C&NN 2017 International Conference and Summit

Forest schools for toddlers as a fertile ground for developing learning skills such as grit, curiosity and self-regulation.

Academic skills are being taught to increasingly younger students. The current educational climate, which stresses the importance of rigorous learning in the preschool years in a traditional indoor setting, is impacting the mental, physical, and emotional health of the young child, while impeding the role of nature in children’s lives.

Educators from Raintree School believe in the critical role of forest schools and wild play in promoting academic achievement, and advocate for the importance of forest school, beginning in nursery, to foster learning skills that author Paul Tough calls noncognitive or “soft” skills. Skills such as grit, curiosity, and self-regulation, which are strongly cultivated during nature play, are gaining prominence as indicators fundamental for success. Recent research in neuroscience detailing the plasticity of toddler brains supports the high value of rich, sensory nature play in creating an environment that best supports learning success in young children.