Forest School Nurseries: A Complete Guide for Parents (2026)

Forest school nurseries take learning outdoors — children spend extended time in woodland settings, whatever the weather, building dens, climbing trees, and exploring nature. It’s a growing approach in UK early years education, and it aligns fully with the EYFS framework.

What Is a Forest School Nursery?

A forest school nursery is an outdoor-focused early years setting where children spend substantial time learning in natural environments, particularly woodland areas. The approach originated in Scandinavia in the 1950s and came to the UK in the 1990s, where it has been adapted to align with the Early Years Foundation Stage framework.

True forest school nurseries follow principles established by the Forest School Association, including:

• Regular sessions: Children visit the same outdoor space consistently, usually weekly, building familiarity and confidence
• Extended periods: Sessions last at least two hours, allowing deep engagement rather than rushed activities
• All weather: Sessions run throughout the year in rain, wind, cold, and sunshine, teaching resilience and adaptability
• Natural environments: Learning takes place primarily in woodland or similar natural settings, not manicured gardens
• Child-led play: Activities follow children’s interests and questions rather than rigid adult-directed plans
• Qualified leadership: Sessions are led by practitioners with Forest School Leader qualifications

Some nurseries operate entirely outdoors, while others blend forest school sessions with indoor facilities. When searching for nurseries, look for settings that clearly describe their outdoor provision and forest school credentials.

How Forest School Fits with the EYFS

Forest school nurseries in England must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, just like any other registered setting. The outdoor approach naturally supports all seven areas of learning:

Prime areas:

• Communication and language: Children develop vocabulary describing nature, narrate their discoveries, and engage in storytelling around campfires
• Physical development: Climbing, balancing, lifting, and tool use build gross and fine motor skills while navigating uneven terrain enhances spatial awareness
• Personal, social and emotional development: Managing risks, working collaboratively on den building, and experiencing weather builds resilience and emotional regulation

Specific areas:

• Literacy: Reading nature books, creating story sticks, mark-making with natural materials, and keeping nature journals support early literacy
• Mathematics: Measuring tree heights, counting birds, sorting leaves by size and shape, and sharing snacks equally develop mathematical thinking
• Understanding the world: Direct observation of seasons, lifecycles, habitats, and natural processes provides concrete understanding of scientific concepts
• Expressive arts and design: Creating with mud, sticks, leaves, and stones offers open-ended creative opportunities

The key difference is that learning happens through direct experience rather than worksheets or indoor representations. Children don’t just read about lifecycles — they observe tadpoles in the pond and return week after week to see them transform.

Benefits of Outdoor Nursery Education

Research into forest school and outdoor nursery approaches has identified numerous benefits for young children:

Physical development: The varied terrain and physical challenges of outdoor environments develop strength, coordination, and body awareness more effectively than flat indoor spaces. Children naturally engage in vigorous physical activity without formal PE lessons.

Wellbeing and resilience: Regular exposure to natural environments reduces stress and anxiety in young children. Learning to be comfortable in all weather conditions builds mental toughness and adaptability that serves children throughout life.

Concentration and self-regulation: The freedom to move, the absence of walls, and the sensory richness of natural environments help children focus for longer periods. Many practitioners report that children who struggle to settle indoors thrive in forest school settings.

Environmental awareness: Growing up with regular, meaningful contact with nature fosters environmental stewardship. Children develop care for the natural world through relationship rather than abstract instruction.

Risk management: Controlled exposure to manageable risks — climbing trees, using tools, managing small fires — helps children develop accurate risk assessment skills and healthy caution rather than either recklessness or excessive fear.

Creativity and problem-solving: Natural materials offer infinite possibilities for imaginative play and construction. With no instructions or “right way” to use a stick or stone, children develop creative thinking and resourcefulness.

Social skills: Collaborative projects like building dens or preparing food over fires require negotiation, cooperation, and shared decision-making in authentic contexts.

These benefits complement rather than replace what children gain from quality indoor early years provision. Many families find that a blend of indoor and outdoor learning, or a forest nursery that offers both, provides comprehensive development.

What a Typical Day Looks Like

While every forest nursery operates differently, most follow a similar rhythm designed to provide structure while allowing child-led exploration:

Arrival and briefing (15-20 minutes): Children arrive, change into outdoor gear, and gather for a welcome circle. Staff review safety reminders and discuss what children might explore during the session.

Free exploration (45-60 minutes): Children disperse to pursue their own interests. Some might build dens, others explore the stream, some climb trees, while others create nature art or play imaginative games. Staff move between groups, asking questions, ensuring safety, and extending learning.

