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Article

Embodied Learning—The Contribution of a Motion-Based Game to Kindergarten Children’s Knowledge of Local Tree Species

by
Petra Lindemann-Matthies
1,*,
Frauke Lutz
1 and
Martin Remmele
1,2
1
Institute of Biology, Karlsruhe University of Education, D-76060 Karlsruhe, Germany
2
Institute of Biology and Science Education, University of Trier, D-54296 Trier, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2025, 17(16), 7310; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167310
Submission received: 5 June 2025 / Revised: 18 July 2025 / Accepted: 9 August 2025 / Published: 13 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Sustainable Education and Approaches)
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Abstract

Given the importance of plants for ecosystem functioning, sustainability, and human well-being, children should be introduced to local species as early as possible. This study investigated whether kindergarten children (n = 24) can acquire knowledge of trees through a motion-based educational game and a subsequent half-day excursion. During the game, illustrations of trees were shown, their names were called out, and the children were asked to perform certain movements relating to features/names of the trees they had practiced. In semi-structured interviews directly after the activities and three months later, the children were asked to identify the trees by their leaves and to provide reasons why they had remembered their names. Already, after playing the game for four weeks, species with large and iconic leaves such as Norway maple (Acer platanoides) were correctly identified in nature by about 80% of the children. The interviews showed that even after three months, children correctly identified more than half of the species presented. They recognized the trees by their shape and the texture of their leaves but also by remembering the corresponding movements. The combination of motion-based play and hands-on, sensory investigations can be recommended to promote plant knowledge right from kindergarten age.

1. Introduction

Knowledge of species is an essential prerequisite for understanding the importance of biodiversity and supporting conservation efforts among adult citizens [1,2,3]. This, in turn, contributes to advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 15, “Life on Land”, which emphasizes protecting, restoring, and promoting the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems to combat biodiversity loss [4]. This paper explores the extent to which and how 4- to 6-year-old kindergarten children learn to identify local tree species using, for the first time, an embodied learning approach. Since studies in mathematics and biochemistry have demonstrated the effectiveness of gestures for learning shapes [5,6], embodied learning could also be well suited for understanding botanical forms and supporting the development of botanical knowledge.

1.1. Sustainable Development Goals and Lack of Nature Experiences

Raising awareness of biodiversity and imparting species knowledge is an essential part of education for sustainable development and should be part of all levels of education [7,8,9]. A corresponding educational mandate is anchored in SDG Goal 4.7, which calls for learners to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to promote sustainable development [9]. Particular attention should be paid to plants, as they play a key role in achieving the United Nations SDGs [10,11]. Plants make up most of the biomass and are the basis of all life on Earth [12]. Moreover, although plants receive less attention than animals (“plant blindness”; [13,14]), they can easily attract children’s interest, especially if they have colorful flowers, characteristic leaves, or edible fruits [15,16].
Frequent experiences with plants and animals strengthen children’s empathic connection to nature and are important for a respectful approach to nature and the environment [1,15,17]. However, at least in Western countries, there are decreasing opportunities for children to explore their natural environments [18,19]. Reasons for this include increases in urbanization and a lack of adult role models who show appreciative attention to local organisms [18,20]. If significant adults such as parents have no connection to nature and no interest in plants or animals, they cannot pass on interest and knowledge to their children [7,17,21]. Apart from a loss of nature connectedness, this also means that there will be little support for nature conservation and biodiversity protection [19]. Familiarizing children from an early age with organisms is one way to counteract this trend [22,23].

1.2. Familiarizing Kindergarten Children with Local Organisms

Exposure to nature during kindergarten years can enhance children’s awareness of the environment and foster a sense of connectedness to nature [8]. Nature connectedness, which in the environmental behavior model by Hungerford and Volk [24] corresponds to “environmental sensitivity”, is a function of positive childhood experiences in natural places [1,7,25]. It is a key factor when it comes to biodiversity conservation, as it predisposes people to take an interest in nature, work for its protection, and display sustainable behaviors [26,27]. Getting to know species and their diversity is an important part of nature connectedness and helps learners appreciate biodiversity [15,27]. It also provides an important foundation for understanding ecological processes and the impact of human actions on the environment [2,28]. Since young children lack the cognitive ability to understand complex environmental issues and because the actions required to address these issues typically go beyond their capacity, early childhood environmental education should start with play and exploration to foster in young children active and experiential connections with nature [28]. These experiences may help them to bond with nature and lay the groundwork that may encourage examination of sustainability issues and appropriate action when they are older [28,29].
The curricula for kindergartens in many European countries explicitly state that awareness of nature should be promoted, that children should be offered a variety of opportunities to discover and investigate plants and animals, and that species knowledge should be developed, e.g., [30,31,32]. Early childhood educators can use children’s innate curiosity about their natural environment to build up knowledge about local species [33]. Hands-on investigations of organisms and sensory-rich experiences can foster children’s knowledge of species and an understanding of their diversity [23,34]. By carefully observing organisms, children can recognize similarities and differences between species and classify organisms based on characteristic features [35,36]. Although young children lack technical terms, they can describe observations quite accurately in their own words [37,38]. Furthermore, when an object’s properties are too difficult to describe in words, children use gestures to express their implicit knowledge [39,40].
A large part of children’s learning takes place through play, whereby playful interactions with the environment can lead to initial ecological knowledge [22] and could therefore also be a way of introducing kindergarten children to local organisms.

