For children, running up slides, climbing trees or jumping from heights is more than just a thrill or a tactic designed to scare parents. They鈥檙e exploring 鈥榬isky play,鈥� and it鈥檚 incredibly important for their development, explains Dr. Mariana Brussoni, associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia.
聽鈥淩isky play promotes physical activity, decreases sedentary behaviour and promotes social health and behaviour,鈥� reported Brussoni, a developmental psychologist working in injury prevention.
Yet children are still likely to hear cries of 鈥渂e careful,鈥� 鈥渢hat鈥檚 too high鈥� or 鈥渃ome down,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut what the child hears is: 鈥榊ou don鈥檛 trust me, you don鈥檛 think I can do this, you think I need you to help manage myself in this world鈥� and that the world is a very dangerous place.鈥�
But no matter how 鈥榮afe鈥� you make things, children will always enjoy challenging their limits and adding to the thrill of an experience, said Ian Dailly, vice-president of operations at playground supplier Habitat Systems.
鈥淲hen you have very active, outdoor children, areas that aren鈥檛 intended as play surfaces will become part of the play. They鈥檒l try and climb on roofs, get up posts, walk across arches鈥� a result of them just trying to challenge their limits and add to the thrill of the experience,鈥� he said.
This kind of play also taps into their imagination and creativity, said Allison Green, a child therapist specializing in play therapy. Green added that when kids get bored playing with something in the way it was intended, they鈥檒l find a different way. 鈥淭he opportunity to explore and try things on their own is really important,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he more unstructured, the better鈥� as it allows them to test their own limits.鈥�
Brussoni calls this 鈥渇ree play鈥� and explains that it鈥檚 great for helping children learn how to design goals and figure out how to reach them.
鈥淜ids with more opportunity for free play show better executive functioning鈥� because if they鈥檙e always in supervised activities with an adult telling them what their goal is and how they鈥檙e going to accomplish it, they don鈥檛 have the opportunity to practise that skill,鈥� she said.
And whether those skills are learned on the playground, the ski hill, a rock face or in the bike park, they all transfer over, said Green.
鈥淎 run bike, for instance, builds amazing balance,鈥� which may, in turn, help children excel in areas such as skiing, said Green. And by exploring a variety of activities, children help discover their capabilities.
Dailly agrees, saying that playgrounds such as Stan Clarke Park 鈥� which he helped design 鈥� help by offering areas for unstructured, risky play using natural elements such as logs and rocks, in addition to traditional playground structures.
However, whether children are hurtling down ski hills, racing bikes or balancing on logs in the playground, the only way they鈥檒l learn to explore the riskier side of play is if parents put a filter on their anxiety-based parenting and only step in if they think something serious might happen 鈥� which is far less likely than most think, said Brussoni.
Let them climb the tree, she suggested, but be there to ask: 鈥淗ow do you want me to support you in this?鈥�
鈥淚f they can鈥檛 make it up the tree themselves, then they can鈥檛 make it down the tree, and that鈥檚 something they need to figure out for themselves,鈥� she said.
Julie Miller and Ryan Letchford take a similar approach with their two girls, Sola, 5, and Yale, 3, whose activities include racing BMX, ski school, dancing and gymnastics.
鈥淥ur rule is: If you can climb there and get there, then go for it. If you can鈥檛, I鈥檓 not going to help you because maybe you鈥檙e not ready,鈥� said Miller. This way, her girls gain a real confidence boost when they鈥檙e successful which, in turn, encourages them to try new things.
The opportunity to explore the riskier side of play and try so many active things in Squamish is wonderful for the family鈥檚 health, she said, but it brings with it pressure for all children to embrace these activities, which they may feel uncomfortable doing.
The couple received flack, she said, for not putting a daughter into ski school at three years old, even though they knew she wasn鈥檛 ready. And though they felt strongly about their decision, they felt guilty for months, she explained.
Green also chose not to place her older boy in ski school because it wasn鈥檛 the right fit. 鈥淵ou feel that pressure and sometimes question yourself: Am I doing something wrong? But that鈥檚 when you have to really listen to what is best for my child,鈥� she said.
Instead, Green fosters the activities that he does like because this, she said, will help build confidence in other areas.
And confidence in whatever activity your child chooses to do 鈥� risky or not 鈥� is something you鈥檙e best building little by little, suggested Brussoni. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about that child鈥檚 confidence and comfort level. If you push them too far and they鈥檙e anxious about it, that鈥檚 where you can get into trouble.鈥�
Take your cue from your child, she said, and avoid forcing them to engage in activities that make them uncomfortable. That might mean they would rather visit the playground than race around on two wheels, but there is learning potential in either activity. While watching the child swing from monkey bars, note that bumps and bruises can be seen as souvenirs of playtime well spent.
Remember, said Miller, that active children make for busy parents. 鈥淲e want to give our children every single opportunity available, but I think that we forget that the opportunity to spend time with just the family is huge鈥�. It鈥檚 about trying to find a balance.鈥�
