Help! Need your thoughts on risky play for my dissertation proposal

[HoneyPablo]

I have to do a presentation on my dissertation proposal and would like to test the waters first.
What do you understand by the term 'risky play' and do you allow your children to engage in this type of play?
What would your reaction be if an early years setting allowed children to engage in this sort of play?
TIA

Ps dd is only just one and is a bloody nightmare for climbing already and has got in behind the fireguard / stood in bugg on wheels to get over stairgate etc. I expect her to be much more adventurous that ds .

festi is right. This isn't my research I am doing it so I can say that I am aware of the ethical considerations and have canvassed a few parents and asked their opionions.
I am pleased that everyone seems to be in favour so far.

festi I know she's not conducting her research on mn! she said that she's got to do a presentation and "I am worried that my subject matter will make parents think we don't supervise their children properly." ie her concern is about the practicalities of the research - I was just saying that I would expect the univeristy to help her sort this out before she starts, through its ethics committee.

tempingmaniac excellent idea, thank you.
I am that a school would ban running. How short-sighted of them.

How on earth would you stop primary age children running?? I think 'risky play' is hard to define - for me it's anything where I know I couldn't prevent my DCs having a serious injury if something went wrong (ie couldn't catch them if they fell etc). But it doesn't stop me letting them do it.

Interesting post OP. Can you tell us a bit more about the presentation?

I think what I want is for my DD (3.4 yrs) to play in a physical way which challenges her, and to be encouraged (by me and DH, by her pre-school) to do new things and push her boundaries. I like the term "adventurous play" rather than "risky play". Risky play suggests to me that you might fall 10ft and break a limb. Or you might not. Adventurous play suggests that you might try climbing over the wobbly bridge on the climbing frame even though you are a bit nervous because it wobbles. But you feel great about yourself and your self-esteem grows if you do cross the bridge.

I absolutely want and expect my DD to be confident in trying out new things and to be confident physically and it has nothing to do with her being a girl or a boy, but part of becoming a rounded human being. I often check myself to see if I am helping her too much in the playground because she's a girl rather than a boy. I don't think I do.

I believe all children should be allowed "risky play", or natural play using their imagination and doing everything you can possibly DO on play equipment or in nature. (Totally irrespective of how play equipment is "supposed" to be used")

I was in the playground last week, and I was sitting on a bench with my two boys, who were eating a snack before having a play. A few other mums were there, and boys aged 6,7 from my sons school.

Anyway, one mum kept chastising her son "Henry, get down from the seesaw, that is not how you play on a see saw. You are not supposed to stand in the middle". "Henry, dont climb the frame like that". "Henry, dont run on the grass". "Henry, you will fall." "Henry, you are going to lose your balance". "Henry, your shoes will get dirty". etc etc etc.

My boys started looking at me bemused, and went on to play. And did all those things she was telling her son not to do. I did not say a word, they were not doing anything wrong. But the mum gave me the cats bum face, and Henry came and sat down between us with a sullen look.

What use is a playground if you cant actually use your imagination and play? The equipment is there, you do with it as you want, and play with it as you want.

And yes, if nobody else is using the slide, I let my sons go up the slide. Climbing the ladder and sliding down is boring.

can I suggest as part of your presentation, a film of this play in action with the permission of parents.

I am doing a few prsentaions at the moment bot are films and the feedback so far is very positive, as media/journalism is very hot in education at the moment.

I keep finding myelf thinking about this concept of risk. Its a fantastic area to study. Takes me right back to my uni days and discussions about (Mortlock's ?) philosophies.
I would be horrified if girls were not exposed to adventure in the same way. As others have said, it doesn't need to be 'dangerous' risk, perceived risk is just as good.

I was going to suggest 'adventurous play' too, but I see Tempingmaniac has beat me to it (great minds think alike and all that). My reasoning being that people have a tendency to think of risk as being negative. I am actually a risk manager and the definition we use now is 'the effect of uncertainty against objectives" so it's the idea of that when you are trying to achieve something there is a range of possible outcomes, which can be either positive or negative.

So in your context a child might think I'm going to run up that slide because I think it will be fun (their objective being to have fun) it might be even more fun that I imagine (unexpected benefit, perhaps of being really exhilarated) or it might not be so good (unexpected downside, maybe it will be disappointing, or i won't be able to do it, or I might hurt myself).

I think it would be really interesting to look at risk in the context of children and play, but I'd not use that as a title because I suspect that people have become so focused on risk = maybe bad thing will happen and therefore would perhaps anticipate that you were looking to reduce the risk, not encourage it (in the expectation of the positive side).

Thanks all. i am in the middle of putting together the powerpoint and am using some of your ideas. The presentation is tomorrow morning.
I am a bit scared because I hate doing stuff like that. But, hopefully, once I get going, I'll get in my stride.

