Nurturing Young Minds Through Nature: Investigating Children’s Executive Functions in a Forest Kindergarten in Turkey

Abstract

The research aims to examine the executive functions (EFs) of children who attended a forest kindergarten. Therefore, a case-study approach is utilized to scrutinize how participants in this study constructed their executive function within a particular case. The study group consists of 35 children aged 50-70 months (17 females, 18 males) in a forest kindergarten in Mersin. The data were collected via observations and interviews. The results based on observations during forest time and the teachers' views showed that the time spent in the forest supports EF's components. Therefore, a kindergarten's adoption of the forest school approach contributes positively to the development of children's executive functions (EFs). Based on this result, it is recommended to expand this approach in kindergartens.