Forest School: the outdoor learning approach winning over Europe
More and more European families are discovering an educational approach that returns children to the place where they have always learned best: the forest. Forest School isn’t a passing trend but a pedagogy with decades of history behind it and a growing body of scientific evidence supporting its cognitive, emotional and social benefits.
In this article, we explain exactly what Forest School is, what it brings to child development, and why it is gaining ground in Europe’s leading schools.
What is the Forest School method?
The benefits of learning in nature
1. Cognitive development and natural curiosity
The forest asks constant questions: why leaves change colour, how puddles form, what insects live under a stone. This spontaneous curiosity triggers a much deeper and more lasting form of learning than traditional memorisation.
2. Independence and decision-making
In a natural setting, children choose: what to explore, whom to work with, what risk to take. This freedom, always carefully supervised, develops independence, initiative and decision-making from a very young age.
3. Social skills and collaboration
Building a shelter, crossing a log or carrying a heavy branch together requires communication, negotiation and trust in one’s peers. Forest School creates real situations in which social skills are put into practice without needing to be simulated artificially.
4. Emotional wellbeing and stress reduction
Numerous studies show that time spent in nature reduces cortisol levels, improves mood and supports emotional regulation. In an increasingly fast-paced and digital world, this green pause carries genuine therapeutic value.
5. Physical development and motor skills
Climbing, jumping over logs, balancing or handling branches engages gross and fine motor skills in an integrated way. Children who practise Forest School show greater coordination, strength and confidence in their own bodies.
6. Connection with the environment
Respect for nature isn’t taught from a book: it is cultivated by walking through it, listening to it and caring for it. Forest School plants a relationship with the environment that endures well into adulthood.
Why Forest School is growing across Europe
In the UK, Germany, Scandinavia and Belgium, Forest School is already part of the educational offering in thousands of state and independent schools. In Spain the model is gaining momentum, particularly in international schools looking to complement academic rigour with solid experiential learning and a more complete view of child development.
This expansion reflects a concern shared by educators, families and paediatricians alike: children are spending less and less time outdoors, and this disconnection has real consequences for cognitive, emotional and physical development.
How we integrate outdoor learning at ISM
At International School Maresme, we believe nature is a natural extension of the classroom. Our privileged setting between the sea and the mountains allows us to integrate experiential learning and contact with the woodland from our Early Years programme in the Maresme, supporting every child’s curiosity, independence and resilience.
This way of learning is part of the everyday school life at our international school in the Maresme our students experience, combining the rigour of the British curriculum with real experiences that leave a lasting mark.
The method was born in the Nordic countries and became firmly established in the UK during the 1990s. Today it is a recognised component of many European education systems, applied from Early Years right through primary.