Reconnecting Children with Nature: A Review on Application of Biophilic Elements at Children's Space

Abstract

Forming a bond with nature is very important in children's lives to improve their well-being as a child and later as adults. However, nowadays, children are disconnected from the natural and outdoor environments. Children's leisure activities have changed from being actively involved in outdoor activities to passively being confined to indoor activities aided by gadgets. Children face various problems as the consequences of being disconnected from nature. Hence, it is important to reconnect children with nature by including nature through biophilic design in their spaces. However, limited is known on the trends of biophilic design application at children's spaces. Also, limited is known on the benefits of biophilic patterns in children's spaces on children. Based on a systematic review, this paper presents a review on the trends of biophilic design application in children's spaces that include the biophilic pattern used, the benefits of biophilic elements on children, study context, respondents and participants. The review also highlights the methodology used with children in the studies. The result shows evidence that children's spaces, such as schools, should implement biophilic elements to strengthen the relationship between children and nature and improve their well-being. Gaps from previous research were discussed. Also, directions for future study were outlined.