The importance of learning to take safe risks in early childhood development

As humans, we are hardwired to take risks from birth. Babies from the time they are born to achieving their milestones along the way to their childhood and adulthood take conscious or unconscious risks, or are exposed to some, by being in a safe environment naturally or ones created for them. By Nazish Usman

Taking safe risks or positive risktaking refers to those assessed prior to children being exposed to them and ones calculated, taking into account staff supervising and testing limits/ hypothesis independently through trial and error, resilience and self-confidence within a safe environment. Sadly, an increasingly risk-averse society is making physically active, playful risk-taking ever more difficult for children to practise. Since play is crucial for young children to learn the skills and abilities they need for life, we do them no favours by preventing them from pushing the boundaries of their physicality. Even the Health and Safety Executive says, “The goal is not to eliminate risk, but to weigh up the risks and benefits. No child will learn about risk if they are wrapped in cotton wool”. Serious injuries are of course to be avoided, but bumps, bruises, cuts, and grazes are an unavoidable, and beneficial, part of childhood, teaching children (through repetition) how to manage their bodies in many different physical situations — in other words, how to react when they do encounter genuine danger. I always refer to and recommend the movie “Luca” to parents, counterparts, and children as, it is a comingof-age story in which the protagonist learns the value of taking risks and getting out of his comfort zone — hence getting him out of the water and learning not to let his fears prevent him from exploring the world.

When creating and maintaining a safe environment, we as practitioners, teachers, professionals, and heads must pay heed to our legal duties; however, do let children be exposed to risks that are positive and acceptable too. The risk of falling off larger pieces of play equipment is quite high; however, the risk of harm is minimised by ensuring that there is adequate supervision, correct positioning of the equipment (away from windows, or walls), crash mats and some ‘rules’ set by adults that are appropriate for the individual child’s level of understanding. Benefits of the learning experiences children are exposed to — which might include them climbing, crawling on the grass surface, jumping and landing on feet from height, etc — are learning how to fall, how to pick themselves up and start over again. Equally importantly, they will begin to understand the consequence of taking risks beyond their current ability.

I always recommend to parents that, when out and about with children, aim to enable them to take risks, not prevent them. My own personal perception changed regarding safe positive risks when I undertook the Forest School training from Canada. One of the great training outcomes was: risk taking is good for children: taking risks is exhilarating, and children want and need to take risks and our role as adults is to make sure we enable this, without placing them in “actual’’ danger. It’s essential to evaluate the hazards honestly, not just focusing on the worst-case scenario, but also considering the ‘‘likelihood’’ of serious injury and what children will gain by participating in the activity. This is called the “risk-benefit” approach to play, and in the UK it has been developed and recommended by the Play Safety Forum (2020), the Health and Safety Executive (2021), and even the Department for Education (2021). Children have the right to make decisions and take risks through their play. In having these opportunities, children and young people will be able to maximise their enjoyment of the environment whilst eliminating obvious risks.

The ‘United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child’ states in article 31: ‘All children have a right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of activities.’ The government’s Seven Core Aims, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, also note that children should: have access to a comprehensive range of education, training and learning opportunities, including opportunities to build personal and social skills; have access to a range of play, leisure, sporting and cultural activities.

Giving these rights to children and young people will mean that they have opportunities to manage risks effectively, allowing them to safely learn through play.

— building resilience

— the ability to assess their abilities

— being inventive

— using hand tools confidently and safely

— understanding the consequences of their actions

— developing confidence

— developing independence

— being creative

— showing curiosity

— being enthusiastic

Allowing risky play

As an early years teacher growing up in the Middle East and playing outdoors without much supervision from adults, I learned to make safe choices whether it was heights, trees, sharp objects, etc. This experience has stayed with me, as it was the environment that was made safe for me to take part in and not placed in actual danger. Within the structure of health and safety, we must always remember that risktaking is a very important part of a child’s development. But when linked to the care and protection of young children, the word ‘risk’ raises all sorts of concerns, especially when we consider that the process of risk management through risk assessment means that all perceived dangers should be removed or, at the very least, minimised. Unfortunately, this often means that practitioners take it too far on the side of caution. There is a huge difference between putting a child at risk and allowing a child to take risks.

I always ask my practitioners: how will three-year-old Lily know that the bridge she has created between two milk crates is safe if she does not take a tentative step on to it? Only by having the time and opportunity to test it out will she realise that it is too wobbly, that the materials she has chosen are not strong enough, or that the supporting structure is not stable. Lily must have the opportunity to test out her ideas and find solutions for herself wherever possible. The conscientious practitioner may be tempted to step forward to stop the activity, telling Lily, “You’ll fall and hurt yourself; this isn’t what these milk crates are for.” But while this may well be described as ‘good accident prevention’, it is not good risk management.

A much better approach would be for the practitioner to hold back for a moment and observe the learning that is taking place. What will Lily do when the bridge wobbles? Will she continue anyway? If she is determined to stand on the unsafe structure then some adult intervention is going to be justified.

But will Lily realise that the task that has thoroughly engaged her for the past 10 minutes is not yet complete and, with the determination central to confident learners, try again and again until she has got it right? Of course, the practitioner can intervene at any stage with suggestions such as “Why don’t you place the crates closer together Lily, and see what happens then?”

The rewards for Lily are obvious as she succeeds in her task. Meanwhile, the practitioner gains valuable insight into Lily’s emerging skills and will be able to plan for appropriate activities to help her develop them further.

