Key takeaways for caregivers
- In our work, parents reported that a variety of nature experiences (e.g., reading nature books, watching nature documentaries, playing in the backyard or at a park) are meaningful and valuable.
- When asked to share a story about a meaningful time they had outside with their children, parents most often recalled encounters with wild animals, particularly in their natural habitats.
- Parents remarked on their children’s psychological experiences of sustained attention, curiosity, and perspective taking. Outdoor adventures sparked children’s desire to learn, as evident in their questions about animals and ecosystems. Children showed empathy and understanding by considering the needs of animals (e.g., when raising tadpoles and learning about their changing diets).
- In nature, parents can model what is meaningful and valuable through their interactions with nature. They can also serve as guides, encouraging their children to observe the natural world, ask questions, and develop a sense of caring and connection with animals and ecosystems. These shared adventures not only deepen children’s appreciation for nature but also strengthen the bond between parents and their children.
Children and nature
Over decades of research, children’s experiences in nature – particularly those shared with caregivers – have consistently been linked to children’s healthy development (including physical, psychological, and social development), as well as their developing environmental commitments. Interactions with animals have played a key role in children’s psychological well-being and their developing concerns about conservation.
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In a world where many spaces and places to experience these kinds of interactions are in danger of disappearing (referred to as extinction of experience), it is important to understand the range of nature experiences and the meaning and value they offer children and their families.
Often, children explore the natural world with help from their caregivers. This may involve finding roly-polies in the dirt on a family camping trip, and being fascinated by their squirming legs and ability to roll into a tight little ball when they are accidentally flipped over. It may involve hearing the hoots of owls and the chirping of insects as the children go to bed, which creates an unusual but somehow comforting symphony.
In a study we conducted, we gathered heartwarming stories from parents of young children to explore the types of nature experiences they shared and what made these moments meaningful.
How we uncovered the meaning of shared nature moments
While many studies have outlined the benefits of children’s nature experiences, few have explored parents’ perspectives on the meaning and quality of these experiences. In our study, we asked two overarching questions: 1) What do parents do outside with their children? And 2) What makes these experiences valuable to the parents?
Forty-nine parents (82% mothers, 18% fathers) of young children (seven and 10 years old) completed a written survey in which they provided a short narrative response to the prompt, “Please describe a meaningful nature experience that you have shared with your child.” Most parents in our study were White (74%), nearly all were college educated (92%), and all lived in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.
To understand the range and significance of parent-child outdoor experiences, we analyzed the stories to identify patterns, categorize key ideas, and accurately represent parents’ perspectives. Combining insights from previous research with a careful review of the narratives in our study, we identified themes that highlight the types of outdoor experiences parents find most meaningful, their impact on children’s emotional growth, and how they strengthen family bonds and connections to nature.
We identified three key findings:
- A diverse typology of nature experiences matters to parents,
- Parents reported that their children demonstrated curiosity and perspective-taking skills during these outdoor adventures, and
- Parents valued the natural experiences for the relational bonding their children experienced with nature, their parents, and families.
Typology of nature experiences
Based on the work of Stephen Kellert, a professor of social ecology who explored ties between people and nature, we organized parents’ descriptions of nature experiences into three categories: direct, indirect, and vicarious.
Direct experiences are those that can be seen as wild (e.g., encountering a wild animal in nature). For example, when a parent shared, “When visiting Grammy in Montana, we have seen many wild animals in her yard: deer, rabbits, birds, chipmunks, squirrels,” we coded this under Kellert’s direct category since these wild animals moved spontaneously through the grandparent’s yard.
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Indirect experiences are domesticated and controlled by people (e.g., encountering a starfish at the aquarium, or as a parent reported, “We visited the bear sanctuary outside Bozeman”).
Vicarious experiences are mediated by technological and other sources (e.g., reading a book on sharks, watching an episode of Wild Kratts, interacting with a robotic toy dog). For example, a parent told us, “We have a cousin who moved to Australia but they did have some animals she had never heard of. We went online to look them up and learn all about the ‘unknown’ animals of Australia.”
In our study, parents mentioned all three types of nature encounters, demonstrating the diversity of experiences parents find meaningful. However, most of the encounters parents described in their spontaneous storytelling were direct and wild, involving exposure to animals in their natural habitat. When parents discussed vicarious experiences, they often framed them as enhancements of a direct experience (e.g., “he frequently wrote about the trip and shared photos he had taken.”).
Exploring nature, strengthening social-emotional skills
Building on the work of Gail F. Melson, a noted authority on children’s relationships with animals, nature, and emerging technologies, we identified various psychological responses parents observed in their children during the outdoor adventures.
These activities often sparked curiosity (e.g., “She asked lots of questions about where live, how old we thought they were, what they eat, etc.”).
Parents’ stories revealed how their children demonstrated perspective taking by considering the unique needs of animals.
Nearly half the stories highlighted children’s sustained focus and fascination with nature. For instance, one parent told us, “ can spend hours searching tidal pools for creatures, or under rocks/logs in the woods searching for bugs.” Reported another: “The water had receded quite a distance and we could get right up to the rocks to look at the starfish, urchins, anemones, and other tidal pool creatures.”