1.3. Play-Based Learning and Educational Games

Play-based learning can be understood as a continuum from free or child-directed play to guided or teacher-directed play [41,42]. Free play offers children the opportunity to choose their own play activities and carry them out without teacher guidance, whereas guided play uses games and play activities that are planned by the educator as learning opportunities and in which children follow set rules [43,44]. Guided play thus meets the requirements of current kindergarten curricula to integrate academic skills and competencies into developmentally appropriate learning experiences [3,32].
One form of guided play is educational games that follow clearly defined learning goals [45,46]. However, there is a lack of research on whether educational games can help to promote species knowledge in early childhood education. Biology-based educational games have so far mainly been used in higher grades, e.g., [47,48,49,50], or in adult education [51,52]. Card games, for instance, fostered the recognition of plant characteristics in secondary school students [50] and identification skills in adults [51,52]. At the elementary school level, combining a digital memory game with field trips increased children’s knowledge of local organisms compared to a control group [53].
Children’s playful exploration of nature is often very physical and combines bodily interaction and sensory attentiveness [22]. It can thus be assumed that educational games that require physical action (motion-based games) are enjoyed and, as a consequence, promote intrinsic motivation to learn and enhance the retention of new subject knowledge, as in [51]. However, little is known about whether motion-based games can promote knowledge of species in early childhood education.

1.4. Embodied Cognition and Motion-Based Educational Games

Embodied cognition emphasizes the role of the body in forming cognitive representations [54,55]. It represents an alternative to traditional mentalistic teaching, in which learners sit, listen, and write without connecting body and mind [55]. Embodied cognitive approaches to learning predict that sensory and motor processes, including perception and actions, strengthen learning when incorporated into structured lessons [56]. It is assumed that taking action in response to information, in addition to simply seeing or hearing the information, can provide the memory with additional cues that can be used to represent and recall the acquired knowledge [57]. Moreover, dividing the cognitive load of a learning task between different working memory subsystems, i.e., visual, auditory, and motor, can prevent negative effects of extraneous load on a specific subsystem [57].
Embodied approaches serve to improve learners’ cognitive abilities and to achieve better retention of the learning content [55,58,59,60]. Children who used gestures to recall an event, for instance, remembered more information than children who did not or were not allowed to do so [39]. In particular, a combination of partial body movements, such as gestures, and of whole-body movements, such as jumping or running, seems to be beneficial for kindergarten children’s learning [61]. Embodied learning can be realized via the use of educational games that require physical engagement such as pointing, walking, or balancing. Motion-based educational games were found to improve elementary children’s short-memory skills and academic performance [62,63,64]. However, few studies have investigated the effects of motion-based games in kindergartens [65,66]. In one study, children explored the phenomenon of light and shadow through body movements during guided play [65], while in another study, children were introduced to a range of science topics and consolidated their knowledge through creative movements of their own choice [66].
In recent decades, motion-based games using technologies such as motion sensors have become part of early childhood education. These games incorporate physical activity and allow children to interact with digital content in a way that promotes both learning and physical movement [67,68]. While the benefits of motion-based digital games are significant, there are also challenges and limitations that need to be considered. Despite the physical activity involved, these games still require children to use screens, which can raise concerns about excessive screen time and its impact on children’s health [69]. Not all kindergartens or homes have access to the technology required for motion-based learning, such as gaming consoles, sensors, or specialized software. A recent survey of kindergartens in Germany showed that more than 70% of the institutions did not even have a computer, tablet, or smartphone [70]. As hardware and software can be expensive, this might also limit accessibility for underfunded kindergartens. The present study used a non-digital motion-based game designed for the study. The approach used is simple to implement in a wide range of educational settings and countries, as it does not require expensive equipment. Nevertheless, the approach is novel, as, for the first time, a motion-based game was used to foster children’s knowledge of species.

1.5. Research Focus and Research Questions

The present study is one of the first to investigate how well kindergarten children acquire short- and long-term knowledge about local tree species through a motion-based educational game and a subsequent half-day excursion. It was assumed that the combination of embodied play and hands-on investigations during the excursion enables children to memorize not only names but also characteristic features of the species. The distinction between merely remembering the name of a species and the ability to describe its characteristic features is important, as only the second part leads to a deeper understanding of organisms and, thus, species literacy [2,37,51].
Trees were chosen, as they are present all year round and easy to detect in children’s environments. However, few studies have investigated young children’s knowledge of trees [23,71]. Their results show that children are often unable to name trees and therefore use the general term “tree” or, if at all, name some ornamental or fruit trees [23,71]. However, given the importance of trees for ecosystem functioning, sustainability, and human well-being [10,72], children should be introduced to local tree species as early as possible [29]. The following questions guided the research:
  • (Q1) Are kindergarten children able to identify tree species in nature that they had learned about during a motion-based game?
  • (Q2) How many and which tree species can children correctly identify by their leaves directly after the activities (motion-based game and subsequent excursion) and three months later?
  • (Q3) Which features help children to recognize tree species and what helps them to remember their names?
  • (Q4) How many and which body movements related to plant names do children remember in the short and long term, and did they help them to identify trees?

2. Materials and Methods

This study aimed to assess kindergarten children’s progress in recognizing ten local tree species that were previously unfamiliar to them. The children were introduced to both names and characteristic features of the trees through a motion-based game. After four weeks of gameplay, how many children could already find and identify each tree during an excursion was assessed. The children then explored leaf features in detail using all their senses. Their ability to identify trees was evaluated by showing them leaves of the species shortly after the excursion and three months later. Based on these data, the study provides both quantitative insights into how much children learned and qualitative insights into how participation in a motion-based game and hands-on outdoor activities support their short- and long-term recognition of tree species.

2.1. Overview of Participants and Data Collection

The present study was conducted in summer and fall 2021 in two kindergartens in a small town in southwestern Germany. Overall, 24 children (12 girls and 12 boys) participated in the study, 16 of whom attended one kindergarten and 8 of whom attended the other. The children were between four and six years old (mean age = 5.3 years; SD = 0.69). Both kindergartens had a large, naturally landscaped outdoor area and were located next to a wood with deciduous trees. They also both had a suitable indoor area where the motion-based game could be played during bad weather, which, however, was hardly ever necessary.
Data were collected after carrying out a self-developed motion-based game and a subsequent half-day excursion by conducting two rounds of interviews, the first of which took place one week after the excursion and the second three months later (Figure 1). During the game, the children familiarized themselves with ten native deciduous tree species with the help of pictures and were introduced to their names. On the subsequent excursion, the children had to find these trees, study their appearance, and explore the characteristic leaf shapes of the individual species with all their senses. In the interviews, children’s knowledge of the ten species was investigated. All research-related activities were supervised and accompanied by the same person (author 2), who has a background in childhood education. A friendly relationship was built with the children, which also helped the interviews to be conducted in a relaxed atmosphere.

2.2. Ethical Considerations

We confirm that the present research has been performed in accordance with the declaration of Helsinki. In order to comply with the principles of ethically responsible handling of research subjects, of collected documents, and of data, written consent was obtained from the parents and kindergarten teachers prior to the research. Both parties were informed in advance about the objectives of the investigation, the data collection procedure (including video recording of all activities), and the time schedule. All data were anonymized, and children’s participation was completely voluntary. Children were informed that they could end their participation at any time.

2.3. Selection of Tree Species and Description of the Motion-Based Game

In order to have a common baseline, only trees that the children were unfamiliar with were selected for the game. For this purpose, color pictures of 20 different deciduous tree species were placed on a table, and the children were asked in groups of four or five to point to the trees they thought they knew, regardless of whether they could name them; as in [23]. The children felt familiar with European beech (Fagus sylvatica), English oak (Quercus robur), large-leaved lime (Tilia platyphyllos), horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), and false acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia). Of the remaining trees, ten were selected for the motion-based game. They were found on or near the kindergarten grounds and were characterized either by a memorable name or a distinctive feature that could be easily imitated with a certain body movement (Table 1).
Each species was presented on a laminated A4 sheet of paper, always with two photographs of a typical leaf and another one of the entire tree (see Supplement Materials). On the very first day of the motion-based game, all trees and the corresponding movements were introduced to the children, and the names of the trees were provided. The children then played the game in groups of four or five once a week for four weeks.
The game consisted of two parts. In the first part, the children moved around to the rhythm of a tambourine. Whenever the drumming stopped, one of the ten tree illustrations was held up, the name of the tree called out, and the children had to perform the corresponding movement. Once all the movements had been performed, the second part of the game began. As before, the children moved around and were accompanied rhythmically. As soon as the drumming stopped, the name of a tree was called out. The children then had to run to a wall or, if they were outside, to a rope on which all the illustrations were hanging, to find the tree that had been called out and to perform the corresponding movement (Figure 2). It was assumed that the combination of partial-body and whole-body movements is particularly beneficial for learning, as in [59].
At the end of each session, all illustrations were viewed together and the children asked to name the trees. After the first week, the children were also asked before each game which plants they could remember.

2.4. Description of the Half-Day Excursion

After the game had been played for four weeks, children spent half a day on an excursion. In the first part of the excursion, the children were sent on a guided treasure hunt in groups of four to six, with the treasures being the trees they had gotten to know during the motion-based game. Pictures of the trees on a handout and verbal hints about their locations should help the children to find the different species (Figure 3a). When a child had found a tree and knew its name, he or she had to communicate it to the supervisor, but so softly that the other children could not overhear it.
In the second part of the excursion, leaves and twigs were taken from each tree and closely examined (Figure 3b). In addition to the sense of sight, the children’s sense of touch was stimulated. Children investigated the shape and size of the different leaves and their texture and discovered that in the case of the hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna), its thorns can prick. In this way, the auditory, visual, and kinesthetic sensory systems addressed in the game were supplemented by the tactile system.

2.5. Interview Procedure

Two weeks after the last round of the motion-based game and one week after the half-day excursion, the children were individually interviewed in a quiet area of their kindergartens. Freshly picked leaves of the ten tree species were placed on a table. Children were asked to point to a leaf, to name the corresponding tree, and to explain why they had memorized the species (Figure 4). This was continued until no more leaves could be assigned. Missing trees were then shown as pictures taken from the game to give the children the opportunity to recognize trees by their habitus (see Figure 4). Three months later, children were asked the same questions again. At the end of an interview, the children were asked which movements they could remember from the game and to perform the movements they had mentioned.
Great care was taken to ensure that all children felt comfortable during the interviews and did not have the feeling that they were being tested. All interviews were video-recorded, and an interview took approximately ten minutes. The order of the questions and their exact phrasing were flexible and adapted to the children’s responses. Between the two rounds of interviews, the normal kindergarten routine took place, during which the interviewer was not present.

