Wellbeing Notebook - Up a Tree or in the Mud: How Nature-Based Free Play Contributes to the Wellbeing of Children

Abstract

Dianne Hillsdon is an experienced classroom teacher and administrator who has noticed a decline in children’s wellbeing during the last 30 years. Most children live a highly managed life, full of structured activities organised and supervised by adults and while these activities may develop specific skills, they do not necessarily build confidence and resilience that transfer to new situations. Dianne notes that we live in a risk adverse society and so children are often not open to taking acceptable risk.