A Qualitative Study on The Forest Experiences of Two-Year-Old Toddlers

Objective: This study examined two-year-old toddlers’ forest experiences across bodily, sensory, and playful dimensions to explore the meaningful space the forest becomes for them. Methods: This qualitative case study involved participant observations of seven two-year-old toddlers in a D city childcare center from April to September 2025. Data included forest observations, field notes, and artifacts. Inductive thematic analysis was employed, focusing on contextual meanings of toddlers’ utterances, gestures, movements, and interactions. Results: The findings showed that toddlers encountered living beings in the forest through bodily responses such as stopping, gazing, approaching, and touching when they discovered ants, insects, leaves, soil, and wind. In addition, sensory experiences gained in the forest were recalled later through conversations, drawings, and play, and were connected to memory and imagination. Toddlers also used natural materials and terrain to initiate play in their own ways and expanded their play with peers. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the forest is not merely an outdoor activity place but a lived world in which toddlers experience the world through their bodies and senses, memory and imagination, play, and relationships. This study suggests that, in forest activities for toddlers, nonverbal expressions such as gestures, gaze, and repeated attempts should be understood as important experiential data, and toddlers should be supported in directly exploring natural materials and living beings within a safe environment.