Recent studies are providing evidence that exposure to green spaceshelps improve children’s memory. A recent study in the British Journal of Educational Psychology observed 4,758 11-year-olds in the U.K. Researchers found that children living in neighborhoods with plenty of green spaces have better spatial working memory.

1. Green Spaces May
Improve Children's
Memory, Studies Show
U.S. Lawns

2. Recent studies are providing evidence that exposure to green spaces helps improve children’s
memory. A recent study in the British Journal of Educational Psychology observed 4,758 11-year-olds
in the U.K. Researchers found that children living in neighborhoods with plenty of green spaces have
better spatial working memory.
In 2015, researchers from Norway, Spain, and the United States observed approximately 2,593 7- to
10-year-old students from 36 schools in Barcelona for a year. The subjects took four cognitive tests
over three-month intervals, and the researchers used satellite imagery to assess the greenery
surrounding the children’s homes, schools, and routes in-between. They found that the children who
had greater exposure to trees, plants, and grass had a “superior working memory” and were more
attentive in class.

3. The Link between Brain Function and Outdoor Space
The findings of the two studies suggest that exposure to a natural, green environment boosts
cognitive development in children. Although none of the studies examine how green spaces boost
brain function, they show that there is a strong correlation between the two.
They also support the conclusion of a study in 2009. Researchers from the Department of Natural
Resources and Environmental Sciences of the University of Illinois tested 17 children ages 7 to 12
years, all of whom were clinically diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
They found that a 20-minute walk in the park resulted in better concentration than a 20-minute walk
through urban locations.

4. Factors that Affect Children's Cognition
Several factors could explain why children’s cognition improves with exposure to greenery. The 2015
study cites green spaces’ ability to mitigate air pollution as one of the causes. The outdoors also
present opportunities to explore and play, allow children to exercise their physical, social, and
mental abilities. Finally, nature has a restorative quality that eases physical and psychological stress.
All these enhance children’s cognitive skills, thus improving their memory.
The Relevance of Green Spaces in Schools
Children don’t need to live beside an urban park to reap cognitive and restorativebenefits; a view of
trees or a green space suffices. This was the finding of a University of Illinois research on the impact
of landscape views on stress and mental fatigue.
Schools, then, can support students and promote better academic performance by maintaininggreen
lawns, fields, and trees around their campuses.

5. Sources:
 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4491800/
 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjep.12243
 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18725656
 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/291148332_Impact_of_views_to_school_landscape
s_on_recovery_from_stress_and_mental_fatigue
 https://uslawns.com/locations/or/medford/