How learning gardens foster well-being and development through the promotion of purposeful play in early childhood and beyond
Elizabeth J. Pope, Sallie A. Marston, Moses Thompson, Scott A. Larson
Theory Into Practice
Urban Farm DB summary
A literature review explored how learning gardens foster well-being and development through purposeful play in early childhood and beyond. Drawing on frameworks from self-determination theory, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology, school gardens were shown to provide opportunities for purposeful play, supporting children's well-being, cognitive and identity development, and positive emotional experiences. Reported benefits in the literature include satisfying basic psychological needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, increased positive emotions, opportunities for cognitive and emotional renewal, and tangible evidence of student effort.