Valuing risk

If we are not careful, concerns about safety can get in the way of every child’s fundamental right and need to ‘play’. In 2008, Managing Risk in Play Provision: A Position Statement, produced by the Play Safety Forum said: “(…) All children both need and want to take risks in order to explore limits, venture into new experiences and develop their capacities, from a very young age and from their earliest play experiences. Children would never learn to walk, climb stairs or ride a bicycle unless they were strongly motivated to respond to challenges involving a risk of injury. (…)”

Children do not set out to deliberately hurt themselves, but they do not always realise their own limitations or the limitations of the environment that surrounds them. As they grow and develop, there are going to be times when they will have to make choices about what is safe to attempt and what is not. How can they ever do this confidently if they have never experienced acceptable levels of risk upon which to test their judgments?

Whilst there is quite rightly much emphasis on safeguarding children in early years settings, we must be confident in our own competence and ‘take a risk ourselves’. Children need and instinctively want to be able to take risks in order that they can test their abilities and strengths. What better environment for them to do so than that of an early years setting where practitioners will already have removed hazards not readily identifiable to young children and will provide well-managed opportunities for appropriate risk-taking to take place?

Risk and additional needs

Some children with disabilities will have to have many things done for them in life because it is quicker, safer, and easier for those people taking care of their needs. For them, having the opportunity to take risks is even more vital, as they may not always have the same freedom of choice given to their non-disabled peers. The child with mobility problems will probably have to wait to be asked and then taken to the climbing frame, but once there will enjoy the challenge of getting to the first or second level. The sense of pride and achievement will be as great, if not greater because the risk was higher and the challenge harder.

Benefits of taking safe risks

Emotional regulation, adaptability, selfconfidence, and physical literacy are a few of the life skills a child can acquire when exposed to risks and as proved by various studies conducted in the USA, UK, Australia and New Zealand. Children who take safe risks learn that they can manage their fear, overcome it, and come out the other side. Risky play provides the foundation needed to regulate emotional responses like fear, nervousness, or anger in adulthood. Children engage in play that involves taking risks to experience positive emotions including fun, enjoyment, thrill, pride, and self-confidence. In the risky play, children “dose themselves with manageable quantities of fear and practice keeping their heads and behaving adaptively while experiencing that fear.” When a child takes a risk and attempts something outside his/her comfort zone, they use the higher-order thinking skills of application and synthesis — applying what they know to new situations.

The ability to calculate and take risks supports children’s learning in many ways. Taking risks develops and enhances a child’s self-confidence and ability to manage and overcome fear. Risk-taking promotes the kind of play that involves children’s use of problem-solving skills and self-regulation and helps children to reflect, “What helped me to succeed at that activity,” or, if the experience did not end the way the child thought it would, “What caused this failure?” By taking risks children will develop the confidence to be able to cope with challenging situations, which contributes to their well-being. This will contribute to the development of selfimage and perceptions of self-esteem. This knowledge gives them the skills they need to adapt to new situations and explore new environments — skills that become even more important when they go to school.

There are six types of risky play, which include:

1 3 5

At great heights (such as on a step stool)

At a high speed (such as running)

With dangerous tools (such as a hammer)

Near dangerous elements (such as water)

With rough-and-tumble interaction (such as play wrestling)

Where children can “disappear” or get lost (such as hide-and-seek in the backyard)

2 4 6

Is risky play worth the “risk”?

Risky play is not about doing something dangerous, but about moving past uncertainty to try something exciting. Risky play is different for every child, depending on their age and comfort level. For example, risky play for a toddler might mean balancing on one foot on the ground, while risky play for a preschool-age child might be climbing up on a step stool to reach for a toy.

Children know their limits; they will not intentionally put themselves in harm’s way. Try adding safe risks to your child’s playtime and watch as they play and learn!

A question I ask myself as a teacher, and professional working with children, and use it as a reflection point for others working with me: What’s my risk tolerance when working with children?

Top tips to assess risk and promote the importance of taking safe risks in early childhood:

Focus on the positive aspects of risky play — the physical skills children can practice, the excitement, the connection with natural materials and the ‘real world’ around them, and developing strength, coordination, agility, and body confidence.

Evaluate the hazards honestly: is this activity genuinely risky? How likely is it that a child will get hurt? How serious could the injury be? If potential injuries are minor (cuts and grazes), or unlikely, then the benefits will probably outweigh the risks.

Build confidence by using positive language. If your language is fearful (“don’t go there/do that”; “come down, it’s too high”; “that’s dangerous”) children will develop anxiety, not confidence. Say instead, “show me how careful you can be” or “where do you think your foot can go next?” and ask them to talk you through their decision-making.

Make time for physical play. Accidents often happen simply because we are in a rush and lose concentration. Give children plenty of time to play, whether it’s in the playground, garden, or on the way to school or the shops. Being generous with your time is one of the most important things you can do to help children become more active and more body confident.

Encourage them with specific feedback: “Wow, you are certainly climbing higher today than I’ve seen you climb before!”

Ask open-ended questions: “If you want to cross the creek, what will you need to step on so you stay dry?”

Pose problems and ask questions, providing just enough assistance so the child can attempt a task at a skill level just beyond what she can do on her own (scaffolding): “You’ve been somersaulting down this hill. How else can you get from the top to the bottom of the hill?”