risky play

In this time of cottonwool parenting educators are realising that children are missing out on opportunities to develop both physically and mentally.  The end result of cottonwool parenting is the anxious generation.  And so we have the concept of risky play in which children learn their physical capabilities as well as the ability to adapt, to measure risk, to cope with what life will throw at them.  Examples of risky play are climbing to heights on a climbing frame or a tree, playing at speed perhaps on a bike or scooter, playing with dangerous items such as knives, toy swords, or toy bows and arrows, playing without adult supervision, and engaging in rough-and-tumble.  All the kinds of things really that have been eliminated from children’s play over the decades.

I did recently hear someone remark that the 15-25 year-olds don’t come to music festivals any more because they can’t cope with the fact that the portaloos can get fairly messy after a while.  They lack the skills to work their way around the practical problems that festivals present.  Obviously engagement with portaloos should be built into risky play.