Indoor play is a climate story 

Forest School pupils playing a game.

Spending time outdoors and in nature is important for children’s health and wellbeing, but climate change is making it harder for schools to provide those opportunities throughout the year. As heatwaves and other extreme weather become more common, school playgrounds and outdoor spaces need to adapt so children can continue to play, learn and spend time outside safely.

Research shows that spending just 20 minutes in nature each day can dramatically improve mental health and wellbeing. This applies to people of all ages, but at a time when unprecedented numbers of children and young people are experiencing mental health issues, there is a pressing need to ensure the youngest members of society have regular access to green spaces. 

How do heatwaves affect outdoor play at schools?

For many children, school provides an important opportunity to spend time outdoors. In urban areas, pupils may not have their own garden or yard, so break times in the school playground or field might be the only chance they have for playing in the fresh air; however, this can be jeopardised by weather events like heatwaves and heavy rainfall. 

In 2025, WWF led a call for the UK government to update its guidance around the provision of outdoor spaces in schools, highlighting that it is not fit for purpose in our current, more extreme climate. The charity points to research conducted in Australia, which shows that some materials commonly used for play surfaces and equipment can pose significant dangers in high temperatures; and additionally noted the increased risk of flooding through the use of impermeable man-made surfaces like astroturf and tarmac. 

In June 2026, record-breaking heatwaves have led to many schools resorting to indoor play during break times. In some cases the schools have shut altogether, meaning a loss of learning time, as well as recreation. With evidence to suggest these temperatures are likely to become the norm during the summer, schools must look at ways to adapt and provide cool, shaded, nature-rich outdoor spaces to ensure children are able to feel the benefits of time outside the classroom. 

How can schools adapt playgrounds for hotter weather?

Creating greener school grounds can help children continue to spend time outside as temperatures rise. Trees and other planting can provide shade and create more nature-rich spaces for play and learning, while replacing or reducing impermeable surfaces can also help school grounds cope better with heavy rainfall.

In 2024 as part of our coverage of the Running Out of Time climate relay, we spoke to Richard Pollard of The Tree Council about the work they are doing to bring more greenery to playgrounds. Since 2020 they have worked with nearly 800 schools as part of their Young Tree Champions programme, helping children and teachers alike to reap the benefits of learning about and spending time in nature. 

One of our 25 Big Local Actions is Create Space for Nature. This action is about bringing more green into urban spaces to improve biodiversity and conditions for wildlife, but it’s also, perhaps more importantly, about creating spaces where nature can be enjoyed by people. We spoke to Tayshan Hayden-Smith, former footballer, activist and founder of Grow to Know about the healing power of growing and gardening, and we heard more about WWF-UK’s A Prescription for Nature campaign. 

Creating more opportunities for outdoor learning

There are dozens of examples in our national collection of climate and nature stories of projects helping schools and school-aged children to engage with the outdoors and benefit from nature. Part of the Stroud Valleys Project is a Wild Classrooms initiative that has seen over 1000 new learning places created for children. Local primary school children, as well as vulnerable and disadvantaged teenagers benefit from visiting the Celtic Rainforest managed by the Cambrian Wildwood project. Even where schools are unable to add green spaces to their own premises, partnering with organisations that can provide these is a great strategy. 

If you work in a school and you’re keen to learn more, sustainability consultant, and chair of Sustainable Devizes (the group behind Devizes Swap-Shop), Sam Drury-Shore, has written this top-tips document for schools and teachers to help prepare for heatwaves in educational settings.

Greener school grounds have benefits all year round

Adapting school grounds isn’t only useful during a heatwave. Greener outdoor spaces can provide benefits throughout the year, from supporting biodiversity and improving air quality to giving children more opportunities to be active and spend time in nature. In London, Trees for Cities’ Planting Healthy Air in Schools project has created substantial air quality improvements for children, which in turn has seen improvements in activity levels and wellbeing.  

This is just one example of how a climate story can be about lots of things and can create wider positive impacts, beyond a reduction in emissions. 

Discover more climate stories like these to inspire you at carboncopy.eco/initiatives.