What do you remember about your childhood?  Did you climb a tree, swing on the monkey bars, hammer a nail into wood? Did you build a cubby house, ride your bike on the road or cross a creek on a log? In today’s increased aversion to risk, children have less opportunities to experience these adventures than in previous generations. All these exciting activities are known as ’risky play’.

Risky play is play that is exploratory and challenging with often unpredictable outcomes. It is child-initiated and physically engages all the senses leading to positive learning and development outcomes – Play Australia 

Risky play is integral to children’s development. The research tells us that children need a certain level of risk in their play, so that they can discover their personal boundaries, what challenges them and learn about risk management. Risky play is different to unsafe play. It is not intended to cause injuries but challenge children to take risks and develop their confidence in assessing risks. 

One element of risky play is loose parts. Loose parts are open-ended, unstructured and often natural materials that are moveable and without a dedicated purpose. These items include recycled tyres, branches, tubes, pipes, car parts or pinecones. The simple integration of loose parts into children’s outdoor play environments creates greater opportunities for risky play.  

Evidence suggests that formal outdoor play areas and other learning spaces are heavily focussed on safety and rarely offer the opportunity for risky play. Early learning outdoor environments can be intentionally designed to support risky play. By providing loose parts and open-ended materials, educators can create opportunities for children to explore, test limits, and develop confidence. For example, new experiences might enable a child to progress from climbing a low A-frame to a higher structure, jumping from a cable reel, swinging from a rope, rolling down a hill, or balancing first on a low beam -and then on a higher one. 

When these opportunities are offered, educators and families play an important role in supporting engagement through attentive observation rather than constant intervention. This includes stepping back to allow children to lead their play and assess risks for themselves and avoiding unnecessary interruptions or repeated warnings such as “be careful,” which can disrupt focus and confidence. 

A key factor in children’s willingness to engage in risky play and step beyond their comfort zones, is the presence of a supportive environment and encouraging adults. When children have strong, trusting relationships with adults, they are more likely to have the confidence to embrace new experiences, work through challenges, and take manageable risks.  

While risky play supports all children’s development, it’s particularly significant for children who have experienced trauma. It is important to remember that children’s brains are still developing, and they are still learning to navigate and control their emotions. For children who have experienced trauma, their confidence, tolerance of uncomfortable feelings or emotions and skills for risky play may need a considered approach but can bring great benefits. 

For children who have experienced trauma, it can be helpful to; 

• Introduce risky play gradually. This allows children to move at their own pace, that is comfortable for them.  

• Ensure you have an individualised approach.  What one child finds scary but exciting, another may find overwhelming or distressing. 

• Ensure the environment is safe and supportive and that children can get help when, and if they need it.  

• In supporting children, we need to focus on what children can do well and their efforts or attempts to try something new or hard.  

• When they are ready, we also need to step back, allowing children to have a go. This requires us to stay calm and manage our own feelings and fears. 

Part of engaging in risky play should include barefoot play. Barefoot play allows children to connect with their environment through their bare feet. No socks, no shoes. Feet are extremely sensitive and naturally wired to the brain so barefoot play stimulates body awareness and the sensory system providing the brain with information about the body’s place in space and motor functions. For children who have experienced trauma, this kind of sensory input can support grounding and support emotional regulation by strengthening bottom-up brain-body connections.  

When changing the physical environment and dynamic to offer more opportunities for risky play, some educators or families may feel nervous or reluctant. They may fear that children may be placed in unsafe situations or experience injuries. Educators may fear they are not honouring their duty of care. These are common feelings and can be managed through reading up to date ideas and information about risky play, conversations with leaders or key supports, and preparation. 

“Research I have been involved in shows reluctance comes from an understandable belief they may be neglecting their duty of care or concerns about perceptions of parents.

“It can be useful to engage in ‘risk reframing’ where together there is a new and shared understanding of the importance of introducing safe risks into the physical environment.”

– Dr Shirley Wyver, a senior lecturer in child development at Macquarie University’s School of Education. A key focus of her research and teaching are on learning through outdoor play, including risky and loose parts play. 

To support children in taking on outdoor and risky challenges safely, adults can:  

• Set realistic, yet high expectations for what children are capable of.  

• Make thoughtful decisions about when to step back and when to step in.  

• Foster a positive attitude toward challenge, effort, risk, and uncertainty.  

• Help children gradually take ownership of their own safety by providing clear information about potential hazards.  

• Teach practical skills that support safe and confident exploration. For example, rather than stopping a child climbing higher, an adult might say, ‘Where could you place your foot next?’ — supporting safety without removing challenge 

The benefits of risky and loose parts play are many, including building confidence, leadership, determination and resilience, lowering stress and enabling risk-taking. For children who have experienced trauma the additional benefits include building a sense of independence, supporting their imagination, promoting social-emotional development and creating connection with the natural world. 

Risky, loose parts and barefoot play can be experienced individually or in combination with each other, what is important is that all children, have the opportunity to engage in all of these. When we thoughtfully reframe risk, we are not lowering standards of care – we are expanding children’s opportunities for confidence, growth and healing.  

Sources: Play Australia, A Risky Play Position Statement for young Australian children and ACECQA Adventurous play— Developing a culture of risky play