Guides: nature play & nature connection

Growing community nature connectedness: a new handbook for growing human-nature community relationships

A guide for inviting communities to notice, engage and relate with the more-than-human world, for closer community-nature relationships. Carly W. Butler and Miles Richardson, Nature Connectedness Research Group, 20 January 2025.

Families Together in Nature Group Planning Guide

'Everything you need to organize and lead a Families Together in Nature Group, including planning guides, tips, ideas, checklists and ready-to-use forms.' Children & nature Network (US), 2023.

The Nature Connection Handbook: A Guide for Increasing People’s Connection with Nature

'The real-world application of the science of nature connection really matters – there’s an urgent need to connect more people, more fully with the rest of nature. With widespread recognition of the importance of a close relationship with nature, there has been growing use of nature connection principles and practices across a range of sectors, including environmental, mental health, social care, youth, arts and creative industries, local government, community, education, and business. To meet the increasing demand for help in the design and delivery of nature connection initiatives, we have created this guide.' Professor Miles Richardson, May 2022.

Families' Access to Nature Project

The Families’ Access to Nature Project was undertaken by the Froebel Trust and Early Education between October 2021 and January 2022. Children, their parents, and their early years educators talked to us about their access to nature and being outside together. The document below summarises key findings from the project for early years practitioners interested in promoting children’s access to nature. Published April, 2022.

Nature’s School

150 free outdoor activities and challenges that can be used by schools and community groups as well as families independently (no matter what age, ability or circumstance). All activities are free and downloadable from the website. Children can get certificates by completing challenges which are organised seasonally for easy navigation. PECT 2021.

An Explorer’s Guide to The Lost Words

This free guide by Eva John accompanies The Lost Words. It’s for anyone with an interest in nature, words and images who wants to explore further some of the ideas and creatures conjured up by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris in their enchanting ‘spell book’. Also seasonal posters to download, info on how to run your own training sessions and other related resources – all free. John Muir Trust, 2018.

The #NatureForAll Playbook: an Action Guide for Inspiring Love of Nature

Designed to inspire action, with strategies and ‘plays’ – simple nature connection activities – and case studies of organisations having a go. Hard to describe, this is worth taking a look at to kickstart or boost what you already do. IUCN Commission on Education and Communication (CEC) and Canadian Parks Council (CPC), 2017 (pdf).

MUD IS GOOD! Ten easy ways to connect your family to the joy of nature

Last Child in the Woods author, Richard Louv, offers a brief list of nature activities to help you connect your kids, and yourself, to the health, cognitive and creative benefits of nature time. June 2014.

Nature Play & Learning Places

Creating and managing places where children engage with nature ‘Offers a set of guidelines for those who create, manage or promote development of nature areas in the everyday environments of children, youth, and families, especially in urban/suburban communities. The goal is to attract kids and families outdoors to interact directly with nature.’ Robin C. Moore, National Wildlife Federation and Natural Learning Initiative, 2014, on Green Schoolyard Network.

Friending Fresh Air

Connecting Kids to Nature in the Digital Age. This report aims to arm parents with the information they need to understand how kids’ media habits can impact health, learning & social development, and how spending time outside can balance the drawbacks of screen time. It also provides tools to help families combine the best of both worlds— virtual & natural. National Wildlife Federation (US), 2013.

Practitioner Guide to Assessing Connection to Nature

'Our goal in creating this guide is to provide practitioners, organizations, researchers, and others with a “one-stop shop” for measuring nature connections ... The guide also includes 11 tools and approaches that you can use to assess connection to nature.' Gabby Salazar, Kristen Kunkle, and Martha C. Monroe. (see also below...)

Connection to Nature Index

'This tool could be used before and after a program to measure change in a child’s connection to nature or could be used as a one time measure of connection to nature at any time ... survey consists of 14 statements to which children respond on a five-point scale. Cheng, J. C.-H., & Monroe, M. C. (2012). (See also below...)

A Parents’ Guide to Nature Play

‘Learn about what makes great nature play, why it is important, and how you can restore it to your children’s daily lives.’ Greenhearts (US), 2009 (pdf).