The aim of this qualitative study was to find out what kinds of nature elements in the kindergarten yard area inspire children to increase their contact with nature. The background of the study dealt with the published research results related to Finnish kindergarten-aged children who receive too little exposure to microbes that strengthen their immune defense system in their everyday lives. This study found out the factors that attract children to play voluntarily with natural elements in kindergarten yards. The results of this study can be used as a tool for the design work in renovations of those sites. The research data was obtained by conducting themed interviews in March 2023, and during the same time period, municipal kindergarten yards in Kirkkonummi were observed. The results revealed that the children have a particularly good time playing with rainwater and meltwater, sand, soil and dead plant parts, such as sticks and cones, and that large stones, rocks and groups of trees or bushes in the yard attracted the children to build their own independent play near them. The sloped shapes of the yard and varying base materials inspired the children to various imaginative games regardless of the weather and season. In the design work of these play sites/kindergarten yards, it would be a good idea to take these aspects into account without jeopardizing the safety of the yard. On these sites, efforts should be made to preserve old, existing vegetation and microbe-rich soil as much as possible, because such an operating environment offers more properties that strengthen children's resistance compared to a playground with a rubber or asphalt surface. The study was commissioned by Häme University of Applied Sciences, and it was carried out as part of the Degree Programme in Landscape Design, Construction and Management. Keywords: Contact with nature, elements of nature, design work, kindergarten yard