What Is Risky Play?
Risky play is adventurous, challenging play that allows children to push their boundaries in safe but exciting ways. It might include climbing trees, running fast, balancing on logs, building forts, or exploring new spaces. Importantly, risky play is not about danger, it’s about providing children with chances to assess and navigate challenges, supported by caring adults.
Why Risky Play Matters for Development
For young children, risky play is a natural way to:
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Build confidence and independence by testing what their bodies and minds can do.
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Strengthen physical development, including balance, coordination, and strength.
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Practise emotional regulation as they manage fear, excitement, or frustration.
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Develop problem-solving and decision-making skills that carry into everyday life.
In essence, risky play fosters resilience, curiosity, and joy; all crucial building blocks of healthy development.
Working with Parents to Encourage Risky Play
Parents are essential partners in creating a culture that embraces outdoor play and risk. For some, the idea of risky play may feel unsettling. As educators, we can:
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Communicate openly: Share what risky play looks like in your program and explain how it differs from unsafe hazards.
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Provide reassurance: Emphasize supervision, safety checks, and strategies to minimize actual danger.
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Celebrate learning: Share photos, quotes, or documentation panels that showcase the confidence and skills children build through risk-taking.
When parents see the developmental benefits, they become allies in supporting this essential form of play.
Valuing Curiosity, Confidence, and Calculated Risk
To embrace risky play, we must also shift how we view children’s learning.
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Curiosity drives exploration; children naturally want to see “what happens if…”
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Confidence grows when children face challenges, succeed, and even learn from failure.
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Calculated risk-taking teaches children how to evaluate situations and make thoughtful decisions about safety.
Together, these values encourage a growth mindset: the belief that abilities and skills can improve with effort, practice, and persistence.
Fostering a Growth Mindset Through Risky Play
When children encounter challenges, educators can model and encourage growth mindset thinking by:
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Using supportive language like, “What’s your plan?” or “That looks tricky how will you try it?”
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Valuing effort and persistence, not just outcomes.
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Allowing children to try again, problem-solve, and reflect on what worked.
This approach builds resilience, self-belief, and adaptability skills that extend far beyond the playground.
Strategies for Introducing Risky Play to Staff, Administrators, and Parents
Building a culture that embraces risky play requires collaboration across your learning community. Try these strategies:
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Professional learning for staff: Share research and provide training on risky play and its role in child development.
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Admin conversations: Show how risky play links to curriculum outcomes, resilience, and lifelong skills.
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Parent workshops: Host discussions or share resources that explain the benefits of risky play in simple, relatable terms.
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Modelled practice: Invite parents or staff to observe children engaging in safe, supported risk-taking.
Why Mindset Matters
Embracing risky play is not only about the activities; it’s about shifting mindsets. By cultivating an environment where curiosity, confidence, and calculated risk-taking are valued, educators and parents send children the message: “You are capable, strong, and trusted.”
This mindset empowers children to approach challenges with resilience, embrace learning opportunities, and grow into confident, capable learners who are not afraid to try, fail, and try again.
Building a culture that embraces outdoor play and risk requires communication, trust, and a shared belief in children’s abilities. With the support of parents, staff, and administrators, risky play becomes not only possible but celebrated. Together, we can create environments that nurture children’s growth, resilience, and joy in learning.
Download our free risky play posters here to help support conversations around encouraging Risky Play
