Trondheim, Norway / Exeter, UK / Vancouver, Canada. Research shows that taking risks during play is important for healthy child development.
“Risky play” is a pedagogical research term that encompasses all types of play involving a sense of thrill and excitement, as well as taking risks. A good example of risky play is climbing trees, rocks, or tall ladders. It is not always easy for parents and caregivers to watch their children play wildly and trust that everything will be alright. The desire to protect them from potential harm is understandable. However, as long as there is no immediate danger, researchers advise letting children do their thing.
Risky play is essential for healthy physical, mental, and emotional development. Several studies have shown that children need to take risks in play to develop spatial awareness, motor coordination, self-confidence, and a tolerance for uncertainty. Other benefits of risky play include enhanced social skills such as cooperation and empathy, and greater emotional resilience. Research also shows that children are better able to assess their own abilities than adults often give them credit for. Ellen Sandseter, professor at the Queen Maud College of Early Childhood Education in Trondheim, Norway, is a pioneering researcher on risky play and the originator of its internationally used scientific definition. Her research has also revealed that a lack of positive forms of risky play in childhood can later lead adolescents to engage in negative types of risk-taking, such as shoplifting.
However, all these findings do not mean that children should be pressured to play in a particular way. How a child plays should be decided by the child themselves, says Helen Dodd, a child psychologist at the University of Exeter in the UK. Furthermore, what constitutes a risky activity varies from child to child. Mariana Brussoni, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia in Canada, argues that barriers to risky play must be dismantled to create educational spaces where children can step out of their comfort zone and into a learning zone. This requires a societal shift in thinking, particularly in Western countries, as well as further research.
Sources Nature and After Babel
Translation Paula Boslau
Image Alex Smith
