Embrace Risk-Taking on Playgrounds to Benefit Student Health

Source: Loebach, J., Ramsden, R., Cox, A., Joyce, K., Brussoni, M., (2023). Running the risk: The social, behavioral and environmental associations with positive risk in children’s play activities in outdoor playspaces. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education v. 26: 307–339.

Criteria for selection: These peer reviewed observational studies in two different geographical contexts were selected based on their examination of how personal, social, and environmental factors—particularly physical environment features such as natural elements, fixed structures, and topography—influence positive risk-taking behaviors in young children during outdoor play. 

LEARN Brief Credits: Dr. Jeannie Haubert, Ashlea Sovetts, MFA

Overview: 

Given the childhood obesity epidemic in the U.S. and the amount of time that children spend at school, school systems have a responsibility to help alleviate the health crisis through thoughtful structural reforms.  Findings from this examination of outdoor play spaces indicate that “risky play” is closely associated with increased physical activity.  To achieve this, schools can integrate environmental features such as natural and fixed elements that safely encourage jumping and climbing and varied, challenging topography. The study also notes that children need some degree of privacy to take full advantage of these features as they were less likely to engage under close adult supervision.  Overall, the study highlights the importance of thoughtfully designed outdoor environments that integrate physical features which encourage safe, positive risk-taking in children’s play.

Key Insights: 

1. 79% of high-intensity physical activities involved positive risk. 
2. Positive risk taking occurred more frequently during child-led play without adults present.
3. Adult participation in play reduced positive risk-taking.
4. 90% of play on boulders and steep, uneven topography involved risk-taking behaviors such as fast downhill running, climbing, jumping between stumps or rocks, and handling large natural materials.

Action Steps: 

1. Design outdoor play spaces that intentionally support physical and high-intensity movement, incorporating features that encourage climbing, running, jumping, and balancing to foster positive risk-taking.
2. Integrate robust natural and fixed elements with varied and challenging topography, such as uneven ground, slopes, boulders, and logs, to create environments that safely scaffold risk and invite children to test their capabilities.
3. Allow children some unsupervised moments on the playground to encourage positive-risk taking.

Full Study: 

https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-023-00145-1