The Benefits of Children's Engagement with Nature: A Systematic Literature Review

By Tim Gill. Children, Youth and Environments, 2023

303 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract:This paper sets out the findings of a systematic review of the research literature on the benefits that arise when children under 12 spend time in natural environments. The review also explored the relationship between these benefits and the style of children's engagement with nature. The findings support the view that spending time in nature is part of a “balanced diet” of childhood experiences that promote children's healthy development, well-being and positive environmental attitudes and values. It also points to the value of more playful engagement styles. The findings are relevant to the development of educational and planning policy and practice, and to advocacy work.

Subfields: Education, Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/d5ac74d6fe22140873891c3dd033252f4bfc48ea

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Citations in the corpus

Nature as children's space: A systematic review (2017, background): “However, in his review (Gill, 2014) focused exclusively on the benefits of children engaging in nature, whereas the current review focuses specifically on children as respondents and their perceptions of nature as a space.”
The impact of greening schoolyards on the appreciation, and physical, cognitive and social-emotional well-being of schoolchildren: A prospective intervention study (2018, background): “An increasing body of evi- dence suggests that green spaces, like gardens, parks, woods and beaches, are essential elements of healthy communities for children to immerse in these experiences (for reviews, see Chawla & Nasar, 2015; Gill, 2014).”
The psychological and social benefits of a nature experience for children: A preliminary investigation (2019, unknown): “For example, children who spent time at a forest school over an 8- month period were judged to have better social, language, and communication skills compared to baseline (O'Brien & Murray, 2007; see also Burdette & Whitaker, 2005 and Gill, 2014 for reviews).”
Flourishing in nature: A review of the benefits of connecting with nature and its application as a wellbeing intervention (2015, background): “4 See Gill (2014) for a review of the benefits of nature contact for children. www.internationaljournalofwellbeing.org 8 President Barack Obama is offering fourth grade students and their families free admission to national parks for a year as part of his Every Kid in a Park initiative (The White…”
Time spent outdoors during preschool: Links with children's cognitive and behavioral development (2017, unknown): “This is also in line with a recent review by Gill (2014) who argues that green environments are a necessary part of a balanced diet of childhood experiences.”
A dose of nature: Two three-level meta-analyses of the beneficial effects of exposure to nature on children's self-regulation (2019, background): “…buildings), is related to better mental health outcomes in general, and better development of self-regulation in particular (for overviews, see Annerstedt & Währborg, 2011; Gill, 2014; Hartig, Mitchell, De Vries, & Frumkin, 2014; Markevych et al., 2014; Tillmann, Tobin, Avison, & Gilliland, 2018).”
Landscapes for play: Effects of an intervention to promote nature-based risky play in early childhood centres (2017, background): “Children's depressed affect decreased significantly, which could be associated with an increase in the quality of the play environment, but also greater exposure to nature, since contact with nature is associated with improved mental health (Chawla, 2015; Gill, 2014).”