My Nature Play
Young children are happier and healthier when they have regular opportunities to play outdoors. Playing in nature supports children’s personal, social, emotional and language development, but the amount of time children spend outside has declined by 50% in a generation. According to the Raising the Nation Play Commission’s ‘Everything to Play For’ report, 55% of parents say that their youngest child plays outside less than they did as a child.
We want every child across the UK to have the opportunity to play, explore, and learn outdoors every day. That’s why our new My Nature Play project helps young children fall in love with nature by improving their outdoor experiences in their early years settings.
Between February 2026 and July 2028, My Nature Play will be delivered across 170 early years settings throughout England, Wales and Scotland, creating a long-term legacy of confidence, creativity, and connection to nature. Apply using the button below, download a copy of the application questions, or find out more about what the project entails further down the page.
Please note that applications for My Nature Play close at midnight on 4 January, 2026.
Learn about more of the work we’re doing to connect children with nature
About My Nature Play
My Nature Play is a 12-week, hands-on programme designed to transform how Early Years settings use nature and outdoor spaces for playful learning.
Each participating setting will receive six in-person training sessions, delivered onsite during the day by an LtL early years specialist, covering core themes such as ‘Why Nature Play’, ‘Playful Parents’, and ‘Playful Staff’. Optional modules, selected to meet the needs of your community, will include training such as ‘Playful Neighbourhoods’, ‘Magic Mud’, ‘Speech and Language’, ‘Risky Play’, and ‘Fine and Gross Motor Skills’.
Practitioners will build confidence in facilitating high-quality outdoor play and learn how to make the most of their outdoor spaces and local green spaces in all weathers. This is a simple, practical approach that will work in any setting and is designed to meet the needs and experience of all staff.
Every setting will also receive a high-quality outdoor clothing library for staff and children and a personalised My Nature Play plan developed during follow-up visits, ensuring that playful outdoor learning becomes an embedded, sustainable part of daily practice. The programme is designed to be inclusive, inspiring, and achievable, creating long-lasting benefits for children’s development, wellbeing, and connection to the natural world.