Skill-building activity (30-45 minutes): Staff introduce a specific skill or activity — perhaps fire lighting, tool use, wildlife identification, or cooking. Children can choose whether to participate or continue free play.

Snack time (15-20 minutes): Children gather for a shared snack, often prepared over the fire (toast, hot chocolate, soup). This provides rest, social connection, and practical life skills.

Closing circle (10-15 minutes): The group reconvenes to share discoveries, review what they learned, and prepare to leave the forest. Children help tidy up, reinforcing respect for the environment.

This structure provides enough routine to feel secure while allowing substantial freedom for self-directed learning. The same pattern repeated weekly helps children anticipate what’s coming and engage more deeply.

What Children Learn at a Forest Nursery

The learning in outdoor nursery settings might look different from traditional early years education, but it covers sophisticated concepts:

Tool use and practical skills: Children as young as three learn to use real tools — potato peelers, hand drills, saws, and loppers — under close supervision. This develops fine motor control, concentration, and pride in capability.

Ecological understanding: Regular observation of the same environment across seasons builds understanding of natural cycles, interdependence, and cause and effect. Children notice which trees lose leaves, where birds nest, how rain affects the stream.

Fire safety and management: Many forest nurseries teach children to help prepare and manage small fires safely. This ancient human skill builds responsibility and respect for powerful forces.

Species identification: Children learn to recognise trees, plants, birds, and insects through repeated encounters. This builds observation skills and scientific vocabulary.

Navigation and spatial awareness: Moving through woodland develops mental mapping, directional language, and confidence in unfamiliar environments.

Weather and seasons: Direct experience of all weather conditions builds meteorological understanding that goes far beyond indoor weather charts.

Construction and engineering: Building dens, bridges, and shelters requires problem-solving, spatial reasoning, and understanding of stability and balance.

The knowledge gained is concrete and embodied rather than abstract. A child who has repeatedly tested the thickness of ice on puddles understands freezing temperatures differently from one who has only heard about them.

Safety and Risk Management

Safety concerns are often the first question parents raise about forest nurseries. Qualified forest school practitioners follow rigorous safety procedures while recognising that controlled risk is valuable:

Site assessment: Staff conduct detailed risk-benefit assessments of the forest school site, identifying hazards and mitigating serious risks while preserving beneficial challenges.

Ratios and supervision: Forest nurseries typically maintain better adult-to-child ratios than required by Ofsted — often 1:8 or 1:6 rather than the standard 1:13 for three-to-five-year-olds.

Boundaries and rules: Clear physical boundaries (marked trees, rope lines) define the safe area. Simple rules — “you can climb as high as you can get yourself without help,” “one person on this branch” — give children responsibility for their own safety.

First aid and emergency procedures: Staff hold outdoor first aid qualifications and have procedures for dealing with injuries and evacuating the site if needed. Mobile phones and first aid kits are always available.

Progressive challenge: Children develop skills gradually. They don’t use saws on their first session — they observe, help with smaller tools, and build competence before attempting more challenging tasks.

Teaching risk awareness: Rather than preventing all bumps and scratches, staff teach children to identify risks themselves: “Is that branch strong enough to hold you? How could you test it?”

Minor injuries — scratches, small bumps, nettle stings — do happen, as they do in any active play environment. These experiences teach children about consequences and how to avoid similar incidents, building competence rather than dependence on adult protection.

What to Look for When Choosing a Forest Nursery

If you’re interested in forest school for your child, consider these factors when choosing a nursery:

Qualified staff: Check that the setting employs Forest School Leaders with Level 3 Forest School qualifications. This three-tier training programme ensures practitioners understand child development, ecology, and risk management in outdoor contexts.

Genuine forest school principles: Some settings use “forest school” as a marketing term for occasional outdoor play. True forest school involves regular (usually weekly), extended sessions (at least two hours) in the same natural space, whatever the weather.

Location and site: Visit the forest school site if possible. Is it a genuine woodland environment with varied terrain, or a small copse in a park? Does it offer rich opportunities for exploration — streams, different tree species, varied habitats?

Balance with indoor provision: Unless you specifically want an entirely outdoor setting, consider how the nursery balances forest school with other learning. Many children benefit from both outdoor and indoor experiences.

Practical arrangements: Does the nursery provide waterproof clothing, or must you supply everything? How do they manage nappy changes and toileting in outdoor settings? What happens if weather becomes genuinely dangerous (lightning, extreme cold)?

