tag:theconversation.com,2011:/nz/topics/risky-play-72014/articlesRisky play – The Conversation2023-09-12T20:09:54Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2129692023-09-12T20:09:54Z2023-09-12T20:09:54ZStand back and avoid saying ‘be careful!’: how to help your child take risks at the park<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546794/original/file-20230907-17-wbfuhz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C0%2C5973%2C3979&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-shot-of-a-woman-and-a-little-boy-sitting-on-a-tree-18053266/">Ryan Fatalla/Pexels </a></span></figcaption></figure><p>There is ongoing concern about the impact of “<a href="https://www.gottman.com/blog/helicopter-parenting-good-intentions-poor-outcomes/">helicopter parenting</a>” on children’s growth and development. </p>
<p>Keen to ensure the best outcomes for their children, helicopter parents tend to hover over their kids, constantly trying to prevent misadventure or harm. </p>
<p>But child experts say this can lead to a <a href="https://www.healthactionresearch.org.uk/mental-health/helicopter-parenting/">lack of resilience and tenacity</a> in children. Children can also struggle with problem-solving and initiative. </p>
<p>How can we overcome this? </p>
<p>We are educators who study risky environments. Our <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42322-023-00132-6">new research</a> looks at parent’s perceptions of an outdoor play park. It shows how outdoor parks provide opportunities for children to engage in risky play and develop independence and problem-solving skills.</p>
<h2>The importance of risk</h2>
<p>Risk taking means engaging in any behaviour or activity with an uncertain physical, social, emotional or financial outcome. </p>
<p>Risk is an everyday part of life, from driving a car to buying a house at auction or climbing a ladder.</p>
<p>We cannot eliminate risk, so we need to learn how to navigate it. This means taking responsibility for assessing potential consequences and taking necessary precautions. For example, crossing the road carries risk, but we learn how to look for cars or cross at traffic lights if the road is very busy. </p>
<p>Recognising and appropriately responding to risk taking is an integral aspect of children’s growth and development. In 1998, US educator and wilderness guide Jeff Liddle <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/105382599802100201">observed risk was instrumental</a> to lifelong learning. </p>
<p>Outdoor experiences are particularly good places to <a href="https://researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au/islandora/object/uws:24236/">develop skills around risk</a> because they are not a controlled environment. For example, no two trees are the same to climb and conditions can vary depending on the weather. </p>
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<img alt="A young child climbs on park equipment." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546795/original/file-20230907-27-w9ihqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/546795/original/file-20230907-27-w9ihqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546795/original/file-20230907-27-w9ihqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546795/original/file-20230907-27-w9ihqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546795/original/file-20230907-27-w9ihqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546795/original/file-20230907-27-w9ihqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/546795/original/file-20230907-27-w9ihqk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Outdoor experiences can help children learn about risk.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-boy-playing-on-playground-s-wooden-equipment-8535649/">Ksenia Chernaya/Pexels</a></span>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/this-new-risky-playground-is-a-work-of-art-and-a-place-for-kids-to-escape-their-mollycoddling-parents-193218">This new ‘risky' playground is a work of art – and a place for kids to escape their mollycoddling parents</a>
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<h2>Our study</h2>
<p>In a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42322-023-00132-6">new study</a> we surveyed parents and caregivers about children’s risk taking in the Boongaree nature play park in Berry, New South Wales. </p>
<p>The park includes fixed equipment such as slides and climbing ropes as well as natural elements such as water, stone, timber, sand and greenery.</p>
<p>We chose Boongaree after it became the focus of media and social media debate due to a <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-10/3yo-breaks-leg-at-boongaree-nature-play-park-berry/101317636">spate of injuries</a>, including broken bones. The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10694305/Is-Boongaree-Nature-Play-Park-Berry-Australias-dangerous-playground.html">suggested</a> it was Australia’s “most dangerous playground”. Following community concerns, the park’s tunnel slide was <a href="https://www.2st.com.au/local-news/shoalhaven/boongaree-nature-play-park-tunnel-slide-to-go/">replaced</a> in May this year with another slide with less “momentum”. </p>
<p>Over multiple visits to the park in June 2023, we recruited 302 adults to complete a survey about their children’s park use. We then followed up with a closed Facebook group of 56 parents from the same group. </p>
<h2>The benefits of risk</h2>
<p>We asked parents to share their views about the park and they told us risky park play had many benefits. These included allowing children to:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>be challenged and solve problems</p></li>
<li><p>connect to the outdoors</p></li>
<li><p>direct their own play</p></li>
<li><p>be physically active</p></li>
<li><p>be creative and curious</p></li>
<li><p>demonstrate confidence and independence and</p></li>
<li><p>build social capacity, by sharing equipment and taking turns.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>As one parent told us: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The look on children’s faces as they reach the top of climbing ropes and start walking across the bridges is fabulous – grit and determination, followed by a big deep breath […]</p>
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<p>Another parent spoke of the importance of giving kids the opportunity to </p>
<blockquote>
<p>make their own decisions about the risk they want to take, how high or how fast they will go. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yet another parent described how the park gave children the “freedom to play in any way they feel comfortable”.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-ways-parents-can-help-their-kids-take-risks-and-why-its-good-for-them-120576">Five ways parents can help their kids take risks – and why it’s good for them</a>
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<h2>How to support your child in outdoor, risky play</h2>
<p>So next time you go to the park, how can you support your child to take appropriate risks? Here are some tips, based on <a href="https://theconversation.com/being-in-nature-is-good-for-learning-heres-how-to-get-kids-off-screens-and-outside-104935">our work</a> on children, risk and outdoor play: </p>
<p><strong>Start with a positive mindset:</strong> playgrounds are designed to develop physical and social skills. So be prepared for your child to try new things at the park (rather than just play it safe with the same old equipment). </p>
<p><strong>Be ready to support – and to stand back:</strong> there are times when it is best to stand back and let children experience the equipment or the area for themselves. There are others where parents are needed. So keep a monitoring eye on things. But don’t assume you will be helping all the time. </p>
<p><strong>Language matters:</strong> try to steer away from language such as “be careful”. This can set children up to be afraid of a situation. Reframe your language to something more supportive, such as “is there a stronger piece of wood to put your foot on?” or “have you seen the hole over there?” </p>
<p>You could also say something like, “look around, do you want to explore left or right?”. This prompts your child to think about the best approach for them and builds self confidence and problem-solving skills. </p>
<p><strong>Give useful advice:</strong> help children with specific guidance on how to use equipment safely. For example, when climbing you could say, “use three points of contact, two hands and one foot on that ladder”. </p>
<p><strong>Let the child decide:</strong> allow your child to decide what pieces of equipment they use and how far they climb. Do not push them to complete activities they are not comfortable with. And by the same token, intervene only when the equipment is clearly above their skill development level.</p>
<p><strong>Have fun:</strong> show excitement, join in the imaginative games and reinforce the message that it is acceptable to say no or yes to challenge – both choices are OK!</p>
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<p><em>The authors wish to acknowledge Amanda Lloyd, who contributed to the research on which this article is based.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/212969/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Our research shows outdoor parks offer the ideal place for children to engage in risky play. This may challenge parents who understandably wish to keep their kids ‘safe’ all the time.Tonia Gray, Professor, Centre for Educational Research, Western Sydney UniversityJaydene Barnes, Associate Lecturer , Western Sydney UniversityMarion Sturges, Academic Professional Advisor and Lecturer in Education, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1950312023-01-03T06:57:58Z2023-01-03T06:57:58ZHow 1950s bombsites in the UK were turned into adventure playgrounds<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498678/original/file-20221202-8737-5lqvxk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Lollard adventure playground, Lambeth, London, 1955.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/22326055@N06/31293808237">theirhistory | flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 1944, Marie Paneth, an Austrian-born art therapist, <a href="https://read.dukeupress.edu/cultural-politics/article-abstract/9/3/323/25934/Playgrounds-and-BombsitesPostwar-Britain-s-Ruined">imagined</a> a scheme whereby London’s bombsites would be used by local children for building huts and caves and for growing vegetables which they could then sell. Paneth saw the children as the future landlords of these damaged grounds, with minimal adult intervention. </p>
<p>In 1946 the <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-in-doubt-let-them-out-children-have-the-right-to-play-128780">children’s rights</a> campaigner and landscape architect Lady Allen of Hurtwood visited the Emdrup junk playground (<em>Skrammellegepladsen Emdrup</em>) in Denmark. Opened in 1943 by a workers’ cooperative housing association on the outskirts of Copenhagen, it featured all sorts of dens and play structures, including a tall watchtower, that children were building from spare building materials donated by local builders. </p>
<p>Lady Allen returned to the UK and wrote an article for the magazine Picture Post, that featured photographs of the Danish junk playground under the headline, “Why Not Use Our Bombsites Like This?” The idea caught on. In 1948, the National Under Fourteens Council (a youth service associated with the charity, the National Playing Fields Association) published a leaflet advocating for junk playgrounds. They also organised a conference in London to discuss the new phenomenon and set up one of the UK’s first junk playgrounds on the site of <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/43759919#metadata_info_tab_contents">a bombed church in Camberwell</a>, south London. </p>
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<img alt="Children crowd on to a swing." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498676/original/file-20221202-24-48mwq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498676/original/file-20221202-24-48mwq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498676/original/file-20221202-24-48mwq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498676/original/file-20221202-24-48mwq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498676/original/file-20221202-24-48mwq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498676/original/file-20221202-24-48mwq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498676/original/file-20221202-24-48mwq9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=514&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Venchie playground in the Niddrie area of Edinburgh, Scotland, 1970s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/craigmillar/1030375722">andrew crummy | flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By about 1954, the name “junk playground” was dropped in favour of the term “adventure playground”, with <a href="http://seventeenplaygrounds.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Adventure_playgrounds_by_Roy_Koslovsky.pdf">early examples</a> appearing in Liverpool, Bristol, Romford and Grimsby, as well as a growing number in London. <a href="https://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/46639/">My research shows</a> how the traumatic devastation of the second world war allowed progressive planners and landscape architects to reimagine a city more amenable to the needs of children and young people. </p>
