Are you co-parenting with nature? If not, you might want to consider making the natural world your partner in parenting. Nature-Connected Parenting, also described as “co-parenting with nature,” is an intentional parenting approach that actively involves nature in raising and nurturing children. In our fast-paced, ever-changing world, leaning into Nature-Connected Parenting can help you push back against the pressures of modern intensive parenting and help you raise healthier, happier children and make you a calmer, more connected parent in the process.

This article will dive into the nitty gritty of Nature-Connected Parenting — What is it exactly? How does it help families and nature thrive? — and share tips and resources to help your families.

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My journey into Nature-Connected Parenting began in 2008, the year my first child was born. At the time, I didn’t have much formal understanding of “co-parenting with nature,” but what I did have was something deeper—a heart-level understanding shaped by my own childhood experiences.

My father, who is Indigenous Métis, grew up deeply connected to the Land. Though he rarely used words to describe this bond, he guided me through countless outdoor adventures, slowly cultivating my own relationship with the natural world.

Over the years, I combined this heart-knowledge with insights from various parenting resources. Books such as Simplicity Parenting, The Gardener and the Carpenter, and There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather significantly shaped my perspective, gently steering me toward a parenting philosophy that embraces connection to nature as central to our family life.

Today, I call this philosophy Nature-Connected Parenting—a way of raising children rooted in authentic relationship with the natural world.

Defining Nature-Connected Parenting

Nature-Connected Parenting views the natural world as an active partner and co-parent in raising children. It emphasizes intentionally engaging with, listening to, and learning from nature in ways that nurture mutual flourishing for children, parents, and the environment.

For millennia, humans raised their children closely connected with nature. Our ancestors intuitively recognized nature as home and understood themselves as integral to the natural world. Many Indigenous traditions honor a sacred, reciprocal relationship with nature—often personified as “Mother”—seeing her as a vital partner in child-rearing. Today, however, modern lifestyles have significantly disconnected families from both nature and each other, weakening those essential bonds we are inherently born into.

Nature-Connected Parenting aims to repair these bonds, intentionally drawing upon diverse wisdom traditions and research, including Attachment Theory, Ecopsychology, and Indigenous teachings, to reconnect families meaningfully with nature and one another.

Nature-Connected Parenting is not…

Nature-Connected Parenting isn’t simply another parenting style or trend—it’s a deeply relational approach rooted in our essential humanness. Rather than viewing nature merely as a backdrop or resource, it actively engages with nature as a partner, nurturing the growth, health, and relationships of our families.

Relationships

Relationships are at the heart of Nature-Connected Parenting. This approach emphasizes the interconnected bonds not only between parent and child but among parents, children, and the natural world. Healthy families flourish when these relationships are nurtured intentionally and holistically.

Mutual Flourishing

Nature-Connected Parenting promotes the health and well-being of everyone involved—children, parents, and the natural environment. It encourages practices that help all three thrive together, recognizing their interconnectedness.

Nature as Co-Parent

Nature-Connected Parenting embraces the natural world as a wise co-parent, capable of guiding, teaching, and enriching family life. Parents and children alike benefit from nature’s inherent wisdom and valuable life lessons.

Outdoor Engagement

Nature-Connected Parenting prioritizes regular and intentional experiences with nature, integrating nearby natural settings into everyday life. Even brief daily interactions with nature can have a profound impact on family well-being.

Unstructured Outdoor Play

Recognizing unstructured (free) outdoor play as essential, Nature-Connected Parenting encourages opportunities for children to freely explore, discover, and take healthy risks outdoors. This type of play is foundational to holistic child development.

Nature-Connected Parenting provides powerful, proven benefits for children, parents, and the natural world. Research consistently shows that regularly connecting with nature significantly boosts physical, emotional, and mental well-being for the whole family.

Children who spend consistent time outdoors experience numerous health benefits: increased physical activity, stronger immune systems, improved motor skills, and even better eyesight. Beyond physical improvements, these children tend to be happier, calmer, and more emotionally resilient. Parents benefit similarly, experiencing lower stress levels and enhanced overall well-being.

In addition to these individual benefits, Nature-Connected Parenting also strengthens family relationships. Emerging research indicates that shared outdoor experiences improve parent-child communication, responsiveness, and connection, nurturing deeper bonds within families.

Finally, Nature-Connected Parenting positively impacts the environment. Families who regularly engage with nature tend to develop stronger pro-environmental attitudes, demonstrating a deeper commitment and responsibility towards caring for and protecting the natural world.

Nature-Connected Parenting is all about weaving small, intentional steps into your family’s everyday routines. No matter where you live or how old your children are, here are practical ways to deepen your family’s connection to nature:

Prioritize Intentional Moments of Connection

• Notice and point out nature regularly throughout your day—birds at the feeder, the wind rustling trees, or the phases of the moon.
• Create routines and rhythms that incorporate regular outdoor time.
• If your family schedule feels packed, treat outdoor time like any other important activity and intentionally schedule it in.

Model Nature Connection Yourself

• Express genuine enthusiasm, curiosity, and care for nature.
• Demonstrate behaviors that reflect respect for the natural world, modeling attitudes your children will naturally imitate.

Allow Space for Unstructured Outdoor Play

• Prioritize free outdoor play over structured activities or schedules.
• Let your children explore, experiment, get messy, and safely take risks without rigid rules or adult-directed activities.

Engage All the Senses

• Encourage sensory exploration—listen, see, smell, touch, and even taste (safely!) nature.
• Allow children to engage hands-on with natural objects, nurturing their curiosity and fostering deeper connections.

Celebrate Seasons and Natural Rhythms

• Mark seasonal milestones—like equinoxes, solstices, the first snowfall, blooming flowers, or animal migrations—with simple family rituals or celebrations.

