The Princess of Wales has launched a new research project examining how spending time in nature can support the emotional and social development of babies and young children.
Catherine hopes the initiative will help families better understand the importance of outdoor experiences during the earliest years of life, bringing together scientific research and practical expertise to explore how the natural world can contribute to children’s long-term wellbeing.
The project has been launched by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, with the Duchy of Cornwall becoming a founding partner for the first time in support of the Princess’s early years work.
Announcing the initiative, Catherine highlighted the importance of protecting opportunities for children to experience the outdoors in an increasingly digital world.
“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 Princess explained that the research would investigate how nature, creativity and relationships could work together to support healthy development during childhood.
Her statement continued: “This project is about exploring how nature, creativity and relationships can best support the healthy development of babies and young children.”
Catherine has made early childhood development a central focus of her public work, arguing that the experiences and relationships children encounter in their earliest years can have a lasting influence on their lives.
The new initiative will examine how nature-rich environments, alongside supportive relationships, can help children develop the social and emotional skills associated with lifelong wellbeing.
It will bring together evidence, professional expertise and practical experience from the UK and internationally, with the aim of identifying ways to make the benefits of outdoor experiences more accessible to families.
In her announcement, the Princess also emphasised the importance of looking at children’s development as a whole rather than concentrating on individual aspects of their upbringing.
“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,” she said.
The initiative builds on the Princess’s longstanding interest in the relationship between early childhood experiences and emotional wellbeing.
Through the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, Catherine has sought to raise awareness of the importance of the first five years of life and encourage greater understanding of the factors that help children thrive.
The Princess has previously raised concerns about the effects of excessive screen use and the importance of maintaining meaningful human connections in an increasingly technology-dependent society.
The new research will explore how nature-based experiences might help support children’s emotional development while providing practical insight for those caring for them.
The involvement of the Duchy of Cornwall marks a new partnership between the Prince of Wales’s estate and Catherine’s early childhood initiative.
The Duchy will support the work as a founding partner, creating an opportunity to explore the potential of nature-rich environments within communities and settings connected to the estate.
Christian Guy, executive director of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, said the project could help improve understanding of how nature contributes to children’s development.
He explained that the initiative would bring together research and practical experience to investigate how outdoor environments could help nurture curiosity, creativity and emotional health.
