Nature preschools offer active outdoor time and solidify parental commitment to nature play

Research shows that outdoor play is associated with positive emotional, social, physical, and cognitive development. Children who spend time playing outdoors, particularly in nature, are more physically active, less inclined toward hyperactivity and inattention, and mentally healthier. Given the benefits of nature play and its importance for childhood development, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that preschool age children get at least 60-90 minutes of outdoor play per day. Unfortunately, the amount of time American children spend outdoors is declining, and many preschools offer less than an hour of outdoor play per day. Nature preschools, on the other hand, prioritize nature play and environmental education. Although nature preschools can take many forms—from schools that emphasize structured environmental education to schools that offer 100% of their programming outdoors—all aim to provide children with outdoor play time. Nature preschools have gained traction and grown in popularity in recent years in the U.S. This study compared the physical activity levels and behavioral outcomes of children enrolled in nature preschools to those enrolled in traditional indoor preschools.

This study took place at a nature preschool in a forested park in Seattle, Washington, where teachers use a free play approach to encourage children to play in and explore the outdoors. At the school, children spend all of their school hours outdoors, and teachers facilitate lessons and activities primarily when children indicate a need for greater structure. Although the preschool has an outdoor classroom with play stations, children spend most of their time hiking, exploring, and playing outside of this classroom setting. The authors recruited participants for the study through mail, phone, and in-person meetings. A total of 33 children (ages 3-5) participated in this study; 20 of these children were enrolled in the nature preschool, and the other 13 (the comparison group) were either on the waitlist for the school or participated in a weekly two-hour nature class at the school. The nature class offered structured outdoor time, with science-based play stations, story time, and guided hiking. All but three of the comparison group children were enrolled in a traditional indoor preschool. The majority of children in both groups (the nature preschool and comparison groups) were white and from families with high incomes and highly educated parents.

The authors used accelerometers (instruments that measure movement) to measure participants' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) throughout the whole day. Participants wore the accelerometers for at least 5 days per week during the study period (April through June 2016). To measure behavioral outcomes, the authors asked that participants' parents complete four questionnaires: (1) the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) guided parents through a psychological assessment of their children; (2) the Parent Supervision Attributes Profile Questionnaire (PSAPQ) measured parents' supervision values and beliefs, such as levels of protectiveness, risk tolerance, and belief in fate; (3) parents were asked to rate the importance of various types of educational programs; and (4) parents were asked rate their level of comfort with their child being outside in different types of inclement weather (rain, snow, heat, cold). The authors used statistics to analyze the data.

The authors found that nature preschool participants spent more time engaged in outdoor play than did participants in the comparison group (233 minutes versus 67 minutes). However, even though the nature preschool participants spent more time outdoors at school, they did not engage in any more physical activity (light activity or MVPA) than participants in the comparison group. The authors found that both groups engaged in physical activity for longer than the minimum 180 minutes per day recommended by various international health organizations. They did not find any differences between the two groups in terms of MVPA during preschool hours (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.). However, they did find that preschoolers in the comparison group engaged in 16 more minutes per day of MVPA than did their nature school counterparts. The authors postulated that children who spend less time outdoors may be more inclined to be highly active when they are outdoors. Based on parent questionnaires, the authors also found that the comparison group participants were more likely to display inattentive and hyperactive behaviors than were nature preschool participants, although all participants were within the range of what is considered acceptable.

The authors found that the parents of children in both groups were demographically similar, which may have accounted for the finding that both groups of participants engaged in similar levels of activity. When asked what they considered to be the optimum amount of time for their child(ren) to play outdoors, the nature preschool parents indicated an average of 206 minutes per day, while the comparison parents said 150 minutes. The actual amount of time participants spent engaged in outdoor play (233 minutes for the nature preschool group versus 67 minutes for the comparison group) points to a significant gap between what the comparison parents wanted for their child(ren) and what the traditional indoor preschools offered. Parents of the nature preschool participants allowed their children to play in a greater variety of weather conditions than comparison group parents, but the authors found no other differences in terms of parent protectiveness, risk tolerance, or supervision beliefs. The authors did not find any significant differences between the two groups of parents in terms of how they rated their child's strengths (prosocial behaviors) and difficulties (emotional problems, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer relationship problems). Finally, the authors did not find any significant differences between the two groups of parents in terms of how they rated the importance of different activities for kindergarten preparation.

This study was limited by the fact that it measured activity and behaviors of participants for a short time period rather than over the long term. The study results do not offer any insights into how physical activity and outdoor play time are related or whether that relationship changes over time. The study was also limited by the small number of participants from a single location. With such small and context-specific participant groups, the authors were unable to generalize their findings to all nature schools. Additionally, the parents of both groups of participants were demographically similar. Given their high incomes and educational backgrounds, it is possible that they all prioritized physical activity and outdoor time and made a point to ensure that their children had ample opportunity for both. The authors intentionally selected control participants connected to the nature preschool so they could compare groups with similar attitudes toward the outdoors; however, such positive attitudes toward outdoor play likely meant that children in the control group spent a greater than average amount of time outdoors when not at preschool. Time outdoors during non-school hours could have overshadowed any differences in physical activity levels between the groups during school hours. Finally, seasonality effects likely limited this study, which took place during a relatively dry spring. “Good” weather may have skewed the results, indicating that participants were more active and spent more time outdoors than was true for other times of the year.

This study emphasizes that nature preschools may help parents become more comfortable with their children being outdoors in different types of weather conditions, and they may also encourage parents to develop a deeper commitment to nature play. Further, this study suggests that nature preschools may confer important developmental benefits to children. For these reasons, the authors recommend that early childhood education facilities prioritize active outdoor play in natural settings.