Monsters or Good Guys - The Mediating Role of Emotions in Transforming a Young Child’s Encounter with Nature

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet

Nature-play inspires awe and wonder in young children but can also create uncertainty that triggers fear and anxiety. This qualitative study uses sensory tours to examine the emotions of a four-year-old during forest exploration of an imagined “monster castle,” and the educator’s role in supporting the child’s affective states. Negotiating positive and negative emotions strengthens environmental identity, fostering regulation, comfort, trust, autonomy, self-awareness, and environmental competency that guide later actions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Background

Socio-Emotional Development in Young Children

Monsters or Good Guys: The Mediating Role of Emotions in Transforming a Young Child’s Encounter with Nature Carie Green, University of Alaska Fairbanks, United States Abstract Nature-play inspires a sense of awe and wonder in young children, however, the uncertainty of elements in nature can also bring about fear and anxiety. Using sensory tours as a data collection method, this qualitative study explores the emotions of a four-year-old during his exploration of an imaginary “monster castle” in the forest, and the role an educator plays in supporting children’s affective states. Negotiating emotions, both positive and negative, is important in strengthening a child’s environmental identity. Just as children learn to regulate emotions informal learning environments, their ability to regulate their emotions in nature instills a sense of comfort and trust, spatial autonomy and self-awareness, and environmental competency and self-confidence, which, in turn, influences their actions for the environment. Résumé Le jeu dans la nature est source d’émerveillement chez les jeunes enfants; toutefois, la nature peut aussi être source d’incertitude et donc causer de la peur et de l’anxiété . En utilisant GoPro Tours comme méthode de collecte de données, cette étude qualitative examine les émotions d’un enfant de quatre ans qui explore le « château d’un monstre imaginaire » dans la forêt, ainsi que le rôle joué par l’éducateur pour encadrer les états affectifs de l’enfant. Ce dernier a besoind’apprendre à maîtriser ses émotions, tant positives que négatives, pour renforcer son identité environnementale. Bien que les enfants aient l’occasion d’apprendre à réguler leurs émotions dans les milieux d’apprentissage formels, le même exercice réalisé dans la nature leur instille aisance et confiance, leur enseigne l’autonomie spatiale et la conscience de soi, et leur permet d’acquérir de l’assurance ainsi qu’un sentiment de compétence environnementale, tous des attributs qui, en retour, influencent les actions qu’ils posent pour l’environnement. Keywords: young children, emotions, environmental identity development, nature play, exploration Introduction Emotions fluctuate from moment to moment, from one extreme to another in the lives of young children. From happy and elated to frustrated and angry, from confident and motivated to frightened and withdrawn, affective states drive children’s engagement with and are influenced by their environments Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 21, 2016 125 (Boyer, 2014) . In nature, children’s emotions are affected by environmental stimuli, that is, their interactions with living and non-living objects. Nature has long been recognized as a setting that stimulates children’s curiosity and wonder (Carson, 1956; Wilson, 2012), however, less attention has been given to the negative emotions children experience in nature and how overcoming the tensions inherent in such states influences children’s environmental identity development. Rather than overgeneralize nature as a place of pure happiness and joy, this qualitative study explores the various emotional states experienced by a child during his imaginary play in the forest and the role that an educator or caregiver plays in supporting a child’s regulation of such experiences. Background Socio-Emotional Development in Young Children Development in the socio-emotional domain occurs rapidly in young children (between birth and eight years old) . During this critical period, children’s ability to enact and perceive various emotions in themselves and others becomes more sophisticated and complex . From the expression of a few basic emotions (love, joy, anger, sadness, and fear) in infancy, by the first few years of life children express a wide range of emotions including frustration, worry, pride, and guilt (Boyer, 2014) . Boyer (2014) characterized emotions as having similar properties as a reaction: “It often has an identifiabl

FAQs

How does nature-play affect young children’s emotions?

Nature-play can inspire awe and wonder, but environmental uncertainty may also produce fear and anxiety. Children’s affective states fluctuate as they interact with living and non-living elements in nature.

What method does the study use to collect data?

The study uses sensory tours as a qualitative data-collection method to explore a four-year-old’s emotions during imaginary forest exploration.

Why is emotion regulation in nature important for environmental identity?

Regulating positive and negative emotions helps strengthen a child’s environmental identity. It supports comfort and trust, spatial autonomy and self-awareness, leading to greater environmental competency and confidence that influence environmental actions.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet