Risk Benefit Assessment in Play in the Early Years.
Risky play can be defined as a thrilling and exciting experience that involves a risk of injury but more importantly offers children opportunities for challenge, testing limits, exploring boundaries and learning about managing risks.
Jean- Jacques Rousseau was a great proponent for Risky Play and, he suggested that Risky Play helped children learn about their world, test out what is and is not possible; learning about making mistakes ; discover new things about their space, place and their environment.
Children are able to learn to recognize and evaluate the challenges and decide on the course of action they would take when they indulge in Risky Play.
Risky play helped create self initiated experiences in nature which helped perpetuate a child's inborn goodness. Risky play , Rousseau suggested, acted as a tool through which children were able to exercise their judgment , using these sensory experiences and contact with things.
Risky play also contributes to a child's sense of " Self Efficacy", which develops through experiential play and learning, is influenced by encouragement and feedback from others and is related to numerous interpersonal outcomes for children.
Children need to practice risky play in order to be able to handle risk in their lives. Practicing to deal with risks in their play would help them to asses a situation and overcome the problems themselves.
Risky Play gives children the opportunity to extend their limits and learn life skills. Success and failure provide children with the motivation to try again and work out different ways .
Parents and Educators role: Assessment and Promotion
Early learning Students and teachers need to teach children safe ways of doing things and develop positive attitude towards this type of play.. They need to create an environment that is " safe enough for children to act on, transform, seek out challenges and take risks".
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Outdoor risky play for all. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://earlyyearsoutdooreducation.wordpress.com: https://earlyyearsoutdooreducation.wordpress.com/outdoor-risky-play-for-all/
Why Kids Need Risk, Fear & Excitement In Play. (2017, Aug). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQCLERhmw7k
Dr Mariana Brussoni - Benefits of Risky Play.