Exploring Nature With Young Children: Simple Earth Day Activities

Earth Day is coming up, and it’s the perfect excuse to take your learning outdoors, lean into curiosity, embrace a little dirt under tiny fingernails, and reconnect your classroom with the natural world.

In early childhood settings, Earth Day is so much more than a themed craft or a one-day celebration. It’s an opportunity to intentionally connect children with nature in ways that support development, strengthen your curriculum, and energize your overall program.

For educators working in early childhood environments, Earth Day offers a meaningful framework for hands on learning that feels authentic and joyful. When thoughtfully integrated into your daycare curriculum or preschool curriculum, nature-based experiences support child development across physical, social, emotional, and cognitive domains, all while nurturing a sense of wonder in young learners.

Recent research continues to highlight just how powerful nature-based early childhood education can be. In this blog, we’ll explore the evidence behind nature-rich learning and share simple, developmentally appropriate Earth Day activities you can confidently implement in your classroom.

What the Research Says About Nature-Based Early Childhood Education

A recent review identified 59 studies exploring nature-based early childhood education settings, with a total sample size of 10,067 children ages 2–7. The studies were conducted across multiple countries, including Canada, the USA, Australia and Norway.

Researchers published two systematic reviews:

• One focused on physical development outcomes
• One examined social, emotional, and cognitive development

They found that Nature-based early learning environments were linked to:

• Reduced sedentary time
• Improved balance
• Stronger social skills
• Greater social and emotional wellbeing
• Enhanced play interaction
• Improved self-regulation
• Greater nature relatedness and environmental awareness

For early childhood educators this evidence reinforces what many have long observed in practice: child development thrives when children are able to regularly engage with the natural world.

Nature-Based ECE vs. Traditional Early Learning Settings

Traditional early childhood settings often involve children spending most of their time indoors. Outdoor time may include playgrounds with man-made structures such as swings and slides, but limited integration of trees, varied terrain, loose parts, or natural materials.

In contrast, nature-based early childhood education — sometimes referred to as forest preschools or forest kindergartens — integrates nature into the philosophy, curriculum, and daily environment. Children often spend the majority of their day outdoors, immersed in varied topography, vegetation, and natural elements.

These settings provide rich, diverse learning experiences that support development beyond traditional early childhood environments. Exposure to nature in educational spaces has been associated with improvements in emotional wellbeing, resilience, self-esteem, overall mental health, and reduced stress.

This research gives educators pause for how they can integrate the natural world and Earth Day learning into their daycare curriculum in meaningful, ongoing ways.

Why Earth Day Is a Powerful Anchor in Your Curriculum

In early childhood education, themes help make learning cohesive and relevant. Many preschool programs organize lesson plans around themes that connect to children’s real lives.

Earth Day as a theme connects to children’s real lives, connects them to their community and includes multiple subject areas while remaining grounded in authentic experiences.

Through Earth Day, children can:

• Explore science concepts through gardening and observation
• Develop cognitive skills through sorting and measuring
• Strengthen language skills through storytelling
• Express creativity through art projects
• Build social skills through collaborative outdoor and recycling themed efforts

When integrated thoughtfully, Earth Day becomes part of a curriculum designed to meet learning objectives while remaining developmentally appropriate for different ages.

Physical Development Benefits of Nature-Based Learning

One of the most clear findings from the research was the physical benefits of nature-based early learning.

Children in nature-rich programs showed:

• Reduced sedentary time
• Improved balance
• Increased varied movement

Natural environments invite children to climb logs, walk on uneven ground, crouch to examine insects, and carry materials. These activities promote gross motor skills and physical coordination in ways that structured indoor environments may not.

In early childhood settings, physical development is foundational. It supports not only motor skills but also confidence, sense -of-self and risk assessment.

Social and Emotional Development in Nature

The research also highlighted improvements in social and emotional wellbeing. Children in nature-based early childhood programs demonstrated stronger social skills and improved self-regulation.

Natural settings encourage:

• Cooperative play
• Negotiation
• Problem-solving
• Turn-taking

Incorporating loose parts like sticks, rocks, and leaves into your lesson plans encourage imagination and prosocial interaction. Children often work together to build, create, and explore.

These shared learning experiences build the foundation for empathy and collaboration in young learners.

