Risk-taking

We believe children should learn to approach all the world has to offer in a safe, competent way. They need to learn to “manage danger”, in the words of American educational reformer Caroline Pratt. As educators, we have a duty of care to ensure that they are not exposed to unnecessary levels of risk. However, there's evidence that in recent years we have allowed concerns about risk to deprive children of important and enriching play experiences, leaving them ill equipped to manage risk in their adult lives.

Learning how to light a fire.

Climbing, for example, is a basic need for children. Climbing is important for overall physical development, and contributes to building motor skills and self-reliance. While climbing, children experience, independently, their own motor abilities and skills, and learn how to overcome fear.

Assessing, managing and taking risks are all part of life. Risky play helps children build resilience and persistence, balance and coordination, but these important skills are often denied to them. It is our firm belief that learning to assess the limits of our bodies and to manage risk is an invaluable tool for life, and this skill needs to be developed in the early years. Play, and particularly play outdoors, teaches young people how to deal with risk.

At Kaleide International School, there are elements of risk in our environments –particularly in the Woodwork workshop, the Psychomotor Play area, and the gardens– which challenge and engage the children and give them an opportunity to experience and judge and manage risk. Evidence suggests that introducing these kind of play opportunities actually reduces the number of serious playground accidents.Our role as educators –in line with the Health and Safety Executive guidelines– is to weigh up risks and benefits when designing and providing play opportunities and activities, and controlling the most serious risks, and those that are not beneficial to the play activity or foreseeable by children.