Getting adults on board with messy nature play

Date:
June 30, 2023
Source:
University of South Australia
Summary:
Climbing trees, making mud pies, or simply playing outside,
parents and educators know that being in nature is an important
part of every childhood. But when it comes to messy or risky play,
it's a whole different story according to new research.


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FULL STORY ========================================================================== Climbing trees, making mud pies, or simply playing outside, parents
and educators know that being in nature is an important part of every childhood.

But when it comes to messy or risky play, it's a whole different story according to new research from the University of South Australia.

Talking to parents and early childhood educators, researchers found that parents and educators will happily open the door to 'safe' or 'clean'
nature play but are more reluctant to let children engage in 'messy'
activities or play that may be perceived as 'risky'.

UniSA researcher and PhD candidate Kylie Dankiw says that parents and
educators act as important gatekeepers when it comes to nature play.

"Nature play is well known for its positive effects on children's health, development, and wellbeing," Dankiw says, "and this was a common theme
when interviewing parents and carers alike.

"Nature play helps improve emotional regulation, physical skills, and
learning outcomes, and can encourage children to develop their creativity
and imagination.

"Parents and educators also identified that nature play can help children
form a connection with the natural world and learn about sustainable
practices.

"Importantly, parents and carers felt that nature play experiences could
be used to offset technology use such as TV and screens.

"But despite the known benefits, parents and carers can find it
difficult when it comes to engaging children in nature play, especially
if activities are messy or dirty (such as water or mud play) or are
thought of as being risky (such as climbing).

"Educators tell us that safety regulations and time restrictions can
limit what they choose as outdoor activities, especially when they need
to change children's clothes after muddy play, or when parents expect
for their child to come home clean from childcare.

"There can be a conflict between encouraging children to experience
nature, and what adults need to deal with in the so-called aftermath."
Nearly 50% of Australia's children aged 0-12 years (two million) spend
time in formal or informal early childhood education care, with long
day care being the most common type of care for children aged 0-4 years.

Paediatric expert UniSA's Dr Margarita Tsiros says given the large
number of children in care, further education and training for both
early childhood educators and parents could help overcome some of the challenges that might be linked with nature play.

"Our research highlights that opportunities for young children to
engage in nature play is influenced by other people in their lives,"
Dr Tsiros says.

"While parents and educators recognise the benefits of nature play, they
can struggle with certain aspects of being in nature, particularly risk.

"Understanding these barriers can help inform strategies to promote
nature play for different age groups. It can also help inform policies
and practices to promote enabling factors.

"A key move will be to boost educators' knowledge about nature-based
learning, what constitutes nature play, and how they can use natural
resources to facilitate nature play experiences.

"In a time where screens threaten to consume children's interest, it's
vital that we present opportunities for them to engage in nature play,
and to achieve this, we need to have parents and educators on board."
* RELATED_TOPICS
o Mind_&_Brain
# Child_Development # Child_Psychology #
Educational_Psychology # Parenting
o Earth_&_Climate
# Environmental_Awareness # Sustainability # Landslides
# Hazardous_Waste
* RELATED_TERMS
o Early_childhood_education o Double_blind o Forest o Tree o
Mangrove o Logging o Savanna o Organic_lawn_management

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_South_Australia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Kylie A. Dankiw, Saravana Kumar, Katherine L. Baldock, Margarita D.

Tsiros. Parent and early childhood educator perspectives of
unstructured nature play for young children: A qualitative
descriptive study. PLOS ONE, 2023; 18 (6): e0286468 DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0286468 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230630123225.htm

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