Cognitive Growth and Critical Thinking Outdoors

Exposure to nature has been associated with enhanced cognitive development. Children develop observational skills, curiosity, and critical thinking through inquiry.

For example:

• Why do worms appear after rain?
• What happens if a plant doesn’t get sunlight?
• How does water move through soil?

Instead of relying solely on direct instruction, educators can guide children through hands on learning and experimentation.

This approach aligns with play-based philosophy and supports deep knowledge building.

Supporting Varied Learning Styles Through Nature

Nature-based learning naturally engages multiple styles of learning, including visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile learners.

Children learn by:

• Feeling textures
• Listening to environmental sounds
• Observing patterns
• Moving their bodies
• Manipulating materials

This multi-sensory approach supports different learning styles and ensures all children can engage meaningfully.

Simple Earth Day Activity: Nature Walk 🌎

A nature walk might sound simple — but in early childhood, simple is powerful.

When you step outside with intention, the world becomes your classroom. Every leaf, bird call, and bumpy tree trunk turns into a hands-on learning opportunity.

Before the Walk: Build the Excitement

Turn preparation into collaboration.

Invite children to help decide what they want to discover. Create a shared “Nature Quest” list:

• Can we find three different types of plants?
• What bird sounds can we hear?
• Where do we notice different textures — smooth, rough, squishy, prickly?

By setting gentle goals together, you’re aligning with early learning standards while still protecting what matters most: curiosity and exploration.

During the Walk: Follow the Wonder

Outdoors, children naturally slow down and tune in. Encourage them to:

• Share what they notice — “I see…”, “I hear…”, “I feel…”
• Collect fallen natural treasures like leaves, sticks, or stones
• Observe insects respectfully and safely

You’re not just taking a walk — you’re strengthening observation skills, vocabulary, gross motor development, and sensory awareness. Plus, you’re reducing sedentary time in a way that feels joyful and purposeful.

After the Walk: Extend the Learning

Back inside, the discoveries continue.

• Lay out collected items during circle time
• Sort, count, and compare textures and sizes
• Reflect together: What surprised you? What felt different? What did you hear?
• Can you turn your items into a creative arts project as a class?

These meaningful follow-ups reinforce cognitive development, science inquiry, and language skills — all rooted in a shared experience.

Gardening: A Long-Term Earth Day Project 🌱

If you’re looking for something that grows alongside your learners, gardening is a beautiful place to start.

Planting seeds gives children a front-row seat to change over time. They learn that growth is gradual. That care matters. That patience pays off.

Through gardening, children naturally explore:

• Science (What does a plant need to grow?)
• Math (How tall is it today? How much did it grow?)
• Language (Describing changes and making predictions)
• Physical movement (Digging, watering, planting)
• Social skills (Taking turns and sharing responsibility)

For school-age and preschool programs, documenting plant growth through drawings or simple journals weaves in literacy and reflection in a developmentally appropriate way.

And perhaps most importantly? Children feel proud. They nurtured something — and it grew.

Loose Parts Play and Imagination 🍃

Nature offers the best loose parts collection — and it’s free.

When you provide open-ended materials like:

• Pinecones
• Sticks
• Stones
• Leaves

You’re giving children the tools to invent, design, and imagine.

Today, a stick is a magic wand. Tomorrow, it’s a bridge. Next week, it becomes part of a tiny forest village.

Nature-based loose parts play supports creative arts, problem-solving, collaboration, and flexible thinking — all while keeping materials simple and grounded in the real world.

Recycling and Environmental Awareness ♻️

Earth Day is also a wonderful opportunity to introduce environmental responsibility into your own curriculum in ways that feel concrete and empowering.

Turn recycling into a hands-on exploration:

• Sort materials by type (paper, plastic, metal)
• Count and graph what you’ve collected
• Talk about where these materials go and why it matters

You’re building foundational skills and introducing early concepts of global citizenship — all through tangible, age-appropriate experiences.

And most importantly, children begin to see themselves as capable caretakers of their environment.

Self-Regulation and Emotional Wellbeing

One of the most powerful findings from the research was improved self-regulation in nature-based early childhood programs.

Outdoor environments provide space for movement and sensory regulation. Children who struggle to sit indoors often flourish outside.

Nature exposure has also been linked to reduced stress and improved emotional wellbeing.

Earth Day activities that prioritize outdoor time can support mental health and child development in extremely meaningful ways.

