Why Children Need Risk, Fear, and Excitement in Play

The Nugget

Children should be kept as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible. Encouraging risky play in children is crucial for their physical, cognitive, and emotional development, despite the common perception that increased safety measures are always better.

Key quotes

"Children should be kept as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible." — Jon Haidt
"Risky play provides children with low-cost opportunities to develop the physical and cognitive skills to master the challenges that they will face as they grow older."
"Parents are worrying about the wrong causes of injuries and harm. In fact, the very strategies that parents use to try to keep their children safe are unintentionally increasing the likelihood of injuries and even death."
"We’ve already seen what happens when we don’t prioritize play and freedom in children’s lives. Let’s break out of the paradox, and give children the freedom they need to thrive."
"Children need freedom to be able to play the way they choose. The biggest barrier to children’s freedom is us—the adults in their lives—and our need to manage our own fears."

Children engage in risky play to push themselves beyond limits and experience thrill and fright simultaneously.
Risky play is essential for children to develop physical, cognitive skills, overcome fears, and become resilient.
Engaging in risky play can help children with anxiety disorders by allowing them to practice dealing with ambiguous emotions and situations.

Modern parenting trends, emphasizing intense supervision and structured activities, have led to a significant decline in children's opportunities for risky play.
The focus on safety over freedom has detrimental effects on children's mental, physical health, cognitive development, and emotional competence.
Screen time and lack of outdoor play have further contributed to the decline in risky play opportunities for children.

Prioritizing time, space, and freedom are essential to creating environments where children can engage in risky play.
Advocating for more outdoor playtime, providing stimulating and flexible play spaces, and granting children the freedom to choose how they play are key steps.
Working together with other parents, building relationships with neighbors, and utilizing available resources and tools can help parents overcome their fears and support children in experiencing risky play.

🌱 Encouraging risky play in children is crucial for their development, as they should be kept as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible.
🚀 Children need time, space, and freedom to engage in risky play to develop essential skills and resilience.
🤝 Building a community with other parents, advocating for outdoor playtime, and providing stimulating play spaces are key in supporting children to experience the benefits of risky play.
💡 Remember, the greatest risks to children may not be from playing unsupervised outdoors, but rather from the unintended consequences of overprotection and limiting their opportunities to explore and learn.

This summary contains AI-generated information and may have important inaccuracies or omissions.