This volume addresses the significant challenge of integrating environmental and nature education into the early stages of child development, a period in which the foundations of ecological awareness, empathy, and future pro-environmental action are first established. Early engagement with natural environments, when supported by appropriate educational strategies, fosters biophilia, curiosity, and emotional regulation, qualities widely recognised as essential for the formation of sustainable citizens. Within this framework, early childhood nature education is also conceptualised as a foundational component of heritage education and active citizenship, as it nurtures early experiences of connection, care, and responsibility toward shared natural and cultural environments. The volume further explores innovative approaches to environmental education in early childhood grounded in experiential learning. Finally, it situates these reflections within international and Italian pedagogical perspectives on environmental and sustainability education, engaging with empirical and methodological innovations and highlighting the professional development of educators as critical agents of transformative education. Mara Valente is a full-time teacher at primary school, and she was a research fellow in Experimental Pedagogy at the Department of History, Cultural Heritage, Education and Society at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. In 2024, she obtained a PhD in "Educational and Social Theory and Research" at Roma Tre University. She also carries out research in the field of education and digital innovation in cultural heritage education, with specific content for nursery and primary school children. Since 2018, she has been collaborating with the Centre for Museum Studies (Roma Tre University) and since 2022, she has been a member of the scientific committee of the Intellect Centre at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. She has been involved in national and European research projects in the fields of museum education, development of transversal and digital skills, and innovative teaching methodologies.