2.6. Data Analysis

The video files were transcribed using the MAXQDA 2020 program, and the qualitative and quantitative data were subsequently analyzed. The video clips were also used to record gaze directions and gestures when they were relevant to the children’s explanations. Quantitative data were analyzed with the statistical package SPSS 29.0.
To answer the first research question (Q1), how often a tree species was correctly named during the half-day excursion was counted. As some of the ten species were less common than others and not so easy to discover, no distinction was made in the analysis as to whether children had found a tree on their own or with help of the supervisor.
To answer the second research question (Q2), the number of correctly identified tree species during an interview was calculated in both the first and second round of interviews (common species names; see Table 1). A score of 1 was assigned to a correct identification and a score of 0 to an incorrect or missing one. The following differentiations were made and points awarded:
-
1 point: a child points to a leaf and gives the correct name of the corresponding tree.
-
1 point: a child points to a leaf and must be prompted to name the corresponding tree. For example, child: “We went to the field with a tractor” (the child looks at the leaf of the field maple). Interviewer: “Exactly, and what is it called then?” “Field maple.”
-
1 point: a child has not yet identified all the leaves but is shown the remaining ones in form of the pictures from the game and correctly names a tree in this way.
-
No point: a correct answer after an initial incorrect identification (recorded as misidentified). For example: “Hazelnut” (child points to the leaf of the wild cherry). Interviewer shakes her head. “Wild cherry”.
-
No point: a child arrives at a correct result only by guessing. For example: The child says “dogwood” and points to the hazel leaf. Interviewer: “No.” The child points to the hornbeam leaf. Interviewer shakes her head. The child points to the field maple leaf. Interviewer: “Now you are guessing.” The child points to the dogwood leaf, which would have been the correct answer.
Linear regression was used to test for a relationship between the number of correctly identified tree species by a child directly after the activities and three months later.
To answer the third research question (Q3), a code system was developed. The main categories related to the type of recognition, while the subcategories related to the ten different species. Children’s statements during the interviews were assigned to five main categories: (1) vegetative features (certain characteristics of the leaves or the presence of thorns helped children to remember a species), (2) movement (the body movement associated with a tree helped children to remember its name), (3) personal experiences (discovering a tree in the children’s environment reinforced knowledge), (4) name of the species (a memorable species name such as field maple helped with recall), (5) no explanation (although a species name was known, children could not explain why they had remembered it). Validity was ensured with an interrater procedure. After the material had been paraphrased and coded, it was coded again by one of the other researchers involved in this study. The results were compared with those of the first coder, consultation held, and interrater agreement calculated (sum of matched coding by total number of coded objects). Interrater agreement was between 0.8 and 1.0 (Cohen’s kappa between 0.79 and 1.00).
To answer the fourth research question (Q4), how often each of the ten body movements was named by the children was counted at the end of the first and second interview rounds, i.e., how well they could remember them. Linear regression analyses were used to test whether the number of tree species that were correctly identified in each interview round were related to the number of body movements the children remembered.

3. Results

The results indicate that both the use of the motion-based game alone and the combination of game and practical activities during the excursion enabled children to acquire knowledge of native tree species previously unfamiliar to them. The children were able to name trees and understand their characteristic features, as demonstrated by their ability to accurately identify trees by their leaves. Moreover, the body movements contributed to their ability to identify the trees.

3.1. Identifying the Tree Species in Nature (Q1)

One week after the last round of the motion-based game had been played, the children tried to find and identify the tree species in nature. Seven of the ten species were found and correctly identified by at least 40% of the children—with or without little hints from the accompanying person to where the species might grow.
Best known were Norway maple (Acer platanoides) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior), with their rather characteristic leaves, while crack willow (Salix fragilis) and silver birch (Betula pendula) were least often correctly identified or not found at all (Figure 5).

3.2. Identification of Tree Species Directly After the Activities and Three Months Later (Q2)

In the first round of interviews one week after the half-day excursion, the children were able to correctly identify, on average, 7.0 (SE = 0.63) of the 10 tree species by their leaves. Three months later, they were still able to correctly name 5.8 (SE = 0.63) species. Best known were Norway maple (Acer platanoides) and common ash (Fraxinus excelsior). Least known was the hornbeam (Carpinus betulus; Figure 6). The greatest decline in knowledge between the two interview rounds was seen for the dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), whose leaves were mistaken for those of wild cherry (Prunus avium) or hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) in the second round of the interviews (Table 2).
Species recognition directly after the activities and three months later was strongly and positively correlated (r = 0.80, t = 6.33, p < 0.001); i.e., the more tree species a child could name directly after the activities, the more he or she could also name three months later.
A species was correctly identified most often, without any help in both interview rounds, by its leaf (see Table 2). A little prompt from the interviewer was only needed in a few cases. A girl (5 years old), for example, pointed to the leaf of the silver birch (Betula pendula) and exclaimed: “We let ourselves hang forward.” The interviewer gave a questioning look, and the child said, “silver birch”.
Some children needed a picture of a tree in order to remember its name. The pictures were the same that had been presented in the motion-based game. In the case of the silver birch (Betula pendula), for example, the color of the trunk helped children to identify the species.

