Research Says: Focus on Play, Nature, and Movement

“To better understand the landscape of early childhood environmental education (ECEE) pedagogical practices and expected outcomes, we undertook a systematic review of empirical studies of ECEE programs,” say Nicole M. Ardoin and Alison W. Bowers, “Focusing on a 25-year span, we surfaced 66 studies [dating from 2000 to 2018] that met our inclusion criteria…The primary outcomes documented in our sample studies included environmental literacy development, cognitive development, and social and emotional development. To a lesser extent, the studies addressed physical development and language and literacy development. On balance, our sample of ECEE studies reported strongly positive findings associated with the aforementioned outcomes. The majority emphasized the effectiveness of play-based, nature-rich pedagogical approaches that incorporated movement and social interaction.”

The authors remark, “Throughout our review, our goal was not to emphasize differences and categorizations among a diverse set of ECEE programs, but rather to seek shared ground in the form of practices and outcomes. The perspective that many types of ECEE programs and approaches are effective—and that this diversity affords a range of early childhood experiences globally—guided the design, implementation, and analysis of our review (Adams & Savahl, 2017; Samuelsson & Kaga, 2008).”

They conclude, “Our review suggests that ECEE encourages young children affectively, in terms of exploring the environment, bolstering their sense of self-confidence, and making social connections with each other; developing cognitive frameworks for understanding the natural world; and laying the groundwork for skills and dispositions related to taking action to improve and protect the environment.”

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