Parents’ stories revealed how their children demonstrated perspective taking by considering the unique needs of animals. For example, one parent shared, “We gathered tadpoles from a neighbor’s pond and raised them up into frogs. It was fascinating to watch the excitement when changes were discovered. Also, the ever-changing food needs as they grew bigger gave lots of opportunities to research tadpole, froglet, and frog dietary needs.”
Relational bonding
Relational bonding is about building and strengthening connections – between parents and children, and between children and the natural world. When children share outdoor experiences with their caregivers, these moments not only promote psychological and physical health but also nurture a lifelong commitment to caring for the environment.
Research by Louise Chawla on children and nature highlights four key ways parents influence their children’s connection to nature:
- Emphasizing that caring for the land is an important part of the family’s identity and well-being
- Disapproving of harmful or destructive practices in nature
- Expressing joy and pleasure when spending time outdoors
- Showing fascination with natural wonders and phenomena
Parents play a crucial role in getting their children outside and helping them develop a sense of well-being and connection to the world around them. What caregivers focus on during these shared adventures – whether admiring a bird’s song, examining bugs under a log, or marveling at a sunset – teaches children what is meaningful and worth appreciating and protecting.
The parents in our study talked about bonding through shared interests. For example, one said, “We also listen to the birds in the park and we talk about them. I can’t think of a particular conversation or experience – I think of all these chats to/from school as part of a larger whole.”
Parents also shared their emotions; for example, one said, “In the summer of 2012, we went to Yellowstone National Park and visited geysers and saw lots of wildlife. My child was very moved by the whole experience.” These moments do more than just deepen children’s love for the outdoors; they also strengthen the bond they share with their parents.
Tips for building relationship between your child and nature
Building from our data and the rich literature that structures and guides us, we offer 10 tips on how caregivers can connect with their children in outdoor spaces.
- Going outside is physically and psychologically beneficial to children, boosting creativity and critical thinking, building social connections with family, and supporting lifelong commitments to care for the natural world. The outdoors can be a big and wild place (e.g., a national park) or your backyard or a nearby park. The key is to find more time to bring nature into your lives together. What caregivers focus on during these shared adventures – whether admiring a bird’s song, examining bugs under a log, or marveling at a sunset – teaches children what is meaningful and worth appreciating and protecting
- Reflecting to a child about your shared nature experience supports bonding and boosts awareness of the world around the child. Many of the nature experiences shared by parents in our research highlighted meaningful activities and the ways they support family connections and shared love and concern for the natural environment. You can reflect on what happens, what you see and do, and how the experiences support your relationships as a family and as part of the wider wilder natural community.
- Paying attention is a powerful element in the interaction. Much has been written on the importance of being present and in the moment. Taking this practice to nature, and with your child, can deepen the relationships you are fostering. Parents in our study said how meaningful the shared experiences were when they were attending to the moment and the child’s experience of that moment.
- Educating children about the natural world by learning with them builds a sense of love and respect for animals and the outdoors. Engaging in outdoor activities, such as bird watching, gardening, and raising animals, may foster new and exciting conversations. It can feel challenging to not know an answer to an eager child’s question, but this is a good opportunity to learn together about an animal’s habitat or lifestyle or a plant’s place in an ecosystem.
- Encouraging questions is another way educating and learning can occur, and while caregivers may help answer some of their children’s questions, they can also ask a question about what they are seeing, which in turn can encourage them to pay attention to natural processes and the five senses (e.g., “What do you hear? The birds chirping…” “What do you see? Paw prints in the dirt…”). Asking questions about what children are feeling can encourage appreciation of nature, while also deepening their understanding of their emotions by having them reflect on those feelings.
- Diversifying nature activities in your own neighborhood can provide a way to deepen exploration. In our study, parents talked about experiences in national parks, at zoos and beaches, and in their backyards, including experiences with their own pets and school projects about sea creatures. All nature experiences (direct, indirect, vicarious) are important to children and when parents diversify the activities, it gives their children a fuller picture of what nature can mean. While a big trip to a national forest may not be an option for everyone, looking in a small patch of grass outside your front door or taking a walk and seeing what lurks in the trees in a local park are great ways to look for different creatures close to home.
- Valuing wilder places is also important. The words nature, wild, and natural have different cultural meanings and definitions that require some thoughtfulness. The idea of valuing wilder spaces is meant to encourage seeing plants and animals in a place that is natural to them and appreciating how the world works without human intervention.
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- Discussing the animals and plants you see with your child can encourage talk about your shared values. Whether these talks take place at the dinner table or on a car or bus ride, discussing shared nature experiences can encourage consideration of what conservation means, as well as talk about shared beliefs and ways of seeing the world.
- Acknowledging the varied ways you and your child interact with nature is another important activity. Whether you check out a library book about butterflies, observe a crow in a tree, or watch a documentary on dolphins, these activities represent important ways of learning about the world.
- Bringing in your own interests. When a child sees that you like something, that shared activity can deepen your bond and increase their care for the world. Whether your interest is in fishing, skipping rocks, pressing flowers, or making a whistle out of a blade of grass or an acorn top, talking about those activities and even engaging your child in the activity can be a joyous experience. You may also want to invite your child to show you their favorite animal or rock.
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