The biggest international study ever into risky play has found children who have more opportunity for outdoor adventurous play tend to have better physical and mental health, as well as improved social and cognitive development.
An international team of researchers led by the University of Exeter and the University of British Columbia conducted the study, published in PLOS One. Their research found when environments are available to children that support outdoor adventurous play, like creative playground design and natural space, their health is better across these domains too.
The team also found independent mobility (being able to go out without adult supervision) is good for children's levels of physical activity.
Adventurous play - also referred to as risky play as children are allowed to take risks within certain boundaries – is thrilling, exciting play and includes examples such as riding a bike fast downhill, climbing a tree, paddling in a stream, and play fighting. The categories defining adventurous/risky play are height, speed, getting lost, dangerous elements (water, fire etc), dangerous tools (e.g. using a hammer, whittling with a knife), rough and tumble.
Professor Helen Dodd, of the University of Exeter and Director of the Outdoor Play Research Centre (which is philanthropically funded), said: "If we deny children the opportunity to engage in the sort of play that previous generations took for granted we take away rich learning opportunities linked to children's health and development, ultimately affecting some of the key issues we see around us today. Of course, we all want to keep our children safe but if we focus only on keeping children safe and remove the opportunity for them to exploring risks in their play, we are doing them a disservice.
"It's important to find a balance and it's not a question of doing a certain amount of risky play but rather ensuring that in children's lives, there are opportunities for them to play in a way that allows them to benefit from exploring risks. Children need opportunities to lead their own play and to make mistakes."
The research included children from 74 studies from across the world examining the association between adventurous/risky play and positive health outcomes. Studies were eligible if they examined outdoor adventurous/risky play in children aged between three and 12 years old and assessed a health outcome. Researchers looked at six domains: physical health, mental health and well-being, aggression, social, cognitive, and risk competence and injury.
Professor Helen Dodd, of the University of Exeter and Director of the Outdoor Play Research Centre, continued: "More research is needed in this area because we only know risky play and positive health outcomes are linked, but we don't necessarily know cause and effect. That's the type of research we're interested in taking forwards at the Outdoor Play Research Centre, to address those gaps, build better science, implement policy, and shift society's understanding of risk in children's play."
