Comparing Classroom Context and Physical Activity in Nature and Traditional Kindergartens

Abstract

Growing interest in nature-based learning has resulted in an increasing number of nature schools despite a limited understanding about what kind of instructional approaches are employed or how these approaches affect children’s physical activity. The purpose of this exploratory single-observer study was to use naturalistic observations to compare how the instructional context of nature-based and traditional kindergartens affected students’ gross body movement and specific activity types, as well as to explore how the structure of these classroom environments influenced students’ physical activity. Participants included 81 students attending three nature-based and traditional public kindergartens in Western Canada. Children in nature kindergartens engaged in more slow-easy, moderate, and vigorous gross body movements and a greater breadth of specific activity types than peers in traditional kindergartens. Nature kindergartens provided more opportunities for students to make choices, engage in unstructured activity, and participate in free time than traditional kindergartens. Overall there was more variability across nature kindergarten classrooms than across traditional kindergartens.