Is risky play essential for your child’s development? Experts say, yes!
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At The Kitchen Garden Playschool, we believe that childhood is meant to be full of adventure and discovery. In our outdoor, play-led environment, children climb, balance, dig, and explore allowing them to expand their own limits. Sometimes these actions make adults a little nervous, we don’t want them to get bumps or bruises! Research shows that this kind of “risky play” is not just beneficial, it’s essential for healthy development. Educators and notable researchers Rae Pica, Peter Gray, and Ellen Sandseter have long emphasized the importance of physical challenge in early childhood, and their findings align closely with outdoor learning.
Embracing a Balanced Approach
Of course, risky play doesn’t mean reckless play. As educators, we provide guidance and set clear safety expectations, but we also trust children to listen to their bodies and make choices about their own limits. When given the chance, children are often much better at assessing their capabilities than we might expect!
At The Kitchen Garden Playschool, we know that when children feel empowered to take risks, they grow into more confident, capable, and happy individuals. We invite you to visit our outdoor classroom and see the magic of risky play in action!
What is Risky Play?
Risky play includes activities that allow children to test their abilities, manage uncertainty, and build confidence. This might look like climbing a tree, balancing on a log, running down a hill, or using tools like child-sized trowels and rakes in the garden. According to researcher Ellen Sandseter, risky play falls into six main categories:
- Great Heights – Climbing and balancing activities (Sandseter, 2011)
- High Speed – Running, swinging, sliding (Sandseter, 2011)
- Dangerous Tools – Using real (but age-appropriate) tools (Sandseter, 2011)
- Near Dangerous Elements – Playing near water, fire, or rough terrain (Sandseter, 2011)
- Rough-and-Tumble Play – Friendly wrestling and play-fighting (Gray, 2013)
- Disappearing or Getting Lost – Exploring alone or hiding (Gray, 2013)
Each of these experiences helps children develop problem-solving skills, physical coordination, resilience, and self-trust.
The Research Behind Risky Play
Child development experts argue that risky play fosters independence and emotional regulation. Rae Pica, a well-known advocate for movement-based learning, explains that when children engage in physically challenging activities, they are developing crucial brain-body connections that support coordination, focus, and self-discipline (Pica, 2015). She also emphasizes that play should be child-led, allowing kids to learn through their own experiences rather than having adults dictate their movements.
Psychologist Peter Gray highlights that risky play is a key way children develop risk assessment skills. When kids engage in activities that stretch their abilities, they learn to gauge what feels safe versus what is truly dangerous (Gray, 2013). He argues that overprotecting children can actually hinder their ability to make sound judgments and build resilience.
Furthermore, research has shown that children who engage in risky play develop better risk-assessment abilities, which translate into adolescence and adulthood. Rae Pica discusses how children who learn to assess risks through play are more likely to make informed decisions later in life, including those related to peer pressure, personal boundaries, and sexual health (Pica, 2015). Studies suggest that children who are given the freedom to take small, manageable risks early on are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors as teenagers. (Sandseter & Kennair, 2011). By allowing children to develop a strong sense of autonomy and self-regulation, risky play ultimately contributes to healthier choices and lower instances of teen pregnancy.
How We Encourage Healthy Risk at The Kitchen Garden Playschool
At our preschool, we embrace risky play within safe boundaries. Our garden and outdoor classroom are designed to provide children with opportunities to climb, balance, and use real tools under careful supervision.
For example:
- We provide climbing structures and logs that challenge children’s strength and coordination.
- Children use child-safe tools in the garden, learning to handle them responsibly.
- We allow for fast movement, from running to rolling down hills, which supports physical development.
- We foster independence by encouraging children to explore nature, take small risks, and develop their own decision-making skills.
By giving children space to take risks, we are giving them the gift of confidence, problem-solving, and resilience—skills they will carry with them for life.
How can you foster risky play at home?
Heading to a local park and letting your kids explore the climbing structure, climb up the slide, (if it’s not too crowded), or jump off the swings are great ways to experience risky play for yourself. Sometimes it’s too late in the day, pouring down rain, or as parents we have too much work to do. Listed below are some easy ways to provide risky play in your own living room.
- Balance beam– balance beams are an easy way to let your kids play inside while moving your body. They can easily be made out of a board and some bricks, or if you want a modular approach, we have found this balance beam to be a fun option. Our kids love taking it apart and building something new.
- Play couch– A play couch can be a cozy spot to snuggle up but it can also be a landing pad. Our kids use them to test their limits jumping off the couch, acting as home base during tag, or rough housing with the modular pillows.
- Balance boards– Balance boards move, sway, and swivel, helping your child learn how to move their body. Originally designed for surfers, I can say they are as much fun for adults as they are for kids. Bonus, they can be flipped over and turned into a bridge or a truck ramp.
However you decide to explore risky play at home, just know your kids bodies, motor skills, and decision making abilities will thank you for it.
Want more information check out our references below.
References
- Gray, P. (2013). Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life. Basic Books.
- Pica, R. (2015). What If Everybody Understood Child Development? Straight Talk About Bettering Education and Children’s Lives. Corwin Press.
- Sandseter, E. B. H. (2011). Children’s Risky Play from an Evolutionary Perspective: The Anti-Phobic Effects of Thrilling Experiences. Evolutionary Psychology, 9(2), 257-284.
- Sandseter, E. B. H., & Kennair, L. E. O. (2011). Children’s Risky Play and Exposure to Accidents: A Positive Perspective. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 42(1), 9-16.
