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Why kids need to take more risks: science reveal benefits of wild, free play
Studies reveal how risky play can benefit child development. But encouraging it can be a challenge for parents.
The origins of risky-play research date back to 1996, when Norway passed a regulation on playground safety that required things such as handrails, rounded corners and equipment that minimizes the risk of injury from falls to be added to play areas. When a study in Leuven, Belgium, gave four- and six-year-olds just two hours a week of opportunities for risky play over the course of three months, their risk-assessment skills improved compared with those of children in a control group 2. Over time, her theory posits, when children have a chance to repeatedly experience the cycle of challenge, arousal and coping, this helps them learn to manage anxiety and understand that physiological stress isn’t a disaster and doesn’t last forever.
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