'Risky' play helps children explore their limits

Mariana Brussoni, Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia (Canada) shares on The Conversation about the benefits of letting children take risks when playing.

“Be careful!”, “Don't climb too high!”, “Stop right there!”

Concerned parents are often overprotective of their children’s safety while they play. Recent research suggests that this is overprotective, discouraging children from taking risks outdoors. When children take risks, they are both nervous and excited, and they are testing their limits.

Climbing trees, wandering around the neighborhood with friends… have been shown to increase physical activity, social skills, risk management skills, flexibility training and self-confidence.

It is important that parents and professionals do not need to determine what risky play each child needs. Instead, children need to be given the physical and mental space to discover for themselves the appropriate level of risk: enough risk to feel excited, but not so much that the experience becomes too scary.

My years as an injury prevention researcher have made me aware of what can go wrong and how to prevent it from happening. But because I have a PhD in developmental psychology, I also worry that we're keeping our kids too safe.

Preventing children from exploring uncertainty can have undesirable consequences for their health and development, such as inertia, anxiety, and phobias.

Parents' fears

Many of the parents I spoke to in my research recognize the importance of risky play, but can be overwhelmed by worries about their child being seriously injured or kidnapped. They also worry that someone will report them to the authorities for putting their child at risk. These worries can lead them to become overprotective.

Lately, I’ve noticed the opposite trend: Parents worry that their children are too shy and not brave enough to take risks. They want to know how to help their children learn to face danger through play. This worries me as much as overprotection.

Both of these approaches can increase the risk of injury and harm to children because parents ignore their children’s abilities and interests. How can a child discover themselves and learn how the world works if adults are constantly telling them what to do and how to do it?

It has never been safer for children in Canada. The risk of dying from an injury is 0.0059%. Car crashes and suicides are the leading causes of death, not play. In fact, more children need medical attention for injuries from organized sports than from free play.

Similarly, the likelihood of abduction by a stranger is so small that statistics are not available. In an attempt to strike a balance, injury prevention experts are moving toward an approach that aims to keep children as safe as possible, rather than as safe as possible.

Children are inherently capable of managing risk.

Risky play is an important part of outdoor activities in many Canadian schools and preschools. In forest schools in many other countries, children freely dig holes, climb trees, and use tools to make fires under careful supervision.

A principal in New Zealand decided his students didn’t need any rules. They climbed trees, rode bikes, did whatever they wanted. His school was part of a larger study that found that students who were allowed to take risks were happier and less bullied than their peers in other schools.

Seeing children engage in risky play helps us realize that they are capable of much more than we think. When given the opportunity, even young children have the ability to manage risk and find their own limits. We just need to open our eyes and be willing to see what is in front of us. Let’s step aside and let our children experiment, because their potential for learning is enormous.

Setting unnecessary limits on children's play or pushing them too far is a mistake. Our role as caregivers is to allow children the freedom to explore and play while supporting them in managing the major dangers that have the potential to cause serious harm.

Depending on each child’s abilities, interests and developmental stages, this needs to be applied flexibly. A preschooler can hide in the bushes and feel like a jungle explorer. Parents observe but still give them a sense of independence.

Older children can explore the neighborhood with friends. Parents should help them gradually build necessary skills such as observing traffic and crossing the street safely.