Introduction
It is well-known that well-being challenges among children and adolescents are increasing. Yet, the potential of schoolyards to support well-being in these age groups remains largely overlooked. This gap points to an important opportunity for further research.
In a 2025 scoping review conducted by Ida Lousen and colleagues from the World Playground Research Institute, the aim was to examine scientific research investigating how schoolyard modifications impact children’s and adolescents’ social, emotional, and cognitive well-being.
The review systematically searched five scientific databases for before-and-after studies evaluating schoolyard interventions in relation to mental health outcomes.
By identifying existing research and mapping the methods used to assess mental well-being, the review provides a foundation for future, practice-oriented studies that may help improve well-being among children and adolescents.
This brief summarizes key findings and recommendations from the scoping review. It is particularly relevant for researchers designing new intervention studies focused on promoting well-being through schoolyard modifications.
Insights from the scoping review
The review included 14 articles, representing 13 studies published between 2007 and 2024. Due to observational designs, sample sizes were difficult to determine, but 87 schools were represented.
Type of interventions:
- 9 studies modified play structures (e.g., climbing frames, soccer goals, buddy benches),
- 5 studies focused on greening efforts (e.g., shrubs, trees, grass)
- 3 studies added playground markings
- 4 studies combined these approaches, while 8 also incorporated elements such as educational programs, facilitation, loose equipment, or relaxed rules.
Quality of the studies
A detailed overview of the reported outcomes and tools are provided in table 1 (see seperate PDF). Because most studies used different measurement tools and assessed multiple outcomes, synthesis was not feasible. Findings were often non-significant or conflicting. However, the following tendencies by well-being domain emerged:
- Social and emotional well-being may benefit from a greater variety of play structures in schoolyards.
- Emotional well-being appears to improve with access to green areas, though this effect was only observed among adolescents aged 13–15.
- Cognitive well-being may be enhanced by interventions combining physical modifications with educational components.
Research on the impact of schoolyards on children’s and adolescents’ social, emotional, and cognitive well-being has grown over the past decade but remains limited and methodologically diverse.
Key take home message
Research on the impact of schoolyards on children’s and adolescents’ social, emotional, and cognitive well-being has grown over the past decade but remains limited and methodologically diverse.
This review identified 31 different outcomes across 13 studies, using 18 different measurement tools, highlighting the complexity of the well-being construct.
Future studies should use standardized, validated measures, report effect estimates, select instruments sensitive to ceiling effects, and ensure adequate sample sizes for group comparisons.
This brief is based on
Lousen, I., Johnstone, A., Schipperijn, J., Traynor, O., McCrorie, P., & Pawlowski, C. S. (2025). The Impact of Schoolyard Interventions on Children’s and Adolescents’ Social, Emotional, and Cognitive Well-Being: A Scoping Review. Mental Health and Prevention, 40, Article 200460. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhp.2025.200460
