How Place-Based Learning Supports Children’s Learning and Wellbeing
Families choose place-based learning for many reasons. Some are looking for deeper engagement with learning, others for improved wellbeing, or a learning environment that feels more human and grounded. For many, it’s a combination of all three.
At its core, place-based learning supports children by rooting learning in real life, real relationships, and real responsibility.
Learning that makes sense
When learning is connected to familiar places and lived experience, children understand it more deeply. Concepts in science, literacy, maths, and social learning are explored through hands-on activity — observing ecosystems, measuring and building, storytelling, problem-solving, and collaborative work. Knowledge is not abstract or rushed; it is built gradually through experience.
Belonging and emotional wellbeing
Returning to the same place over time supports emotional regulation, confidence, and a sense of belonging. Children come to know the land, the rhythms of the seasons, and the people they learn alongside. This familiarity reduces anxiety and supports children to settle, focus, and engage — especially for those who learn best through movement, sensory experience, and relationship.
Learning held by community
In place-based learning, knowledge is not held by teachers alone. Educators are supported by a wider learning community — including growers, artists, scientists, storytellers, and neighbours who share knowledge rooted in practice and care for place. Children learn that learning lives in people and relationships, and that many kinds of knowledge matter.
Real-world skills and responsibility
Because learning is connected to real places, children naturally take on responsibility. They care for shared spaces, tend gardens, prepare food, restore habitats, and notice what their environment needs. These experiences build practical skills, agency, cooperation, and a sense of contribution — all essential for lifelong learning.
Flexible and complementary
Place-based learning can support children in many contexts. It may sit alongside homeschooling, complement mainstream schooling, or provide a rich learning rhythm during certain seasons of life. Its strength lies in its flexibility and responsiveness to children’s developmental needs.
Learning with purpose
Perhaps most importantly, place-based learning helps children understand why learning matters. Learning becomes connected to care, community, and contribution — not just achievement. Children develop curiosity, resilience, and a sense of purpose that extends beyond the learning day.
Place-based learning doesn’t replace other forms of education. It adds something essential: learning that is grounded, relational, and connected to the world children are growing up in.
Families interested in seeing how this approach is practiced in real life can explore the Earth School Aotearoa programmes, which offer place-based learning experiences rooted in land, community, and seasonal rhythms.