The benefits of adventurous play
A truth many parents can probably relate to is a love/hate relationship with playgrounds. They are a place we go to again and again, and it can feel extremely tedious to be back in the same space, surrounded by a lot of noise. On the other hand, they are safe spaces where children can freely roam around, and depending on their age and mobility we don’t have to do too much when there.
In small spaces where I can easily observe my children, I sit down and let them play without much intervention from me.
I have often noticed though that some parents stay on top of their child’s every move, in case they stumble or get hit by a swing, in a state of constant alert. I realise this is necessary when they are young toddlers, but less so the older they get (as per my five year old above).
That led me to write my recent post for the Bold blog - looking at whether consciously or not, most parents find themselves continually monitoring their children’s play, supervising them to keep them safe. We have to do so because they take a long time to understand what is safe and what is not, and trial and error can be dangerous if we aren’t carefully watching them.
But do we do this too much? I wrote the benefits of doing so a little less: how we need to let our children learn to play adventurously, without constantly intervening:
When I’m watching my two children in the playground, invariably one will run off, making it impossible for me to give both children my undivided attention. Since I can’t supervise their play minute by minute, I have to allow them to take some risks. I rarely worry about their safety in the playground, though; while playgrounds are not without risk, they are built specifically to allow children to explore and play. Several times, another parent has worriedly pointed out that my toddler is at imminent risk of falling while climbing on the playground equipment. Yet because I know he is a competent climber, I’ve never been particularly concerned.
Indeed, my toddler’s confidence on climbing frames may have benefited from my divided attention. Children need space to explore and learn about the world. Micromanaging their play may affect their development in ways researchers are now beginning to understand more fully. In a recent theoretical paper, researchers proposed that taking part in adventurous play could help prevent anxiety in children. Adventurous play is child-led and elicits feelings of thrill, excitement and even fear – just think of jumping off a tree or into the deep end of a pool.
The lead author of the paper, Helen Dodd, is a professor of child psychology at the University of Exeter. Dodd proposes that when children engage in adventurous play, they learn how to cope with uncertainty and experience the physiological arousal that comes with taking part in something thrilling. When children grow accustomed to these sensations, suggests Dodd, they are better able to interpret their emotions and learn how to manage similar stressful experiences more efficiently. This is particularly important, given that childhood anxiety is on the rise – and about half of anxiety disorders start in childhood. Childhood anxiety is also a predictor of mental ill health in adulthood.
Moreover, Dodd’s research suggests that adventurous play in the playground teaches children how to evaluate risks in the real world – such as balancing on logs in a forest or jumping over a pond. If adults are too quick to interrupt adventurous play and restrict activities, children are deprived of the opportunity and freedom to experience risk. Of course, appetite for risk varies hugely – we shouldn’t push children to do what might frighten them. But some risk can be beneficial.
Read the full post on the Bold blog - ‘big ideas for growing minds’
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