SHORT FACTS
Name: Ida Lousen
Current position: Research Assistant
Favorite Playground Activity: “Hmm… That’s a difficult one! I guess that must be the zipline. But definitely something that made my stomach do flip-flops.”
Introduction
Meet Ida Lousen, research assistant at the World Playground Research Institute with a lifelong passion for movement, well-being, and outdoor spaces.
For as long as she can remember, Ida has always found joy in being active and playing. Growing up on a farm in the Danish countryside, she experienced endless opportunities for imaginative and free play. Ida would explore the garden, barn, and beach, while also going on fun adventures and inventing games with her siblings.
“I always felt good about moving and playing. It made me happy, and when I was happy, most things were easier.”
This lifelong joy naturally led her to pursue a degree in sports science at the University of Southern Denmark. For Ida, it had the perfect mix of movement, social life, and science, offering much in a world increasingly marked by stress, loneliness, and worry.
Ida’s experiences have shown her that physical activity – including play – can bring people into the moment and spark social interaction. She believes this can be a valuable strategy to address challenges and make life more enjoyable.
“When people are physically active together, there is a good chance that they become present, interact more positively, and feel genuinely happy.”
Current Work
Ida specializes in mental health and is currently exploring how schoolyard design affects children’s psychological well-being.
One of her key projects, School Playgrounds for Well-Being, includes a systematic review of intervention studies on schoolyard modifications and their impact on students’ mental health. Surprisingly, research in this area remains limited, despite the significant role schools play in children’s and adolescents’ daily lives. Given the many hours they spend in school, the potential for enhancing well-being through thoughtful design is immense. “I’m really looking forward to sharing the results!” Ida says.
Another study within the project involves an intervention study measuring well-being before and after playground renovations. So far, Ida and her colleagues have collected baseline data from three Danish and two Scottish schools, focusing on social interactions, overall well-being, and the joy of movement. The real excitement lies ahead, as they will conduct a one-year follow-up to assess the impact of newly installed, age-appropriate, and preference-specific playgrounds, one of which is pictured at the bottom of this post.
In addition to these studies, Ida and her colleagues recently published an article outlining different play behavior types in schoolyards. They identified five key types: Rule-Bound Game Players, Imaginative Play Creators, Physical Skill Masters, Dialogue Dazzlers, and Nature Explorers – each with unique preferences for schoolyard features.
“For me, it is important that every child has the possibility to play in a way that they find meaningful. That is crucial to make their joy of movement sparkle.”
Looking for the article?
Find it in our database or check out the brief summarizing the play types:
Future Research Plans
Ida believes there is still much to learn about mental health and how to help children and adolescents thrive.
“I see great potential in the environment around us. We should continue improving schoolyards and outdoor spaces to encourage play, joy of movement, and the development of physical skills. My goal is to contribute to this by conducting high-quality research that can drive meaningful change.”
