by The public schools are on to something when they get their students out of the classroom and into the fresh air.
Exposure to green space reduces behavioral problems, gives children a cognitive boost and may lead to better academic achievement, according to a recent study.
Supporters of the UK’s burgeoning forest school movement, inherited from Scandinavian outdoor nursery lessons, have long made claims about the benefits of children playing outdoors and connecting with the nature.
And the importance of green space to our general well-being is firmly established. In Marmot’s landmark 2010 review of the links between health and inequality, Michael Marmot noted that “creating a physical environment in which people can live healthier lives with a greater sense of well-being is a very significant factor in reducing health inequalities”.
As part of our series Access to green space, we’ve been looking at how much space our children have at school – and how much time they get to enjoy it. Over several months, our data team compiled detailed information about the amount of land held by the top private schools in England, and then used satellite data and a number of other variables to calculate how much of that was accessible to pupils as green space.
We also looked at the amount of outdoor space available to English state schools, and spoke to experts about some of the issues facing our children. As Tina Farr from St Ebbes primary school in Oxford told us: “We need to start running schools in line with healthy child development. We can give them six nutritious hours a day and we absolutely must.”
The review cited numerous studies that linked green space to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, improved mental health and reduced stress levels, better perceived general health and the ability to face problems.
But now the science of the specific benefits for young people is emerging and showing the positive impact on children’s cognitive development. For example, in a 2015 paper from the Barcelona Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, it monitored 2,500 children in the city over a year and found that students with more indoor green space had better working memory and less inattention around them.
They found that the greenery in and around schools – measured using satellite images – was associated with improved mental capacity to handle and continuously update information, faculties known as working memory and memory work better.
The positive effect could be partly explained by air pollution or the lack of it, researchers said. The findings prompted Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, one of the lead researchers, to suggest that schools should “green” their environment. “If you put some trees there, I’m sure you’ll see some effect overall,” he said. “Your school marks will go up a bit.”
And later research from Belgium, published in the online journal Plos Medicine, showed these positive results, but went a step further and concluded that children raised in greener areas have a higher IQ, as well as lower levels of difficult behaviour.
The analysis of more than 600 Belgian students between the ages of 10 and 15 found that a 3% increase in the greenness of their neighborhood raised their IQ score by an average of 2.6 points, and the increase in IQ points was extremely significant for children at the bottom. of the spectrum, where small increases can make a big difference. Tim Nawrot, a professor of environmental epidemiology at the University of Hasselt in Belgium who worked on the study, said: “What this study adds to IQ is a more difficult, well-established clinical measure. I think that city builders or urban planners should prioritize investment in green spaces because it is invaluable to create an optimal environment for children to develop their full potential.”
Other research has found that children with more green space near their homes have significantly stronger bones, potentially leading to lifelong health benefits, and another study found that play areas increased green with children’s immune systems.
In a 2017 piece of work, researchers tracked 562 Norwegian preschools over four years. They concluded: “Overall, the results of this study suggest that high exposure to outdoor environments may be a cheap, accessible and environmentally friendly way to support children’s self-regulation and cognitive development and improve them.
“It could also be a safe intervention for children suffering from attention disorders. For some children, high doses of nature may be an effective alternative to medication.”
The Unicef discussion paper, The Requirement of Urban Green Space for Optimal Child Development, identifies multiple benefits for children at different stages of their development.
In the early years, up to the age of six, he says that proven benefits include improved balance and motor coordination, better sleep, reduced nearsightedness and concern for nature in adulthood.
Among those aged 15 to 17, Unicef says there is increased physical activity, improved attention, greater ability to cope with stressful events, lower blood pressure and cortisol levels, and increased enthusiasm for learning. “Every child, no matter where they live in the city, should be within easy walking distance of a safe and welcoming public green space,” he says.
Eirini Flouri, professor of developmental psychology at University College London, has been investigating the impact of green space on children since 2012. Like other studies, her findings suggest that exposure to green space can provide cognitive stimulation for primary school children. For teenagers, it is beneficial for their mental health and well-being.
“The epidemiological literature is very clear – we know that in elderly populations, particularly very old populations, we see a very important role for green space for health and cognitive functioning.
“So I expected to see that in the early years as well. But in fact there was nothing strong and consistent about their well-being, but we see effects on their cognitive functioning, especially aspects related to spatial cognition.
“Problem solving, wayfinding, all those non-verbal skills contribute to cognitive functioning in childhood and they also equate to improved achievement in school.
“What this means is that areas where young children spend time must have a minimum level of green space. Noise and pollution can have a negative impact on brain development, so it needs to be an area with acceptable noise levels, which is safe, not heavily polluted and visually pleasing for the child.”
