Emotional benefits of forest school programmes for primary school children

Amid growing concerns about children’s emotional well-being and declining connection to nature, Forest School programmes have emerged as a promising educational approach. Qualitative studies suggest these programmes improve emotional and social well-being. However, quantitative research, particularly with primary-aged children, remains limited. The present study addressed this gap by examining the immediate emotional effects of a single Forest School session on children aged 7–9 (N = 102) from three UK primary schools. Using a quasi-experimental, repeated-measures design, participants completed the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children (PANAS-C) and the Child Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (CRSES) before and after the session. Results revealed significant increases in positive affect and self-esteem, and significant reductions in negative affect. Emotion-specific analyses showed increases in happiness, calmness, alertness, and energy, alongside reductions in loneliness, nervousness, and fear. These findings highlight the emotional well-being benefits associated with participation in Forest School programmes as nature-based educational interventions. Exploratory analyses also indicated that children’s responses varied depending on the wording of affective items. These findings offer novel quantitative evidence supporting the psychological benefits of Forest School participation and highlight Forest School as a valuable and scalable intervention for promoting emotional well-being in mainstream education.