The impacts of unstructured nature play on health in early childhood development: A systematic review.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Nature play is growing in popularity as children's play spaces are transforming from traditional playgrounds into more nature-based play spaces with considerable financial and resource investment from government bodies. This has resulted in the re-development of children's play spaces to incorporate more natural elements such as trees, plants and rocks. Despite this, it is unclear whether there is empirical evidence to support claims that play in nature is beneficial for child health and development.

Aim

To conduct a systematic review examining the impacts of nature play on the health and developmental outcomes of children aged 2-12 years.

Methods

Seven electronic databases were searched (MEDLINE, ERIC, Embase, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library, The Joanna Bri

SUBMITTER: Dankiw KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7018039 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature