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Green space could be even better for young brains than we realised (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 7 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The public schools are on to something when they usher their students out of the classroom and into fresh air.

Exposure to green space reduces behavioural problems, gives children a cognitive boost and may even lead to improved academic achievement, according to recent studies.

Supporters of the UK’s burgeoning forest school movement, inherited from Scandinavian outdoor kindergarten lessons, have long made claims about the benefits of children playing outdoors and connecting with nature.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Exposure to green space reduces behavioural problems, gives children a cognitive boost and may even lead to improved academic achievement, according to recent studies.

A 2015 paper from Barcelona’s Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, for example, monitored 2,500 children in the city over a year and found that pupils whose schools had more green space in and around them had better working memory and less inattentiveness.

And more recent research from Belgium, published in the online journal Plos Medicine, echoed these positive findings, but went one step further and concluded that children raised in greener areas have a higher IQ, as well as lower levels of difficult behaviour.

I think city builders or urban planners should prioritise investment in green spaces because it is really of value to create an optimal environment for children to develop their full potential.”

They concluded: “Overall, the findings from this study suggest that high exposure to outdoor environments might be a cheap, accessible and environmentally friendly way of supporting and enhancing children’s self-regulatory capacities and cognitive development.

In the early years, up to the age of six, it says proven benefits include improved balance and motor coordination, better sleep, reduced nearsightedness and a concern for nature in adult life.

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