Spending time in nature can improve children’s confidence

Four out of five children say they feel more confident in themselves after spending time participating in outdoor activities, according to new UCL research. The study, commissioned by The Wildlife Trusts, examined 451 children across 12 areas of England who took part in outdoor activities such as identifying plants and trees. The participants completed surveys before and after the activities. The research found that following the outdoor activities, 79% of the participants found that the experience could help their schoolwork. The majority of children also believe that it could help their relationships in class, with 81% agreeing that they had better relationships with their teachers and 79% reporting better relationships with their classmates. After their activities, 84% of children said that they were capable of doing new things when they tried. The quantitative analysis by researchers accounted for children having different characteristics (such as gender and age), undertaking different Wildlife Trust events, having different initial levels of engagement with nature-related aspects of life (such as spending time outdoors in nature or reading books about nature), and having different initial levels of wellbeing, nature connection, and pro-environmental values.