More than a third of children sometimes complain about their school playground

Nearly half of parents: Playground too grey and not green enough

Nearly a third of the parents surveyed say there is very little greenery on their children’s school playground. Around ten percent say that the playground is even completely paved over. When asked, a quarter of parents give the school playground where their children play outside during breaks a failing grade for the presence of greenery. The average score is 6.5, a barely passing grade. The most common complaint among parents (38 percent) is that there is no greenery at all in the form of trees, shrubs or a patch of grass. A third miss natural elements such as tree stumps, paths covered with wood chips or a sand mound. More than 30 percent think the school playground could use a birdhouse or insect hotel, and the same percentage of parents say that there are too few or even no play structures.

From school playground to school garden

“Previous research strongly suggests that growing up in a green environment can have many benefits for children’s development, for example in the form of a higher IQ, better concentration and fewer behavioural problems,” says Marlies Bouman of Jantje Beton. That organisation has been committed to providing more outdoor play opportunities for children in the Netherlands since 1968. “Children who play in a green environment also develop their motor skills better, and their play is more diverse and creative. We should really move from the concept of a ‘school playground’ towards something like a ‘school garden’.”

Parents also see many benefits in a greener outdoor play environment for their school-age children. Perhaps most importantly, around 60 percent of fathers and mothers expect their children to become happier with a greener school playground. A large majority also believe that their children have more to do and discover on a green school playground than on a completely paved playground. A substantial majority (64 percent) expect their children to play in a more creative way, and more than two-thirds (70 percent) think that their children can use their imagination more on a greener playground. Most parents also believe that a greener school playground makes playing outdoors more appealing compared with other pastimes and increases their children’s interest in nature and the environment.

From grey to green

As a result, many parents are happy to contribute to this. More than half of those surveyed say they would like to help as volunteers for a day, for example by removing paving stones. Around 70 percent are willing to make a financial contribution towards making the school playground greener. “The figures from the survey show that many schools in the Netherlands can make major improvements to the greenery on their playgrounds,” says Corine Duchenne, director of Praxis. “And of course, this applies not only to school playgrounds, but also to all the paved-over gardens in the Netherlands.” It was recently revealed that nearly a third of people with a garden would like to replace some paving stones with more greenery. To encourage the greening of the Netherlands, Praxis is currently running the From Grey to Green campaign.

Marlies Bouman of Jantje Beton: “We hope that the children and parents of the Netherlands will be inspired to work together to transform their grey school playgrounds and that more and more school playgrounds will turn green. Especially in this season, you can see how much more pleasant and beautiful streets and squares become as a result.”

Photo caption: DIY chain Praxis and Jantje Beton are joining forces to make school playgrounds greener. Pictured are Marlies Bouman of Jantje Beton (left) and Corine Duchenne, director of Praxis (right).