Balancing Structured Activities and Free Play

One of the beautiful things about early childhood education is the rhythm — the thoughtful balance between intentional teaching and open-ended discovery.

High-quality programs don’t choose between structure or free play. They embrace both.

Organizations like the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) emphasize the importance of pairing guided learning with ample time for child-led exploration. Earth Day is the perfect opportunity to do exactly that.

Structured Experiences (Intentional & Guided)

These moments allow you to scaffold skills and connect directly to learning goals:

• Simple science experiments (What sinks? What floats? What helps plants grow?)
• Guided gardening projects
• Recycling sorting and classification activities

Free Play Experiences (Child-Led & Creative)

This is where imagination and problem-solving flourish:

• Building structures with natural materials
• Pretending to be environmental helpers or forest explorers
• Climbing, balancing, and navigating varied outdoor terrain

When children move between structure and freedom, they develop flexibility, confidence, and independence. It’s not either/or — it’s a dynamic partnership that supports whole-child development.

Making It Developmentally Appropriate for Different Ages

Earth Day looks different depending on who’s in front of you — and that’s exactly how it should be.

Thoughtful scaffolding ensures every child can engage meaningfully while building new skills.

For Infants

With infants, Earth Day begins with wonder.

At this stage, it’s about gentle sensory exploration and building early connections to the natural world through safe, responsive experiences.

• Supervised time spent exploring outdoors
• Exploring natural textures like soft grass (if appropriate), smooth stones, or large leaves and pinecones
• Listening to birds, wind, and outdoor sounds on a class walk
• Watching shadows move or leaves sway

Infants are developing sensory awareness, early language through caregiver narration, and secure attachment through shared outdoor experiences. Time spent outside can stimulate neural development and nurture early curiosity.

At this stage, you are helping infants feel the world around them.

For Toddlers

At this stage, it’s all about sensory discovery:

• Soil or sand sensory bins
• Simple water play with cups and containers
• Outdoor nature discovery walk

They’re exploring cause and effect, textures, and basic vocabulary — all through hands-on experience.

For Preschoolers

Preschoolers are ready for deeper inquiry and representation:

• Planting seeds and caring for them
• Drawing observations of plants and insects
• Counting and sorting leaves or rocks

You’re supporting early science skills, emerging math concepts, and expressive language — all grounded in real-world exploration.

For Kindergarten

Kindergarten learners are ready to extend and reflect:

• Measuring plant growth over time
• Verbally sharing their reflections
• Comparing simple ecosystems (garden vs. playground vs. forest)

Here, Earth Day becomes a platform for critical thinking and early research skills.

When activities are developmentally appropriate, children don’t just participate — they thrive. Skills build progressively, and confidence grows alongside competence.

Connecting to Early Learning Standards

Nature-based Earth Day activities aren’t “extra.” They’re deeply aligned with early learning standards across domains.

When children engage with nature, they’re strengthening:

• Science: Observation, experimentation, prediction
• Math: Counting, sorting, measuring, comparing
• Language: New vocabulary, storytelling, descriptive language
• Social-emotional: Cooperation, empathy, responsibility
• Physical: Balance, coordination, fine and gross motor skills

Whether you design your own daycare curriculum or use a thoughtfully developed curriculum kits, Earth Day can seamlessly reinforce standards while keeping learning joyful and meaningful.

Designing Lesson Plans With Nature in Mind

Designing your own nature-based lesson plans might feel like one more thing on your plate — but it can also be one of the most energizing parts of your program.

Nature offers flexibility, affordability, and endless inspiration.

When planning, consider:

• Clear learning objectives (What skills are we strengthening?)
• Hands-on exploration opportunities
• Integration across subject areas
• Time for reflection and documentation

A thoughtfully designed nature-based lesson plan doesn’t just support Earth Day. It can elevate your entire program year-round — creating classrooms where curiosity leads, learning feels alive, and children see themselves as capable explorers of their world.

Using Digital Curriculum as a Support Tool

Digital curriculum platforms can simplify time lesson planning while still allowing educators to focus on meaningful learning experiences.

An all-in-one solution like Lillio and Lillio Learning may provide:

• Editable lesson plans
• Assessment tools
• Printable resources
• Adaptations for varied learning styles

These supports free up educators time to focus on the real moments happening outdoors.