Nursery World - Enabling Environments: Risk

Risk-taking is a key ingredient of healthy development, but its
place in practice can still be limited by how it is perceived, says
Kathryn Solly.

Every young child needs the best possible start in life and parents must feel confident that their children are safe and well looked after. Equally, they should expect their child to be appropriately challenged by their learning being extended according to their individual interests and needs.

The opportunities for young children to play freely indoors and out have changed dramatically in recent years. This has well-documented impacts on their health, understanding of the natural world, independence, well-being and liberty.

It is well recognised that young children benefit from the genuine experience of self-initiated play. However, since the time of Froebel, Montessori, Dewey and Rousseau, such 'free play' has been, and remains, a political and philosophical concern, as it is often misunderstood and used to control and sometimes restrict play in relation to its perceived benefits for learning, education and life.

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