The Canadian Paediatric Society recently released new recommendations that emphasize the importance of unstructured outdoor play for children’s physical, mental, and social-emotional development.
They state that free outdoor play, with naturally challenging and creative opportunities, is inherently risky. In risky play children can recognize and evaluate a challenge and decide on a course of action based on personal preference and self-perceived skill. Adults should mitigate hazards (where the potential for injury is beyond the child’s capacity to recognize or manage it) and use language to promote awareness and problem solving. They suggest these phrases to enhance a ‘teaching moment’ during risky play:
Do you feel … stable on that log of wood / the heat of that fire?
Do you see … your friends nearby / how high you are?
Notice how … these rocks are slippery / sharp this tool is.
Are you feeling … scared / excited / safe?
What’s your plan … if you jump on that boulder / dig that hole?
How will you … get down / go up / get across?
The Canadian Paediatric Society encourages pediatricians to add outdoor free play to their ‘clinical toolbox’ to help prevent or manage obesity, anxiety, and behavioral issues.