3.3. Reasons Why a Tree Species Was Recognized (Q3)

The children most often mentioned leaf features by which they had recognized a species (68.2% of all reasons in the first and 48.5% of all reasons in the second round of interviews; Table 3). The leaves of Norway maple (Acer platanoides) and common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) were particularly well remembered due to their characteristic shapes. The comments included quite precise observations. For example, one child described the leaf of the hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) as having a triangular leaf-form, and another child described the leaf of the common ash (F. excelsior) as a leaf that has a lot of leaves attached. According to yet another child, the field maple is a maple without tips (see Table 3).
In 21.2% of all statements in the first interview round and in 45.4% in the second round, the recollection of a tree was associated with the corresponding movement. Crushing the nuts, in the case of the hazelnut (Corylus avellana), was well retained, as was the pendulum in the case of the silver birch (Betula pendula), the hard muscles in the case of the dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), and the pointed roof in the case of the Norway maple (Acer platanoides).
Personal experiences were mainly mentioned in the first round of interviews (8.3% of all answers in the first and 4.1% in the second round), while the name of a species was only mentioned once.
In the first round of the interviews, 15.4% of the children could provide the correct name of a species but were not able to explain why they had memorized it; in the second round, the figure was 18.8%. Typical answers included “I do not know”, “I still have it in my head”, “I put it in my thoughts”, and “I just memorized it”.

3.4. Body Movements That the Children Remembered (Q4)

At the end of their interviews, the children were asked to describe and demonstrate the movements they could remember. In both rounds of interviews, all movements were remembered by at least half of the children (Table 4). In total, the children remembered the various movements correctly 177 times in the first interview round, which corresponds to 74% of the possible 240 answers (ten different movements and 24 children). In the second interview round three months later, the figure was still 70% (167 correct memories).
Best remembered was the movement related to the Norway maple (Acer platanoides), which was also the best-known species in both interview rounds (see Table 4; compare Figure 6). Least remembered was the movement associated with the hornbeam (Carpinus betulus), i.e., the species least often correctly identified.
There was a positive correlation between the number of movements recalled by a child and the number of correct identifications in the interviews (directly after the activities: r = 0.82, t = 4.04, p = 0.004, and three months later: r = 0.77, t = 3.36, p = 0.010, respectively).

4. Discussion and Recommendations

The motion-based game and the subsequent half-day excursion enabled children to memorize names, as well as characteristic features of the tree species presented. After playing the game once a week for four weeks, species with large and characteristic leaves, such as Norway maple (Acer platanoides) and ash (Fraxinus excelsior), were correctly identified in nature by about 80% of the children (see Q1). However, trees such as silver birch (Betula pendula) were rarely detected. The hands-on, sensory examination of leaves after the tree search improved children’s knowledge as the subsequent interviews illustrated. Even three months later, more than half of the species were still correctly identified (see Q2).
The present results show that a motion-based educational game in combination with a field experience not only leads to short-term knowledge gains as in [62,63], but can also be successful in the long term. However, due to the importance of nature experiences for the perception and appreciation of biodiversity [15,37] and the need to reconnect children with nature for both their own well-being and environmental sustainability [7,22], we would recommend to carry out practical investigations of the species not just once, i.e., after the end of the game, but directly after each round of play.
In the first round of interviews, almost 70% of the children stated that they had identified a tree by the shape or structure of its leaves (see Q3). The children proved to be good observers of leaf characteristics, as in [73], and described the appearance and structure of the leaves accurately even without knowing technical terms. If they lacked the words, hand gestures helped to adequately reproduce a leaf form, as in [39,40]. The children were also able to make comparisons between different species, which supports the notion that children are able to classify plants based on salient features from an early age [16,35]. The results show that the children were not only able to remember names but had acquired a deeper knowledge of plants, which is an important element of botanical literacy and a prerequisite for recognizing biodiversity [2,74,75].
Although the children were fairly good observers of morphological leaf characteristics, they could not remember all species equally well. As the results of the excursion had already shown, trees with conspicuous leaves such as the Norway maple (Acer platanoides) were best remembered by the children. Trees with inconspicuous leaves, such as hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) or dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), on the other hand, were remembered less often or confused with each other, especially in the second round of interviews. We would therefore advise to start the game with plants that, apart from their occurrence on or near the kindergarten premises, have characteristic, easily recognizable features and only then move on to species that are more difficult to identify. In this way, children can gradually build up organismic knowledge by linking new information to what they already know or by adapting or revising their perceptions and understanding [76].
About a quarter of all statements in the first round of interviews and almost half in the second one referred to the movements by which children had portrayed a tree or its special name, illustrating the importance of movement for retention [57,58,59]. This was also evident in the positive relationship between the number of correctly recognized tree species and the number of retained movements. However, some children also benefited from the pictures used in the game to arrive at a correct identification, which shows that apart from motion, visual and verbal expressions during the game, i.e., finding a tree and calling out its name when shown, also support learning and memory performance; as in [57,77]. The children had also memorized tree species based on personal experiences, which was similarly the case when preschoolers tried to recall fungi [38]. Nevertheless, personal experiences were more frequently stated in the first than in the second round of interviews. The reason for this could be that after the half-day excursion, some children were motivated to discover tree species at home or in other places, but three months later, had forgotten all about these experiences. Similarly, unstructured play in outdoor natural settings combined with practical exploration and sensory experiences increased children’s curiosity and encouraged them to make new discoveries on their own [28].
Both immediately after the game and three months later, the children remembered the various tree-related movements well (see Q4). They were also willing and enjoyed demonstrating the movements again. Especially three months after playing the game, the children recalled best those movements that involved a lot of action, such as “driving a tractor”, “crushing nuts” (which some children demonstrated by jumping on a chair and stamping their feet) or “shaking hands and shouting”. Least remembered, although still by half of the children, was the movement associated with the hornbeam (Carpinus betulus). One reason for this could be that although this movement, i.e., a sawing motion with the hand, accurately described the edge of a hornbeam leaf, a reference to the name of the species was missing (see Table 1). One interviewer–child dialogue illustrates the problem: “Do you remember the movement here?” (interviewer points to the picture of the hornbeam). Child (girl, six years old) makes the related movement. Interviewer asks: “Sawing, exactly, and do you remember which tree we sawed through?” Child answers: “The hornbeam, but it is difficult to remember because the name has not much to do with the movement itself”. This shows that the observed positive effect of hand gestures on cognitive processes such as memory recall in preschool children [39] only comes into effect if the gestures are linked to a characteristic name or feature of a species.
For practical use in kindergartens, it is therefore advisable not only to select species for the game that have characteristic, easy-to-remember features but also movements that give a direct indication of the name of a particular species or are linked to movements that are memorable for the children, e.g., driving a tractor or crushing nuts. There is probably a greater choice of suitable species for the motion-based game if local wildflowers are included instead of trees. Wildflowers such as hare’s foot (Trifolium arvense) or hare’s ear (Bupleurum rotundifolium), for instance, can be easily imitated with body language and even relate to an animal species that children usually like. However, using wildflowers requires educators with a certain level of botanical expertise. Moreover, individual wildflower species are only flowering during a short period of the year and might not be found on or near a kindergarten. In contrast, trees have many advantages for introducing children to plant species and their names. Trees can be recognized by their leaves, which are available for a large part of the year, and the number of different tree species is, at least in temperate climates, much more limited than that of herbaceous species. Training for educators regarding tree species and their names is now easily available, at least in European countries, e.g., by apps like Flora Incognita [78]. Getting to know species by their names means that children have to concern themselves with the species and become more familiar with them. Knowledge of species and their diversity is an important part of nature connectedness and helps learners appreciate biodiversity [15,27]. Identifying tree species by their names is also the prerequisite for gaining access to the accumulated knowledge about them. Trees are playing a crucial role in achieving many of the UN SDGs such as mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (SDG 15), improving air quality in urban areas (SDG 3), or reducing heat in cities and thus contributing to human health (SDG 11) [4].
Finally, it should be noted that the motion-based game allowed children to be in nature and to use their bodies vigorously while running around and performing the different body movements, which plays a crucial role in human health and well-being [1,76].

