David Orr, an environmental philosopher, refers environmental identity to be driven by a sense of wonder and the sheer delight in being alive in a mysterious, beautiful world. This sense of wonderment and connection can be cultivated through frequent exposure to natural elements and biodiversity, and of the most effective way of doing so would be through nature play.
What is nature play?
Nature play is widely referred as unstructured childhood play in informal outdoor settings. While the term ‘nature play’ inclines one to think of secluded forests or undisturbed wildlife refuge, it can also take place in the most common places, such as neighbourhood parks, beaches, or even just outside your home.
Take a minute to remember your favourite memory playing outdoors: Were you playing without any adults around? Were any structures involved in playing? High chances are that you have answered ‘No’ to both questions. Indeed, our memorable childhood experiences can be found in nature play, where we sought fun in naturalistic outdoor settings. It could be playing treasure hunt with your friends in a park, or petting a stray cat at your void deck, or building small sandcastles on the beach.
Purpose of nature play
This type of unstructured and naturalistic play has been around since the beginning of humankind. There have been small changes in details, but the essence of experiencing nature in play stays constant. It has served many benefits to children such as:
One of the most significant benefits of nature play is the cultivation of conservation values. These conservation values, unconsciously learnt through interacting with nature, tend to follow humans even during adulthood. In fact, nature play is ranked first in commonality in fostering life-long conservation values.
The longer time children spend in playing in nature, the stronger the emotional affinity they have with nature. Anthropomorphic perspectives will be obtained, leading children to deem animals or plants as similar species as humans, or even as friends. They eventually feel a sense of belonging, priming them to take care of it – as they would naturally want to protect their safe haven. Ultimately, it increases the children’s early potential of biophilic morality – where they deem animals and plants just as morally worthy as humans.
Lastly, exposing children to nature engenders their sense of empathy which follows them till adulthood. As children begin to delve into the natural world, we can encourage feelings for the animals in the natural world. This enables children to cultivate a sense of connection with what they are interacting with, understanding and sharing the feelings of the creatures.