Kids Learning Empathy in Nature
Spending time in nature in adolescence is associated with developmental improvements in physical fitness, academics, and creativity. It also enhances social skills. We have covered these concepts in great detail through the years here on the Plant a Seed & See What Grows blog, so we encourage you to explore our catalogue accordingly. What we are focusing on today, however, is the important role nature can play in a child’s development of empathy.
To clarify, empathy for this topic’s context is a term used to describe a child’s ability to understand and share the feelings of another person – be it a family member, friend, classmate, or someone they have never met. It involves them stepping into someone else’s shoes and seeing the world from their perspective, even if they haven’t experienced the same situation/s themselves. This understanding can be cognitive (understanding another’s thoughts) or emotional (feeling what they feel).
Adolescent development of empathy is crucial for building strong relationships, improving communication, and fostering a more compassionate and understanding outlook of their community and the world around them. It allows a child to better connect on an emotional level, creating trust and promoting positive interactions. Recognizing the benefits, parents and educators consistently seek ways to promote empathy within youth. While there are TV shows and movies that attempt to do so, there is nary a better setting for promoting empathy than the wondrous outdoors. Read ahead to learn more!
How Spending More Time Outdoors Promotes Childhood Development and Learning of Empathy
Sensory Engagement
Nature engages a child’s senses of sight, hearing, smell, and touch in a way that indoor environments don’t. It also engages taste when sampling fruits and vegetables from orchards and food forests. This is the foundation for sensory grounding – a mental and behavioral health support technique that uses the five senses to help bring a child’s focus to the present moment, away from overwhelming thoughts or feelings. While sensory grounding makes a child more aware of our their emotions, it also makes them more attuned to the emotions of others.
Observation and Caretaking
Children learn empathy by observing wildlife in its natural environment, witnessing their interactions, such as how they communicate, care for their young, and even solve problems (i.e. watching a crow use a twig to extract grubs from a tree). Seeing how they overcome challenges and sustain the wellness of their broods, clans, flocks, gaggles, and herds (et cetera) instills within observing children a sense of empathy.
Beyond the observational, nature also provides a more hands-on approach to fostering empathy. For instance, when kids care for plants or pets they develop a sense of responsibility and compassion, which will extend to other living beings and entire communities.
Imaginative Play
Nature provides a rich environment for imaginative play, where kids can pretend to be wildlife or even plants, trees, or other forms of organic growth. This type of play can help them develop a deeper understanding of different perspectives and experiences, promoting empathy in a wider and more holistic manner.
Reduced Anxiety and Enhanced Emotional Regulation
A wide body of research confirms that frequent exposure to natural environments (parks, forests, etc.) is associated with reduced instances of adolescent anxiety and stress and improved emotional regulation. When children are free of negative emotions and better able to regulate all other emotions, they may be more receptive to and understanding of the feelings of others.
Sense of Interconnectedness
Nature fosters a sense of interconnectedness and belonging with the natural world, the peers that your child comes in contact with, and with communities at large. This sense of connection can deepen compassion and empathy, leading to a greater appreciation for the well-being of the environment and others. We expand on this concept further in the final section below.
Collective Action
In the sections above we find instances where a walk in the woods, a stroll along the seashore, or bike ride along an eco-reserve trail unveils a wealth of opportunity to develop empathy. While exploration of these natural settings are generally enough to accomplish the stated goal of this thesis, we also recommend supplementing efforts by introducing the concepts of community gardens, school gardens, conservation projects, and environmental education programs to your kid/s. This provides opportunities to experience collective action. Collective action refers to any action taken by a group of people (kids included) working together to achieve a shared objective or address a common concern or opportunity. It involves the coordination of efforts, resources, and knowledge to pursue a common goal that benefits the group as a whole. Not only is collective action a vessel for building career success for the next generation, it fosters a sense of belonging and responsibility for protecting the natural world, which can further enhance feelings of compassion and empathy.
All that it takes to initiate and sustain everything that we have detailed above it to dedicate more time to spending time outdoors. Make a habit of getting outside and into nature with your child/children through all of Canada’s four seasons and when away on vacation.
Other Articles You Might be Interested In
- Inspiring Kid Creators and Makers Through Nature
- What Can Kids Invent? Whatever They Want!
- Benefits of Outdoor Learning Experiences for Youth
We hope everything above was helpful. Meanwhile, please note that the Plant a Seed & See What Grows Foundation inspires and promotes healthy living and learning for kids across Canada. You can help us help the next generation by pledging your support too! View more on how you can get involved.