5. Limitations and Concluding Remarks

There are certain limitations to the present study. One shortcoming is the lack of control groups, i.e., kindergarten children who would have learned about the ten tree species either without playing the motion-based game or without the half-day excursion. Without controls, it is not possible to say with certainty whether the increase in learning was due to participation in both activities or whether one alone would have been sufficient. The absence of controls also makes it difficult to assess the game’s efficacy. The post-intervention knowledge gains could stem from the excursion or—after three months—a natural learning progression. The use of a pre-/post-test design with control groups to isolate the effects of the motion-based game in future research would strengthen the methodological rigor and the validity of conclusions regarding the game’s specific contribution. Moreover, the small sample of 24 children from two kindergartens and one region of Germany limits the ability to generalize findings beyond the present research context, and results have to be interpreted with care. The study was carried out during the corona pandemic, and there were strong restrictions regarding the size of groups. However, using a larger number of kindergartens in the research could allow for comparison of the outcomes of the intervention in different environments (e.g., rural versus urban) or between different types of kindergartens (e.g., conventional versus nature-oriented ones). Another limitation was the small number of clearly distinguishable movement types. With only ten different movements—most of which referenced the species name (see Table 1)—it was not possible to determine whether certain types of movements were more effective in promoting learning than others (e.g., movements related to the species name such as field maple versus those related to specific features as was the case with the ash). Future studies using motion-based games to foster species knowledge could gain from the incorporation of a greater range of movement types and more replicate species for each type. To avoid confounding effects with subsequent activities, assessments should be conducted immediately after the last round of play. In addition, the fact that children learn in different ways should also be taken into account. Because of individual learning styles, i.e., visual, audio, and kinesthetic, some children might have preferred to learn without the use of body movements. Nevertheless, the present results are encouraging.
The present study is one of the first to investigate whether a combination of motion-based play and hands-on sensory exploration in nature can promote kindergarten children’s knowledge of species. It is also one of the few studies that has looked specifically at plants in early childhood education. However, sensitizing children to plants and their diversity through meaningful educational approaches and imparting knowledge about species is an important step towards sustainability and the fulfillment of SDG 4.7, i.e., education for sustainable development. Moreover, encouraging children’s interest in nature and knowledge of organisms during childhood fosters pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors in adults [1,19]. The motion-based educational game and the subsequent half-day excursion successfully conveyed knowledge about species names and characteristic features of the trees presented, which are fundamental skills on the path to species literacy and a prerequisite for recognizing biodiversity. The game involved close observations of plant characteristics and verbal reproduction of what had been learned, which stimulated the children’s learning and memory. Moreover, the integration of body movements in the learning process successfully supported both the short- and long-term plant species knowledge of kindergarten children. The present results suggest that it is worth offering this type of motion-based game in early childhood education or the subsequent elementary school years in order to promote children’s organismic knowledge and awareness of biodiversity.

