Schools surrounded by greenery boost children’s cognitive development

Green schools: science shows their benefits for students.

Research focused on the study of primary school students in Barcelona suggests that children who attend schools with greenery and natural spaces nearby tend to develop better cognitive skills.. The results have been recently published in PNAS.

The research team tested the pupils' abilities in terms of concentration and working memory, which is the ability to keep something in mind temporarily in order to carry out a task. The result of the data analysis shows how students who attend a school surrounded by green spaces perform better on these dimensions. Furthermore, differences in the socioeconomic status of the children's families do not explain this finding.

The study used as a sample a total of 2,000 students in the second, third and fourth grades of primary school attending 36 schools located in Barcelona (Spain). To rank each of the schools according to the amount of vegetation around them, the team took satellite photographs of each of the schools and measured the amount of green that appeared on their grounds and around their perimeter.

Different causes, same result

Part of the reason why students in schools enveloped in greenery may be performing better could be found in the quality of the air they breatheas revealed by the analysis of the concentration of pollution concentration. All plants bring clean air to the environment, but trees and shrubs also act as a barrier to air currents polluted by car fumes. The same effect of physical The same effect of physical isolation occurs with noise coming from urban environments.This makes it easier for students to concentrate on their homework.

In addition, the presence of vegetated areas could enhance the use of the environment for sports. Regular exercise helps reduce stress levels and can improve performance in certain cognitive areas. cognitive areasIt is quite possible that students who attend schools immersed in a green environment feel more stimulated to attend class and easily assimilate what they learn, as they are not distracted and their minds are well trained to pay attention.

The environment affects us more than we thought.

The social and urban implications are more or less obvious: replacing concrete playgrounds and urban environments with wooded areas could have a positive impact on the way classrooms are used (and, incidentally, improve the health of students and school professionals). Of course, not all schools have the possibility of opening up to natural spaces as they are located in the center of large cities, but directing efforts to placing even a few wooded areas on school grounds could be a quick and easy way to help young people better train their mental capacities.

Childhood is a time when the slightest changes in context can have a powerful influence on cognitive development. cognitive development, and staying close to areas unmodified by the labor of the human species need not be too much to ask.

Bibliographical references:

• Dadvand, P., Nieuwenhuijsen, M. J., Esnaola, M., Forns, J., Basagaña, X., Alvarez-Pedrerol, M., et al. (2015). Green spaces and cognitive development in primary schoolchildren, PNAS, consulta online. doi:10.1073/pnas.1503402112