Today’s kids spend far less time playing outdoors than their parents did. A professor at the University of British Columbia has spent some extensive years researching the concept of ‘Risky Play’. According to her, Risky Play is a “thrilling and exciting play where children engage in risk without any certainty.” Did you know about this at all? It has been proven to have innumerable benefits.
WHAT IS RISKY PLAY?
Think of this, you witness your kids playing in the garden or playground laughing, squeaking - basically, just having fun. But while they’re playing, you also tend to give directives like ‘Slow down, you will get hurt’, or ‘Be careful’, ‘Don’t do that’. You as a parent want to stop the risky behavior. But is that always the best reaction?
Risky Play involves kids experimenting and playing to figure out what will happen, without knowing about the exact outcome.
WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF RISKY PLAY?
Risky play can be subjective. Here are some categories of Risky Play, as suggested by experts & researchers:
Disclaimer: All of the above-mentioned activities of risky play should be developmentally appropriate and supervised.
HOW CAN YOU INVOLVE YOUR KIDS IN RISKY PLAY?
Experts suggest that parents should involve their kids in Risky Play, by keeping the following in mind:
BENEFITS OF RISKY PLAY
The benefits of risky play do not imply that your child will run better than another child, but it involves REAL developmental benefits as below:
Incorporating “Risky Play” naturally creates more anxiety in the parent/caregiver than the child, but it is a crucial element of early development. Granting the freedom of taking developmentally-appropriate risks to your child can in reality help them stay safe, as they learn how to safely navigate their environment.