Risky play in the great outdoors
Growing up and spending summers at our trailer, I had a group of friends that I would spend all day with. We loved playing in back fields where there were no parents to tell us what to do. This was great, we could play how we wanted to! Some of the most memorable experiences were using old wood for bike ramps, getting to race down big hills and of course getting messy. One day I remember a pond had just been emptied and we decided to play in it. By the time we were done, we were covered head-to-toe in mud. Afterwards, we had fun hosing each other down to wash off. Overall we were outside all day until the sun went down, just having fun!
One of my favourite hiking spots, with lots of areas to discover! A great area for children to explore.
In today’s time this free, unrestricted or “risky” play is often missed in childhood. However, it so important as this type of play has huge benefits to children’s self-confidence, resilience, executive functioning and more! When I had the opportunity to volunteer with the Nature OT in the City groups back in the fall, I was taken back to childhood memories. The children in the group were provided with the time and space to try new opportunities without an adult saying “be careful” or “don’t do that”. This was an eye opening experience for me as I saw that the kids knew their own limits and really excelled in this environment. This was a good reminder for me that when working with kids, to give them this time of unstructured, child-led play.
In recent weeks, I have been reading more about risky play and ways to incorporate it into the camp curriculum. I really like how at Larchwood Farm they already encouraging risky play for children, such as climbing trees, using tools such as an apple peeler and teaching safe fire skills. To add to this, I’ve been looking at ways to incorporate other tools such as hammers and water play. I look forward to being able to apply these ideas and share them with parents in my future practice to help build kids confidence!
While reading about risky play, I enjoyed this 17-second tip from Mariana Brussoni, a professor at the University of British Columbia. The 17-second rule is where you step back and “see how your child is reacting to the situation, so that you can actually get a better sense of what they’re capable of when you’re not getting in the way.”. If you are interested in reading more click here for the CBC article on risky play for children.
Looking for ideas to encourage this type of play? Our social media post on outdoor activities, no equipment required is a great starting point!