Environmental issues, resulting from global warming, have made care for the environment an increasingly urgent matter. The careless usage of limited and valuable resources such as water, fossil fuels and forests, as well as the pollution of air, water and soil, has led us to a situation where we are in need of an urgent change of behaviour towards the environment. Experiences in the early years form attitudes and behaviour in a child and can have a long-lasting effect into adulthood (Pramling Samuelsson et al., 2019). Through education and with the support of influential role models such as their teacher, children can become active and informed participants in shaping the environment they live in (Davis, 2015) and to care sustainably for it (Prince, 2010). There is a trend to advocate research with children about environmental topics (Green, 2015), yet a lack of studies using methods that recognise that young children articulate their thoughts and feelings about an environmental topic differently to older children and adults (Somerville and Williams, 2015).  

This project explores how to do meaningful and age-appropriate research with young children about what they think, experience and learn about how to care for our planet. It also explores ways to empower children to make decisions on matters that affect them such as environmental issues. 

Children have the right for suitable and supportive education, which is supported by SDG 4.7 (UN General Assembly, 2015). It is thoroughly desirable to respect their voices and stands as well as giving them hope for the future. In my research, I advocate for children to be seen as capable members of society and explore ways to enable their right to be informed, to be heard and their “views ... given due weight” (UN General Assembly, 1989, p. 5). Investing in children and adequate methodologies can impact future leaders and citizens’ environmental behaviours. This is turn, is important not only at local or European levels but also globally. 

Children need opportunities to play in and with nature in their daily life in preschool and at home, in order to meaningfully and authentically connect to nature and care for it. While playing outside on their own terms following their imagination and motivation, activities initiated by teachers should be child-led and guided by children’s interests, understanding and explorations. Offering learning opportunities and chances to explore in and with nature were shown to be a foundation to agency and connection to nature (Rios and Menezes, 2017). Research has also shown that learning particular pro-environmental behaviour and actions would not help to develop children’s care for nature. However, positive feelings towards and meaningful interactions with nature, can result in a caring and protective attitude towards nature (Rios and Menezes, 2017). Additionally, “when educators promote children’s success in ‘making a difference’, foundations are built for future resilience, agency and social participation” (Davis, 2014, p. 34).  

Education for Sustainability is promoted as lifelong learning and serves as a driver for transformative change for living sustainably on a national and worldwide scale. However, in the field of early childhood, the deliberate involvement in Education for Sustainability has been slow (Davis and Elliott, 2014). Education for Sustainability is currently “largely a matter for individual settings to decide upon thus depending on staff commitment” (Barratt et al., 2014, p. 231). It requires policy change, a widespread mind shift and “centre culture that embraces sustainability” (Elliott, 2010, p. 34). This project was conducted with children in England but contributes to the international discourse around young children’s agency in times of instability and crisis such as the climate emergency.

I worked with 19 children, aged 3 to 4, in two preschools in deprived rural and urban areas of the southwest of England. I also interviewed two teachers and received answers on a survey from two families. I drew from Clark and Moss' (2011) Mosaic approach, using a variety of qualitative methods to gain a holistic view on preschoolers’ feelings and actions towards nature. I observed children and teachers during outdoor activities. The naturalistic (narrative) observation and the children observation were underpinned by the Mosaic approach (Clark and Moss, 2011). As one opportunity for children to express their views, I asked the children to draw a picture of what they associate with the word ‘garden’. To complement the drawing about children’s ideas, I asked the children to describe what they have drawn. Additionally, I asked them what we can do to protect the plants, animals and insects in the garden, flexibly following the children’s understanding. I asked the children to take photos of their favourite places in the garden while they took me on a tour. I also engaged in naturally emerging conversations with the children during play and the child-led tours, moving away from the structure of an interview. Finally, I interviewed teachers and used a survey with families. I additionally reflected on how to enhance the level of children’s participation in my project at every stage and push the boundaries to an active and meaningful role of children at preschool age within my research. I aimed to challenge my definitions of terms, such as garden, environmentally friendly, and instead explored them with the children. Additionally, I aimed to challenge my methods and assumptions about methods that might be suitable to capture children’s perceptions. Finally, I aimed to ask the children to interpret and analyse the data, and involve the children in the dissemination of the results. In my presentation, I will be drawing on an analysis of the generated data in two ways – my data analysis as adult researcher and a data analysis by and with the children.

Children can be a significant catalyst in increasing environmental practices in their preschools and at home. Given the opportunity, children can impact teacher’s action and learning but also motivate their families for environmental actions. Enabling children to enact their right to be active and informed participants of society and to be heard, especially in matters that affect them, can increase children’s self-efficacy and agency not only now but also for the future. This can then lead to “children’s belief and confidence that they could advocate for changes in their early childhood centre and home” (Vaealiki and Mackey, 2008, p. 10). Children are and must be seen as social actors (Prout and James, 2015). That means that they “are and must be seen as active in the construction and determination of their own social lives, the lives of those around them and of the societies in which they live” (Prout and James, 2015, p. 7), not only locally but on a global scale. My research has shown that this is challenging to bring into practice, especially in a meaningful and authentic way for children. It is also challenging in terms of ethical considerations and methodological execution. For researchers and practitioners that aim to work with young children in a more child-led way, it is about engaging critically and being reflexive about their approaches in terms of children’s voices and power relations as well as creating the culture of children confidently making decisions in matters that are relevant to them and affect them. With children, teachers and families working together, change for alternative, more sustainable practices will be a collective responsibility and effort and can influence the wider community.

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