The Princess of Wales has launched a new nature campaign aimed at supporting children’s emotional and social development, encouraging families across the UK to spend more time outdoors.
The initiative, led by Catherine’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, will examine how nature, creativity and relationships can contribute to the healthy development of babies and young children.
“Nature is such an extraordinary environment for us all and, in this tech-driven, digital age, spending quality time outdoors has never been more important,” she said.
The project will explore how outdoor experiences can be incorporated into early childhood development programmes. It could also involve sites managed by the Duchy of Cornwall.
Catherine said the research would take a “whole-child approach”, looking at how nature could help nurture the social and emotional skills linked to lifelong health and wellbeing.
“This project is about exploring how nature, creativity and relationships can best support the healthy development of babies and young children,” she said.
She added: “My hope is that through this practical, nature-based research, we can build supportive environments that help make nature more accessible, benefiting babies, young children and their families across the UK.”
The Princess of Wales has made early childhood development a central focus of her work, describing it previously as her life’s work. She has also spoken about the role nature played during her recovery following her cancer diagnosis and treatment, describing the natural world as her “sanctuary”.
Her latest campaign comes amid her concerns about the effect of technology on family life. Catherine has previously warned of an “epidemic of disconnection” caused by excessive screen time.
She has released a series of videos celebrating the changing seasons and the benefits of being outdoors, while a research-focused visit to Italy earlier this year examined education models based on relationships and play.