Supplementary Materials

The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/su17167310/s1, Table S1: Tree species used in the motion-based game. Pictures of trees and leaves (left) were taken from ‘Eikes Baumschule’: https://baum.bio-div.de/baumliste.html (with kind permission of Denise Feketitsch).

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, P.L.-M., F.L. and M.R.; methodology, P.L.-M. and F.L.; data collection, F.L.; formal analysis, P.L.-M. and F.L.; writing, P.L.-M., F.L. and M.R.; supervision, P.L.-M. and M.R. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

We confirm that the present research has been performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The study was approved by the academic examination office of the Karlsruhe University of Education. Approval by the ethics committee was not required at the time this study was performed.

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the children who took part in the study and the respective kindergarten teachers for their support. We would also like to thank Denise Feketitsch for providing us with pictures from Eikes Baumschule.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Figure 1. Timeline of the study.
Figure 1. Timeline of the study.
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Figure 2. Pictures of (a) silver birch (Betula pendula) and (b) wild cherry (Prunus avium) and the corresponding body movements (see Table 1).
Figure 2. Pictures of (a) silver birch (Betula pendula) and (b) wild cherry (Prunus avium) and the corresponding body movements (see Table 1).
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Figure 3. (a) Searching for trees and (b) investigating leaves after the identification task.
Figure 3. (a) Searching for trees and (b) investigating leaves after the identification task.
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Figure 4. Identifying ten tree species by their leaves (left) or with the additional help of illustrations (right).
Figure 4. Identifying ten tree species by their leaves (left) or with the additional help of illustrations (right).
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Figure 5. Number of children (n = 24) who correctly named each tree species during the half-day excursion one week after the last round of the motion-based game. The ten different species were introduced to the children as pictures during the game.
Figure 5. Number of children (n = 24) who correctly named each tree species during the half-day excursion one week after the last round of the motion-based game. The ten different species were introduced to the children as pictures during the game.
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Figure 6. Number of correct identifications of tree species by 24 kindergarten children in interview 1 and 2.
Figure 6. Number of correct identifications of tree species by 24 kindergarten children in interview 1 and 2.
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Table 1. Tree species selected for the educational game and movements children had to carry out when the name of a tree was called out.
Table 1. Tree species selected for the educational game and movements children had to carry out when the name of a tree was called out.
Species NameLiteral Translation of German Name into EnglishDescription of Movement
Acer campestreField maplePretend you are driving a tractor. You are doing field work.
Acer platanoidesPointed mapleForm a pointed roof with your hands above your head.
Betula pendulaHanging birchLet your upper body hang limply forwards.
Carpinus betulusHornbeamMake a sawing motion by hand, as the edge of the hornbeam leaf is sharply sawn.
Cornus sanguineaHard dogwoodShow off your arm muscles and show how hard and strong they are.
Corylus avellanaHazelnutPretend you are crushing a nut with your feet.
Crataegus monogynaHawthornShake your hands because you have pricked yourself on thorns and shout “ouch”.
Fraxinus excelsiorAshStretch your arms and legs away from your body. This represents the pinnate leaf of the ash.
Prunus aviumBird cherrySpread out your arms and make flying movements. Fly like a bird.
Salix fragilisCrack willowStrech out on the floor so that your palms form a tip. This symbolizes the leaf shape. Tense your body so that it is as hard as a board: No one can crack it.
Table 2. Number of correct identifications and misidentifications of trees by 24 kindergarten children directly after the motion-based game and the subsequent excursion (interview 1) and three months later (interview 2). A correct answer after an initial incorrect identification was not scored.
Table 2. Number of correct identifications and misidentifications of trees by 24 kindergarten children directly after the motion-based game and the subsequent excursion (interview 1) and three months later (interview 2). A correct answer after an initial incorrect identification was not scored.
SpeciesNumber of Correct Identifications in Interview 1/Interview 2Once Confused and Then Correctly Named
From Leaf Without HelpFrom Leaf with One Supporting InputFrom Picture Without Further Help
Norway maple
(Acer platanoides)		22/180/10/10/0
Ash
(Fraxinus excelsior)		19/150/00/10/0
Silver birch
(Betula pendula)		14/121/13/11/1
Dogwood
(Cornus sanguinea)		16/90/03/10/4
Hazelnut
(Corylus avellana)		17/160/1½0/0
Field maple
(Acer campestre)		15/140/02/10/0
Hawthorn
(Crataegus monogyna)		13/120/04/00/0
Crack willow
(Salix fragilis)		14/130/00/10/0
Wild cherry
(Prunus avium)		10/70/0¾0/2
Hornbeam
(Carpinus betulus)		9/70/01/00/2
Total149/1231/317/121/9
Table 3. Reasons why a tree species was recognized. Children (n = 24) were interviewed directly after the motion-based game and subsequent excursion (interview 1) and three months later (interview 2). No reason provided: children could correctly name a species but could not explain why they had remembered its name. In brackets: gender (m: male, f: female) and age (years) of the children.
