How bushcraft supports children's development

Bushcraft gives your students a chance to learn about how to use sustainable resources, gathered from the environment, to survive in the outdoors. This includes learning how to build a range of shelters in the forest, safely build fires, and cook tasty treats!

Here are four ways that bushcraft supports children’s development.

It creates respect for nature

Bushcraft is all about working with nature rather than exploiting it. This means that you and your students should be mindful of what they’re removing from the environment and minimise any damage to the world around them. After all, if you take more than they need, you’re going to quickly run out of resources! So, it’s important to remind your students about the principles of nature-connectedness and environmental awareness. For example, you should use materials you find around you, like dropped twigs, rather than taking them directly from a tree.

By practicing sustainable foraging and reminding your students of the Countryside Code, you’ll reinforce these ideas and help instil in them a respect for nature.

It encourages resourcefulness and problem solving

While bushcraft is fun, it isn’t always plain sailing. An important part of this process is experimenting with different techniques and solving any problems that come up. Maybe your kindling is too damp, or the branches you planned to use for your shelter are too bendy. Naturally, this will encourage resourcefulness and problem-solving in your students. Depending on the materials they can forage and the issues that they come up against, they will have to think creatively to successfully build their shelter, craft, or fire.

It's a chance for an adventure

Incorporating bushcraft into your lesson plan can have benefits that reach into your classroom and beyond. Skills like fire lighting and shelter building will inspire your students with a sense of adventure and encourage them to spend more time outdoors.

While the benefits of screen-free time and learning are widely known, research also shows that adventure and outdoor learning can benefit your students’ education. In fact, students who took part in adventure learning activities showed positive improvements in school engagement and behaviour. Similarly, outdoor learning has also been found to boost pupils’ communication, physical skills, and motivation. As an additional benefit, 85% of young people say that being in nature makes them very happy.

It builds your students’ self-confidence

Trying something new gives pupils the chance to step outside of their comfort zone, which in turn will build their confidence and self-esteem. So, by building unique activities into your teaching, you will give pupils the opportunity to challenge themselves and grow their self-belief. Bushcraft is especially helpful for this as experts already say that it helps people to feel empowered and more self-reliant.