I would actively encourage my DD to take part in risky play. However, I would expect the staff to be fully trained in whatever activity it was.

Coming from a background working as an outdoor activity instructor there is a huge difference between actual risk and the perceived risk of most activity offered to all children which is what most parent will worry about.

How was the presentation, HoneyPablo? .

I was in the playground with DD yesterday, and thinking about this thread - it was amazing the number of parents saying to their DC "careful!" "don't go any higher!" "I think you've gone high enough, come down now" - especially on this big spider's web climbing thingie - as far as I could see all the children were actually being pretty careful (whilst also trying to climb up really high).

I reacted by saying to DD (who was the youngest, and a girl) - "well done, that's really good, can you go any higher?" .

Glad to see you have been inspired by this thread, wigeon. The presentation went really well, thanks. I think my enthusiasm for the subject impressed the panel.

Oh, missed the deadline. Has anyone done any studies on soft play and how a child develops? case in point: DS has been going to soft play since he was 2.5 or so, and has a sense of falling will be soft landing. Problem is, when he goes to outdoor park, he still has this false sense of security.

May just be our experience, but would be interesting...

My dc's preschool does lots of 'risky' play they have overgrown, jungly areas, they have a construction area with hammers and nails etc, they have a fire bowl that they cook snacks over such as crumpets and marshmallows and they encourage adventurous play such as swinging, climbing building bi structures with natural materials etc. All the activities are appropriately supervised and the children are encouraged to think about the safety aspects of what they are doing. I think 'risky play' is very important because children need to learn from a young age how to assess and manage risks themselves. I also think it is fantastic for their confidence to be allowed to try things with appropriate supervision to ensure that accidents are minimised, however I do think that it is important to allow children to have some accidents so they learn their own limitations and how to handle pain and how to get up and try again.

I encouraged my children from a young age to try challenging activities my dd was climbing up big climbing frames before she was 1 much to the horror of other mothers, she never hurt herself as I have a policy of only letting them go on things they can get up on by themselves. My kids all love climbing trees and the older ones are involved in diving my oldest was jumping off the 7 metre board at age 7. I think if you are confident to let them take risk as a parent so long as you step in when you can see they are going to make a poor judgment and you give them advice along the way they will be a lot safer in the long run because they will have developed awareness of their own capabilities.

Sorry this post has turned out a bit long but hope it helps :)

OOps just realised my post was a bit late

barnowl that sounds like a fantastic preschool.

DS goes to an unusal and wonderful school just outside Melbourne where the unofficial mottos is "take risks, take care". Here is how they describe their approach.

^We encourage an active engagement with the world. That includes using public transport to explore Melbourne, playing in the school?s extensive gardens and 1100 acres of bush, riding bikes, climbing trees, going on many camps and trips.

We?ll be direct, honest, thorough and responsible in communicating information to students about sex and relationships, appropriate to the students? age and developmental stages.

Students will be using toasters, stoves, blenders, microwaves, cutlery.

According to our assessment of students? maturity and abilities, we may teach them to use axes, log splitters and chainsaws.

Similarly, we may teach students how to light fires, and may expect them to start and maintain fires in fireplaces, and fuel stoves in classrooms.

We comfort students who are upset, we hug, we?re tactile. We may play rambunctious roughhousing games like British Bulldog, Animal Ball or spotlight.^

unusual and the last part was all meant to be in italics.

It is fab, temping. It has been a stretch for me to allow my PFB to go off and do all those scarey things but I can see how it is making him confident and sensible. Next challenge is next year when they spend six weeks overseas. He will be 13! Previous years have gone to Mongolia and Tanzania so we wait with trepidation to see where DS's class will be going.

Hello everyone
I am doing my dissertation on 'How have parents attitudes changed over time towards risky play?'
I would be ever so grateful if you could all give me your opinions on risky play such as if you allow your children to take risks such as climbing frames, climbing trees, playing on the street on a weekend? Any other opinions are welcome!!

Come on ladies, what do you all think about risky play? How do you all feel about it?

XX

Don't understand duplicate update from different Talkname.

People, parents, are so risk adverse nowadays.
I watched my kids climb trees when they were 2.5yo.

Or run thru the leaves barefoot.
The 5yo leapt off the trampoline onto the wooden floor (wasn't lifted down).
....Making Other parents sometimes clearly aghast.

5yo DS had a peer who was scared to jump in the pool. Not scared of water, but scared to jump into it. Her mother was working hard on this problem, the girl couldn't progress in swim lessons unless she could get over her jump fears. The same peer had recently exclaimed non-stop (to her mother) at seeing my son climb a 3.5' gate.

Discouraging risks teaches them to lack confidence.

Forest school at DC school is a joke, full of rules about what they can & can't do.