The Voice of Early Childhood28 Juli 2025

A nature-deficit childhood

Children today are spending significantly less time outdoors than just a generation ago and this raises the question for parents and educators to consider, what are the implications of a childhood disconnected from nature? In this article and podcast episode Julia Packwood, early years outdoor specialist, highlights current research and explores how simply spending time outdoors can build the foundations for a healthier and happier childhood.

Read the article here:

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/a-nature-deficit-childhood/

This episode is sponsored by Funding Loop

Funding Loop automates the process for nurseries of collecting funding forms from parents and typing that information into council portals. Funding Loop is used by over 2000 nurseries including over 80% of the top 25 nursery chains in the UK including Busy Bees.

To find out more visit: https://www.fundingloop.co.uk/home

Listen to more:

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like:

· The therapeutic nature of outdoor play by Jenny Smillie – https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/the-therapeutic-nature-of-outdoor-play/

· The science behind outdoor play series by Dr Gemma Goldenberg – https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/author/gemma-goldenberg/

Our 2026 conference info & tickets:

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2026/

Get in touch and share your voice:

Do you have thoughts, questions or feedback? Get in touch here! – https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/contact/

Episode break down:

00:00 – Welcome!
03:45 – What is nature-deficit disorder?
07:00 – Noticeable benefits of being outdoors
09:20 – Reclaiming childhood
12:30 – Risk-benefit analysis
13:45 – What does childhood look like now?
16:55 – Less screen time, more green time
28:15 – Barefoot benefits & grounding
30:20 – Safety sweeps
34:00 – Air quality
37:20 – Conservation
43:50 – Calls to action to government and communities
50:00 – It starts with us reflecting inwards
52:00 – Further reading

For more episodes and articles visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com

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