Philosophy and approach: Attend a visit day if offered. Observe whether children have genuine freedom to explore or whether activities are heavily adult-directed. Ask how staff handle conflicts, manage risks, and extend children’s learning.

Accessibility: Consider practical logistics — can you get your child there? If the forest school site is separate from the main nursery, how are children transported? What are the collection arrangements?

Trial sessions: Many forest nurseries offer trial sessions. This lets you see how your child responds to the approach before committing.

Use our nursery visit checklist to ensure you cover all important questions during visits.

Forest School vs Traditional Nursery

Forest nurseries and traditional indoor nurseries both have strengths. The right choice depends on your child and your family’s values:

Forest school strengths: Greater physical activity, direct environmental contact, enhanced resilience, more freedom for child-led exploration, strong community feel (smaller groups), and development of practical outdoor skills.

Traditional nursery strengths: Protection from weather extremes, easier access to resources like books and art materials, more structured learning activities, often longer opening hours, and easier logistics for families.

Who thrives in forest school: Children who are highly active, dislike confinement, show keen interest in nature, or struggle to settle in traditional settings often flourish. However, quieter, more cautious children also benefit from the unhurried pace and absence of indoor overstimulation.

Who might prefer traditional settings: Children who are very sensitive to cold or wet, have certain medical conditions affected by outdoor exposure, or who particularly love activities difficult to do outdoors (extensive painting, building with blocks) might prefer more indoor time.

Many families choose settings that offer both — a nursery with regular forest school sessions plus indoor facilities. This provides variety and the benefits of both approaches.

Clothing and Equipment Needed

Outdoor nurseries require more kit than traditional settings. Most provide detailed clothing lists, but expect to need:

Essential items:

• Waterproof jacket and trousers (not just showerproof)
• Sturdy wellington boots or walking boots
• Multiple sets of old clothes that can get muddy and torn
• Warm base layers for winter (thermal tops and leggings)
• Sun hat and sun cream for summer
• Warm hat and gloves for winter
• Complete change of clothes left at nursery

Recommended additions:

• Waterproof gloves for winter
• Fleece or warm jumper as mid-layer
• Waterproof mittens joined with cord (harder for small children to lose)
• Named bags for wet/dirty clothes

Some forest nurseries provide waterproof suits, but many expect families to supply their own. Quality outdoor clothing represents an investment, but children will wear it outside nursery as well. Check whether the nursery has a second-hand clothing system where families can buy and sell outgrown items.

Children should wear old clothes underneath waterproofs — everything will get dirty, torn, and possibly stained with mud, sap, or berry juice. Don’t send anything you want to preserve.

Finding the Right Forest School Nursery

To find an outdoor nursery near you, start by searching our directory of UK nurseries with filters for curriculum approach and outdoor provision. You can also:

• Check the Forest School Association directory for certified practitioners
• Search for “forest school nursery [your area]” or “outdoor nursery near me”
• Ask at local woodland trusts or environmental organisations for recommendations
• Join local parenting groups and ask for experiences and recommendations

Visit several settings before deciding. Observe how children engage with the environment, how staff interact, and whether the atmosphere aligns with what you want for your child.

Consider using our childcare cost calculator to budget for fees — forest school nurseries often have similar costs to traditional settings, though some charge premium rates reflecting higher staff ratios and specialist training.

Comparing Different Educational Approaches

If you’re interested in alternative educational philosophies, you might also want to explore:

• Montessori nurseries, which emphasise child-led learning with specially designed materials
• Steiner Waldorf nurseries, which focus on imaginative play and delaying formal academics
• Traditional EYFS nurseries, which you can learn more about in our EYFS guide

Each approach has different strengths, and what matters most is finding the setting where your individual child will thrive. Some children flourish with the freedom and physical challenge of forest school, while others prefer more structured environments.

Final Thoughts

Forest school nurseries offer a distinctive approach to early years education, prioritising direct contact with nature, physical challenge, and child-led exploration. For families who value outdoor time, environmental awareness, and hands-on learning, this approach can be transformative.

The benefits — enhanced physical development, improved wellbeing, stronger resilience, and deep environmental understanding — are well-documented. However, the approach isn’t for every child or every family. Consider your child’s temperament, your practical circumstances, and your educational values when making this decision.

Visit several settings, observe children in action, talk to staff about their philosophy and qualifications, and trust your instincts about where your child will flourish. Whether you choose a full-time forest nursery, a setting that blends indoor and outdoor learning, or a traditional nursery with regular outdoor play, the most important factor is finding practitioners who understand and value your child as an individual.