Cultivate a Family Nature Space

• Create a garden, whether in a backyard, containers, or a community space, planting herbs, flowers, or vegetables together.
• Set up a mud kitchen or outdoor exploration area for creative play and sensory engagement.

Eat Seasonally and Locally

• Incorporate seasonal fruits and vegetables into your family’s meals, discussing with your children the connection between food and nature’s cycles.

Bring Nature Indoors

• Fill your home with houseplants and natural treasures collected outdoors (rocks, shells, leaves, pine cones).
• Create a nature table or display that encourages interactive learning and exploration of the natural world inside your home.

Integrate Technology Mindfully

• Use digital tools purposefully, such as apps for identifying birds, plants, or constellations.
• Thoughtfully integrate technology to enhance—rather than replace—your family’s nature experiences.

Myth: Nature-Connected Parenting is only for rural families.
Fact: Nature-Connected Parenting is accessible to families no matter where they live. Nature surrounds us everywhere, including urban and suburban environments. At its heart, Nature-Connected Parenting involves meaningful engagement with the natural world right outside your door, wherever that might be.

Myth: Nature-Connected Parenting is just for “outdoorsy” families.
Fact: Nature-Connected Parenting doesn’t require rugged adventures or wilderness survival skills. It’s simply about cultivating curiosity and connection. Every family belongs in the natural world, and connecting can be as gentle and accessible as gardening, exploring a local park, or noticing the changing seasons around your home.

Myth: Nature-Connected Parenting requires extensive knowledge about nature.
Fact: Nature-Connected Parenting prioritizes connection before comprehension. Building genuine relationships—with nature, our children, and ourselves—comes first. With curiosity and connection guiding the way, deeper understanding naturally follows over time.

Myth: Nature-Connected Parenting requires lots of time or special resources.
Fact: Practicing Nature-Connected Parenting doesn’t depend on extensive free time or specialized gear. It’s about making small, intentional choices to engage with nature each day. Even brief interactions with nearby nature can meaningfully deepen your family’s connection.

Myth: Nature-Connected Parenting means no technology.
Fact: Nature-Connected Parenting doesn’t exclude technology; instead, it promotes mindful management of screen time. Technology can be thoughtfully integrated to enhance—not replace—meaningful family connections with nature.

Myth: Nature-Connected Parenting is only for homeschooling families.
Fact: Nature-Connected Parenting can benefit all families, regardless of educational choices. Whether your children attend public school, private school, or homeschool, intentionally incorporating nature into your family’s daily rhythms strengthens family bonds, supports overall well-being, and nurtures a deeper relationship with the natural world.

Books to Inspire

• There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom’s Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids  by Linda Åkeson McGurk
• How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature by Scott D. Sampson
• Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv
• The Nature Principle: Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age by Richard Louv
• The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
• Outdoor Kids in an Inside World by Steven Rinella
• Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature by Jon Young
• Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life by Peter Gray
• The Gardener and the Carpenter: What the New Science of Child Development Tells Us About the Relationship Between Parents and Children by Alison Gopnik
• Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids (Early Years) by Kim John (M.Ed) Payne, Lisa M Ross
• Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans by Michaeleen Douclef
• The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams
• Let Them Eat Dirt: Saving Your Child from an Oversanitized World by B. Brett Finlay and Marie-Claire Arrieta

MORE BOOKS: 30+ INSPIRATONAL BOOKS FOR RAISING OUTDOOR KIDS

Online Communities & Organizations

• Children & Nature Network (Research library & resources)
• Child & Nature Alliance Canada 🍁 (Resources)
• Outdoor Learning School & Store 🍁 (Courses, resources, supplies)
• Take Me Outside 🍁 (Courses, resources, conference)
• WilderChild (Full Moon Club, Wildschooling community)
• Check for family nature clubs and communities (locally and online)

Podcasts, Magazines and Newsletters

• Backwoods Mama (newsletter)
• Run Wild My Child (podcast and magazine)
• 1000 Hours Outside (podcast)

Is something missing from this list? Feel free to leave a comment below or contact me to have it added.

References

Capaldi, Colin A., Raelyne L. Dopko, and John M. Zelenski. “The Relationship between Nature Connectedness and Happiness: A Meta-Analysis.” Frontiers in Psychology 5 (September 8, 2014). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00976.

Martin, Leanne, Mathew P. White, Anne Hunt, Miles Richardson, Sabine Pahl, and Jim Burt. “Nature Contact, Nature Connectedness and Associations with Health, Wellbeing and pro-Environmental Behaviours.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 68 (April 1, 2020): 101389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101389.

Pritchard, Alison, Miles Richardson, David Sheffield, and Kirsten McEwan. “The Relationship Between Nature Connectedness and Eudaimonic Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Happiness Studies 21, no. 3 (March 2020): 1145–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-019-00118-6.

Jickling, Bob, Sean Blenkinsop, Nora Timmerman, and Michael De Danann Sitka-Sage, eds. Wild Pedagogies. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90176-3.

Cameron-Faulkner, Thea, Joanna Melville, and Merideth Gattis. “Responding to Nature: Natural Environments Improve Parent-Child Communication.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 59 (October 1, 2018): 9–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2018.08.008.

Izenstark, Dina, and Aaron T. Ebata. “Why Families Go Outside: An Exploration of Mothers’ and Daughters’ Family-Based Nature Activities.” Leisure Sciences 44, no. 5 (July 4, 2022): 559–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2019.1625293.

Overholt, Jillisa R. “Role Shifts and Equalizing Experiences Through Father-Child Outdoor Adventure Programs.” Leisure Sciences 44, no. 5 (July 4, 2022): 614–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2019.1627966.