Nursery World - Risking it all

I had the pleasure of being invited to speak at the Northamptonshire Childminding Conference in September.

As it was centred on Healthy Lifestyles, I chose the theme of risk in order to bring some focus onto the increasingly sedentary yet over-stimulated lifestyle opportunities for many under-fives (and beyond), in contrast with the pre-virtual world of my childhood.

I feel quite strongly that the accountability agenda that infects other areas of our professional lives contributes to a never-ending cycle of fear. This is picked up neatly in Dan Gardner’s book Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear (2008). Essentially, we have to be prepared to take risks in order to allow children to do so.

I know the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents doesn’t place too much faith in the concept of common sense, but we are derelict in our duty to children if we are overly cautious because of our own fear of accountability. I understand that I am accountable, I accept this – but realistically there is a huge difference between letting a child play with a plug socket (negligence) and the skill of learning how to use a hammer safely (beneficial risk).

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