Green schools boost children's cognitive development

An investigation focused on the study of elementary school students in Barcelona suggests that boys and girls who attend schools with nearby vegetation and natural spaces tend to develop their cognitive skills better. The results have recently been published in PNAS.

The research team tested the students' abilities in terms of concentration ability and working memory, which is the ability to temporarily hold something in mind to carry out a homework. The result of the data analysis shows how students who attend a school surrounded by green areas they perform better in 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 second, third and fourth grade students attending 36 schools located in Barcelona (Spain). To order each of the schools according to the amount of vegetation around them, the team took photographs by satellite of each of the educational centers and measured the amount of green that appeared on their grounds and in their perimeter.

Different causes, the same result

Part of the reasons why students in vegetated schools might be doing better could be found in the quality of the air they breatheas revealed by analyzes of the concentration of pollution. All plants provide clean air to the environment, but trees and shrubs also act as a barrier to air currents polluted by car smoke. The same effect of physical isolation occurs with noises that come from urban environments, which makes it easier for students to concentrate on tasks.

In addition, the presence of areas with vegetation could enhance the use of the environment for practice sport. Since regular exercise helps reduce stress levels and can improve performance in certain cognitive areas, it is very possible that students who attend schools immersed in a green environment feel more stimulated to attend in class and easily assimilate what they learn, by not being distracted and having a well-trained mind to attend.

The environment affects us more than we thought

The social and urban implications are more or less obvious: replacing concrete patios and urban environments with wooded areas could have repercussions positively in the way of taking advantage of the classes (and, incidentally, improving the health of students and center). 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 direct 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 skills mental.

Childhood is a time when the smallest changes in context can powerfully influence the cognitive development, and staying close to areas not modified by human labor does not have to be a lot to ask.

Bibliographic 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, online consultation. doi: 10.1073 / pnas.1503402112