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Doctors say kids’ playtime should involve ‘risks’, and parents should take note why Credits: Social Media
By Tom Llewellyn

Doctors say kids’ playtime should involve ‘risks’, and parents should take note why

By Tom Llewellyn

Pediatric doctors have advised that kids playtime should involve some risks, and parents should take note as to why.

Whether its climbing a tree, wrestling in the mud, or jumping over obstacles; children will constantly find new and risky ways to enjoy the outdoors. Whilst overly protective parents are often telling their children to take things slow, doctors have now explained why kids need to experience risky situations during playtime.

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Doctors explain why kids playtime should involve risks

On January 25, the Canadian Pediatrics Association published a fascinating new article explaining how children need some elements of risky play in order to develop their physical, mental, and social health.

Here, risky play was defined as the thrilling and exciting forms of free play that involve uncertainty of outcome and a possibility of physical injury.

These types of risky playtime activities have seen a notable decline in recent years as parents become overly concerned about the dangers of injury.

However, the article argues that the benefit to a childs development often outweighs the potential danger of risky play, and that excessively limiting how much risky play a child has can actually have negative impacts later in life.

According to the paper, which draws on a large dataset from Canadian children and parents, we should instead consider outdoor risky play as one way to help prevent and manage common health problems such as obesity, anxiety, and behavioral issues.

The association, which is made up of some of the best and most well-respected pediatricians in North America, provided several examples of what constitutes risky play in children:

  • Playing at height: Climbing, jumping, and balancing
  • Playing at speed: Running, cycling, and sliding
  • Play involving tools: Building and demolition
  • Play involving potentially dangerous elements: Near fire and water
  • Rough-and-tumble play: Play fighting and wrestling
  • Play with a risk of getting lost: Open spaces with minimal eyes-on supervision
  • Play involving impact: Crashing into something or someone
  • Vicarious play: Watching older children engaging in risky play

Importantly, risky play is not the ignoring of evidence-based or mandated safety measures like seat belts, helmets, or protective knee pads – nor is it leaving your children to figure out ways to entertain themselves alone.

Its a balancing act and one that doctors now say parents should consider each time they want to caution their kid against doing something that might leave only a slight cut or bruise.

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Risks and hazards are two very different things

Whilst the whole notion of encouraging play that might lead to injury might come as a shock to most parents, parents should remember that there is a key difference between risk and hazards when it comes to playtime.

  • Risk  Situations where a child can recognize and evaluate the challenges of a situation and decides to take action based on their thinking, i.e., This is too high for me, I should get down.
  • Hazard  Situations where the potential for injury is higher than the childs capacity to recognize it, i.e., ‘I don’t know what this is, but I’ll climb on it anyway’.

When children play spontaneously, they may choose to push boundaries and test limits. Risky play encourages creative, spontaneous play, first by eliminating hazards, then by supporting risk-taking that is chosen and controlled by the child and appropriate to her/his experience and ability.

When it comes to activities deemed risky play, the CPA also encourages parents to take a different approach when it comes to talking to their children, emphasizing a teaching moment rather than simply telling them whats right or wrong:

Examples included:

  • Do you feel & stable on that log of wood/the heat of that fire?
  • Do you see & your friends nearby/how high you are?
  • Notice how & these rocks are slippery/sharp this tool is.
  • Are you feeling & scared/excited/safe?
  • Whats your plan & if you jump on that boulder/dig that hole?
  • How will you & get down/go up/get across?�
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Overall, we wholeheartedly agree with the statement from the CPA that there needs to be a shift in parenting and professionals to keep children as safe as necessary, instead of as safe as possible.