Connection with nature. Child development. Childhood. Environmental psychology.

The literature points out that public places where there is vegetation, such as squares and parks, facilitate children’s contact with nature. This contact stimulates the physical, intellectual and emotional development of children, which allows an affective connection with nature. In this sense, the main purpose of this dissertation was to map the behavior of 8-11 years old aged children in an urban green area, in order to describe the behaviors, as well as to characterize the observed experiential dimension of the connection of these children with nature. The study area was the Historic City of Porto Seguro (Bahia State), a potential space for contact with nature. The study used place and person centered behavioral mapping, in addition to naturalistic observation. The previous results show a greater contact through daily playing. This contact is considered positive in the sense of promoting the approach of children with nature. Regarding the spatial configuration and behaviors, it was possible to perceive a predilection of children for areas with more vegetation. In addition, there were some behaviors  considered indicative of other dimensions of connection with nature, which leads us to understand that the Historic City favors such a connection, which is why similar spaces should be prioritized in urban planning.