowed students to rely on their own strengths and abilities rather than seeking outside assistance from the teacher. If the teacher was not heavily involved in resolving the situation, researchers proposed, then the child was forced to work through the situation. This practice built self-regulation and therefore resilience.

This study was limited because the researchers had difficulty recruiting parents at non-nature preschools to participate. Additionally, the uneven sample sizes between the number of students from nature preschools assessed and the number of non-nature school students assessed is a limiting factor in this study. Another study undertaken in a different location with more participants in non-nature preschools may have a different result. Further, researchers found that the parents of children enrolled in the nature preschools had a lower rating in protective factors, meaning that these parents allowed for their children to be more independent from the parent than parents of children in non-nature preschools. This may mean that parents of nature school children expose their children to situations in which the children may already be gaining some of the skills measured in the study, independent of the child's experience in the school setting.

The authors recommend integrating free choice playtime—in which children are encouraged to think creatively and freely—into the preschool experience. Researchers note that this freedom encourages children to challenge themselves and work with others through complex, unregulated social interactions. This can lead to increased resiliency among children. Further, researchers recommend providing greater freedom of play for children. This freedom allows for a hands-off approach from the teacher and could encourage children to develop self-reliance.