18/09/2026
What is it about outdoor and natural environments that might support children’s attention, emotions and behaviour?
The daylight? The space to move? The sights and sounds of nature?
A new scoping review by ISEY’s Dr Gemma Goldenberg and Professor Sam Wass explores six possible pathways:
🔉 Lower levels of auditory and visual noise
👂 Better signal-to-noise ratios, making relevant information easier to distinguish from distractions
🌳 Exposure to natural features, including plants and trees
🏃 Greater space and opportunities for movement
🦠 Changes in microbiota following contact with biodiverse environments
☀️ Greater exposure to natural light
Evidence for individual parts of these pathways is more developed around physiological stress, positive affect, movement and natural light. However, few studies have tested the complete pathway from an environmental feature, through a psychological, physiological or biological process, to children’s self-regulation. Signal-to-noise ratios and microbiota remain particularly under-explored.
The review also shows that different features of outdoor and natural environments may contribute in different ways. A paved playground can provide daylight and space to move, while vegetation, soil and biodiversity may introduce other influences. Some processes may operate during or shortly after a single experience, while others may develop through repeated exposure over time.
For parents, educators and researchers, this raises an important question: which features of children’s everyday environments may support their ability to manage their attention, behaviour and emotions?
Answering this could help us design and use indoor and outdoor educational spaces more effectively, particularly where access to high-quality natural environments is limited.
Swipe to explore the six pathways. 🌿
🔗 Read the open-access paper through the link in our bio.
