Risky Play?
I have seen a lot of amazing designs to encourage risky play. Pictured here is what the educators in one centre came up with - on the tree the children decided with the educators how high they could climb and the mat was added for safety. I'm wondering about your risky play provisions - can we share some examples and thoughts about risky play.
Thanks.
I have broached the topic of risky play with my collogues and the consensus is we are all worried about the possibility children being hurt. We have spoken about adding things to our play spaces and get discouraged with the idea when scenarios come to mind. Any thoughts on how to overcome or baby-step us out of this?
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, Amanda! I can certainly understand the anxiety surrounding risky play; about children getting hurt and how families might react. What sort of materials have you thought about adding to your play spaces? One suggestion I have for overcoming these fears is try to reframe the risk and consider the benefits of risky play. For example, children can improve their physical strength and fitness, problem-solving skills, confidence, teamwork, resilience, and other skills through challenging or risky activities. Another strategy could be involving children in discussions about risky play and the activities they would feel comfortable with, as well as boundaries that need to be placed. For example, when climbing trees, perhaps you could all decide on the highest branch they can climb too. Also, children can be assisted in recognizing when they are reaching their limits. For example, you might ask children if they feel safe, if they can get back down themselves, etc.
DeleteWe would love to have logs and have added tires to our yard. It would be fun to have the children climb things, but we have not discovered any items (that are not costly) to add to our program. We have read about adding wooden pallets and letting the children climb- like a ladder- but slivers and falls and rusty nails have us second guessing that option. We do not have a tree in our yard to climb or any natural materials (no real grass- only a sandbox) and are fenced in... Any suggestions?
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