Table 3. Reasons why a tree species was recognized. Children (n = 24) were interviewed directly after the motion-based game and subsequent excursion (interview 1) and three months later (interview 2). No reason provided: children could correctly name a species but could not explain why they had remembered its name. In brackets: gender (m: male, f: female) and age (years) of the children.
Species and Sum of Reasons Provided in Interview 1/2Number of Reasons per Category in Interview 1/2No Reason ProvidedExamples of Reasons Provided in the Two Interview Rounds
LeafGamePersonalName
Norway maple
(Acer platanoides)
21/14		16/53/72/20/01/6Leaf features: Because they are pointed (m, 5). It has so many tips (m, 4). Because of the tips (f, 5).
Motion-based game: I know it from the game (f, 4). We have made a pointed roof with our hands (m, 6).
Personal experience: We have one at home (m, 5). I have seen it at my grandmother’s place (f, 5).
Hazelnut
(Corylus avellana)
15/14		9/54/82/10/03/4Leaf features: It is like a heart [circles the leaf with his finger] (m, 5). It is the biggest leaf of all (f, 6). It is round and soft (f, 5).
Motion-based game: We stomped during the game (m, 6). We crushed nuts (f, 6).
Personal experience: We have a lot at home (f, 5).
Ash
(Fraxinus excelsior)
15/12		14/70/51/00/04/4Leaf features: It stands apart (m, 5). It is the only leaf that has a lot of leaves attached (f, 6). It is so long [runs her finger over the leaf], and there are leaves hanging down and one sticking up (f, 6).
Motion-based game: We stretched out our arms and legs (f, 5).
Personal experience: We have one at home (f, 6).
Dogwood
(Cornus sanguinea)
15/10		11/33/61/10/04/3Leaf features: With the lines here [points to the leaf veins] (m, 4). It has stripes (f, 5). It has such grooves (f, 6).
Motion-based game: It is hard [shows her muscles] (f, 5). We showed how strong we are (f, 5).
Personal experience: We have it in our garden (f, 5).
Silver birch
(Betula pendula)
12/11		9/53/60/00/04/4Leaf features: I recognized it by the teeth (m, 5). It is triangular (f, 5). It is so small (f, 6).
Motion-based game: With the movement [lets his upper body hang forward] (m, 5). We let ourselves hang limp (m, 6).
Field maple
(Acer campestre)
13/10		8/63/41/01/04/5Leaf features: The leaves are blunt (m, 5). It is a maple without tips (f, 5). It looks like the Norway maple, but it is smaller and has no pointed leaves (f, 6).
Motion-based game: We drove a tractor (f, 4). Driving the tractor (m, 6).
Name: I remember the field in the name (f, 6).
Hawthorn
(Crataegus monogyna)
12/7		7/43/32/00/06/4Leaf features: It has very small leaves (f, 5). It has a triple-leaf-form (m, 6). It has mini spikes (m, 6). It pricks (m, 6).
Motion-based game: We have pricked ourselves (f, 6). With the ouch and shaking hands (m, 6).
Personal experience: I know it from the forest [both children refer to the excursion] (m and f, 6).
Crack willow
(Salix fragilis)
11/6		7/33/31/00/03/8Leaf features: It is long and small (f, 6). The leaf is so long (m, 6).
Motion-based game: We stretched out in the game, and were really strong (f, 6). Lying down so that no one can break you apart (f, 6).
Wild cherry
(Prunus avium)
7/7		5/42/30/00/06/4Leaf features: It has many spikes (m, 5). It is smaller than a hornbeam leaf (m, 5). It has grooves like tractor tracks (m, 5).
Motion-based game: We were flying like a bird (f, 4).
Hornbeam
(Carpinus betulus)
8/6		4/53/11/00/02/3Leaf features: It has little saws (f, 6). It is pointy (m, 4). Because it [the leaf] does not look that great (f, 5).
Motion-based game: We have sawed (m, 6).
Personal experience: I have often seen it in the forest (f, 6).
Table 4. Ability of the children (n = 24) to describe and demonstrate a movement related to a tree at the end of an interview. Full description of movements in Table 1.
Table 4. Ability of the children (n = 24) to describe and demonstrate a movement related to a tree at the end of an interview. Full description of movements in Table 1.
Species NameInterview 1Interview 2Movement
Norway maple (Acer platanoides)2117Form a pointed roof
Field maple (Acer campestre)2119Pretend to drive a tractor
Hazelnut (Corylus avellana)2022Pretend to crush a nut
Silver birch (Betula pendula)1916Let the upper body hang down
Ash (Fraxinus excelsior)1817Stretch arms and legs away
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)1718Shake hands and cry out
Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)1715Show off arm muscles
Wild cherry (Prunus avium)1615Fly like a bird
Crack willow (Salix fragilis)1516Tense body; nobody can crack it
Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus)1312Make a sawing motion
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Lindemann-Matthies, P.; Lutz, F.; Remmele, M. Embodied Learning—The Contribution of a Motion-Based Game to Kindergarten Children’s Knowledge of Local Tree Species. Sustainability 2025, 17, 7310. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167310

AMA Style

Lindemann-Matthies P, Lutz F, Remmele M. Embodied Learning—The Contribution of a Motion-Based Game to Kindergarten Children’s Knowledge of Local Tree Species. Sustainability. 2025; 17(16):7310. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167310

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lindemann-Matthies, Petra, Frauke Lutz, and Martin Remmele. 2025. "Embodied Learning—The Contribution of a Motion-Based Game to Kindergarten Children’s Knowledge of Local Tree Species" Sustainability 17, no. 16: 7310. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167310

APA Style

Lindemann-Matthies, P., Lutz, F., & Remmele, M. (2025). Embodied Learning—The Contribution of a Motion-Based Game to Kindergarten Children’s Knowledge of Local Tree Species. Sustainability, 17(16), 7310. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17167310

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