062: Why we need to let our kids need to take more risks

We should protect our children from risks, right? Isn’t that our job as parents?

This episode comes mid-way in an extended series on the importance of play for children. The https://yourparentingmojo.com/play/ (first episode in the series) was an interview with Dr. Stuart Brown of the National Institute for Play on the value of play, both for children and for adults. Then we followed with a look at the research on https://yourparentingmojo.com/outdoor/ (the benefits of outdoor play), followed by an https://yourparentingmojo.com/wildchild/ (interview with Dr. Scott Sampson) who wrote the book How to Raise a Wild Child, which had tons of practical advice for getting kids outside more, as well as getting outside more with your kids.

Today we move on to the topic of risky play. We’ll define it, and discuss its benefits and drawbacks, as well as things we as parents can do to encourage more risky play if we decide we want to do that.

Because it turns out that insulating our children from risk may not be such a good thing after all.

Other episodes referenced in this show

https://yourparentingmojo.com/play/ (What is the value of play?)

https://yourparentingmojo.com/outdoor/ (The benefits of outdoor play)

https://yourparentingmojo.com/wildchild/ (How to Raise a Wild Child)

https://yourparentingmojo.com/freetolearn/ (Free to Learn)

https://yourparentingmojo.com/grit/ (Grit)

References

Brackett-Milburn, K., and Harden, J. (2004). How children and their families construct and negotiate risk, safety, and danger. Childhood 11(4), 429-447.

Brussoni, M., Brunelle, S., Pike, I., Sandseter, E.B.H., Herrington, S., Turner, H., Belair, S., Logan, L., Fuselli, P., and Ball, D.J. (2015). Can child injury prevention include healthy risk promotion? Injury Prevention 21, 344-347.

Brussoni, M., Ishikawa, T., Brunelle, S., and Herrington, S. (2017). Landscapes for play: Effects of an intervention to promote nature-based risky play in early childhood centres. Journal of Environmental Psychology 54, 139-150.

Christensen, P., and Mikkelsen, M.R. (2008). Jumping off and being careful: Children’s strategies of risk management in everyday life. Sociology of Health and Illness 30(1), 112-130.

Hill, A., and Bundy, A.C. (2012). Reliability and validity of a new instrument to measure tolerance of everyday risk for children. Child: Care, Health, and Development 40(1), 68-76.

Leviton, M. (2016, February). The kids are all right: David Lancy questions our assumptions about parenting. The Sun. Retrieved from https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/482/the-kids-are-all-right (https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/482/the-kids-are-all-right)

Little, H., Wyver, S., and Gibson, F. (2011). The influence of play context and adult attitudes on young children’s physical risk-taking during outdoor play. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 19(1), 113-131.

Niehues, A.N., Bundy, A., Broom, A., Tranter, P., Ragen, J., and Engelen, L. (2013). Everyday uncertainties: Reframing perceptions of risk in outdoor free play. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning 13(3), 223-237.

Norton, C., Nixon, J., and Sibert, J.R. (2004). Playground injuries to children. Archives of Disease in Childhood 89(2), 103-108.

Plumert, J.M., and Schwebel, D.C. (1997). Social and temperamental influences on children’s overestimation of their physical abilities: Links to accidental injuries. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 67, 317-337.

Poultona, R., Menziesb, R.G., Craskec, M.G., Langleyd, J.D., and Silvaa, P.Aa. (1999). Water trauma and swimming experiences up to age 9 and fear of water at age 18: A longitudinal study. Behavior Research and Therapy 37(1), 39-48.