Every Child Wild with the Wildlife Trusts

Children are happier, healthier and more creative when they are connected to the natural world. This should be an option not just for a few, but for every child in the UK.

The Wildlife Trusts want to see every child wild.

We've been doing some research...

The Wildlife Trusts recently commissioned a new poll by YouGov, to help us understand what wild experiences children in the 21st Century were having – or more alarmingly, what they are missing out on. Many nature-lovers today grew up having found a bird’s nest, exploring nature as part of their school day and hearing cuckoos in the spring. The story for children today, as we discovered, is a little different…

• Over a quarter (27%) of children aged 8-15 had never played outside by themselves, beyond their house or garden – and 37% hadn’t done this in the past 6 months.
• 53% have never seen a flock of starlings in the UK.
• 37% had never seen a hedgehog in the UK.

54% of the children surveyed had never found a bird’s nest, and 58% had never heard a cuckoo. Not only are children losing touch with their inner wild-child, but opportunities to experience British wildlife spectacles – from watching a swirling murmuration of starlings to coming nose-to-nose with a ‘hog – have declined for all of us, as the nature around us gradually disappears.

However, there is hope. Of the children surveyed, 82% had held a ladybird in their hand. And this little interaction might be the start of a great journey of discovery.

The Wildlife Trusts reach over 300,000 children every year through our work with schools, and have a further 150,000 junior members, but there are 800,000 children in every school year. Helping today's children to develop a love of the natural world is vitally important for conservation: we need children to grow up loving nature so that they are compelled to protect and restore it in the future.

So over the next few weeks we need your help.

We’re facilitating one huge discussion on reconnecting children with nature: what are the key problems, and more importantly, how do we fix them? We’ve got our own ideas, but yours are just as important.

The most important thing that you can do is to inspire a child yourself.

Find a Wildlife Trust nature reserve near you, especially family friendly nature reserves: in England, you’re never more than 16.4 miles from a Wildlife Trust nature reserve, and with crisp, chilly mornings, early sunsets and falling golden leaves, autumn is the perfect time to start your own wild adventure with your family.

To help you out, you can read our guide to 'The Art of Getting Children Outdoors' – a new downloadable guide to help you make the most of your own wild family time. You can also find a local nature club to inspire your children – we have over 250 local wildlife clubs for kids of all ages, so have a look at our map for more information.

We also thought it was really important to listen to the voices of young people themselves, who can share their own experiences and help us understand the barriers that they face when trying to connect with nature. We brought together Sorrel Lyall, Mya-Rose Craig, Nathan Bach, Alex White and Billy Stockwell, all of whom are under 16, to take part in our Every Child Wild podcast. They gave some fascinating reflections and better still, some great new ideas for us to act on – listen to the podcast here.

You can get involved with the Every Child Wild campaign.

• Help us spread the word to make every child wild, using #everychildwild in your posts.
• Read our Every Child Wild report and share it with someone you know who would benefit.
• Complete our short surveys for parents here and teachers here, to share your ideas for making every child wild.

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 1,082 children. Fieldwork was undertaken between 16th - 20th October 2015. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB children (aged 8-15). Total sample size was 4,224 adults, of which 1,070 were parents of children aged 18 or under. Fieldwork was undertaken between 16th - 20th October 2015. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).