A sense of physical and emotional well-being can and should start with positive experiences in early childhood. Children should from an early age feel directly engaged and active in their social world.
Two recent reports about childhood - the Unicef report on child poverty and the Forest Research evaluation of children's experience of forest schools in England and Wales (see box far right) - give two very contrasting perspectives on children's experiences of well-being.
In the Unicef report, the UK was implied to be ranked bottom of 21 nations for child well-being. This report was widely picked up by the national media. There was much less coverage of the Forest Research which showed how children flourish in an outdoor environment where they have control over their decisions and activities.
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