Abstract:

Early childhood, between the ages of 0-6 (0-72 months), is a period during which a child's development is rapid, and they are ready to learn many things. This period has a significant impact on the child's later life and is also a critical time for instilling a love for nature and environmental awareness. Interacting with nature at an early age leads to positive outcomes, not only for the child's healthy development but also for fostering awareness, connection, and ecological responsibility towards nature. The purpose of this study is to determine how preschool children perceive nature. The sample of the research consists of 23 children attending preschool educational institutions. The data collected from the sample group were subjected to content analysis to reach the research findings. The data set in the study consists of nature drawings by children and semi-structured interview forms administered by teachers to children. Interview data and children's drawings were analyzed using content analysis, a quantitative data analysis method. In the second stage, codes were created from the open-ended responses to the children's questions and the drawings they made. These codes were then grouped and organized into themes based on their meanings. According to the findings obtained from the research, for children, nature is an environment separate from human life, distant, where animals and plants exist. They possess a more object-centered understanding of nature, focusing on basic relationships in nature. In this context, it is recommended to incorporate outdoor nature activities into the preschool curriculum and transform nature into a learning and living space for the child through these experiences.

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