<h2>Child-centred space</h2>
<p>Adventure playgrounds offered a new kind of space for a larger age range of children than were catered for by the swings-and-slides type of playground most cities and towns had featured until then. Lollard Adventure Playground in Lambeth, London, had members aged two to 22. Most of the young people over 15 who came to Lollard were working full-time. They’d come to play after work and at weekends. </p>
<p>In one respect, adventure playgrounds followed on from various so-called “child-saving” schemes from the 19th century. Set up in working-class areas by playground campaigners usually backed by the National Playing Fields Association and by charities such as Save the Children, these programmes were designed to protect vulnerable children from the moral and physical dangers of urban life, which increasingly came from fast moving traffic. However, where adventure playgrounds differed was in how child-centered and child-directed they were. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A colourised black and white shot of children outside with stuff in front of a tall building." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498673/original/file-20221202-25-dqkqsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498673/original/file-20221202-25-dqkqsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=678&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498673/original/file-20221202-25-dqkqsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=678&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498673/original/file-20221202-25-dqkqsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=678&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498673/original/file-20221202-25-dqkqsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=852&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498673/original/file-20221202-25-dqkqsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=852&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498673/original/file-20221202-25-dqkqsr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=852&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">St John’s Wood Adventure Playground, mid-1960s.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/22326055@N06/50029071106/">theirhistory | flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Earlier playground movements were founded on principles of shaping young citizens through team sports and organised activities. They had a moralising mission often associated with a form of muscular Christianity. </p>
<p>Adventure playgrounds, by contrast, grew out of an interest in the emergent philosophy of play, as initially conceived of by the German pedagogue, Friedrich Froebel, among others. They also took their cues from the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0305498920180104?casa_token=Qhehwy250MIAAAAA:jSOFvk_KxpiPT_4UKQ7ABcHRun-A_GJBn6toJiaHKrjSZ3DNVjydPCQoxfm0bKJ2IcfAQBoM_hXe">radical teaching experiment</a> that the educationalist Alexander Sutherland Neill had put in motion at Summerhill School in Suffolk. There, pupils attended lessons when they felt ready. Staff and children deliberated together about school rules. </p>
<p>Similarly, adventure playgrounds never compelled members to participate in any project. It was up to them. These playgrounds were specifically aimed at those children and young people deemed “unclubbable”: those who were allergic to the charms of the local church youth group, or the ethos of team sports. </p>
<h2>A Parable of Anarchy</h2>
<p>This emphasis placed on children’s autonomy was one of the reasons <a href="https://archive.org/details/AnarchyNo.7">the magazine Anarchy</a> dedicated its September 1961 issue to the “Adventure Playground: A Parable of Anarchy”. The adventure playground was seen as distinct from both the authoritarian spaces of 1950s homes and schools, and the street, where climbing, exploring and lighting fires – all forms of adventure play – might result in a juvenile court appearance. They offered a different kind of space, where children were free to take all sorts of risks, from jumping off a wall to putting on a musical.</p>
<p>The adventure playground movement also invented a new role: the playworker. The playworker was neither a teacher nor a social worker. Their job was to help play thrive, in all its forms. They would only intervene when asked to, by a child, or when a child or a group’s activities were detrimental to the play activities of others. The playworker learned play from children, not from books. </p>
<p>The 1960s and 1970s represent a high watermark of experimental play environments for children in the UK. Adventure playgrounds flourished as did other new kinds of opportunities, including city farms and play busses. </p>
<p>In the intervening decades, academics, psychologists and educators have increasingly recognised the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-kids-need-risk-fear-and-excitement-in-play-81450">central importance</a> of risky play <a href="https://www.cpha.ca/risky-play-essential-child-development">for development</a>. There is broad consensus that children discouraged from <a href="https://theconversation.com/this-new-risky-playground-is-a-work-of-art-and-a-place-for-kids-to-escape-their-mollycoddling-parents-193218">physically adventurous and risky play</a> risk being deprived of the social and risk management skills, resilience and self-confidence that this kind of activity <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/12/6/6423">fosters</a>.</p>
<p>Despite this, playground provision since the 1980s has increasingly been risk averse. Today, rather than pay a playworker’s salary (however ludicrously small that is), local councils are probably more likely to use their resources to pay for expensive fixed devices on soft-surfaced ground. These are obviously great risk-free fun for your lively five-year-old, but totally dull for a twelve-year-old. </p>
<p>Adventure playgrounds do still exist. There are four in Bristol where I live. Wrexham has an amazing example (the Venture) and London still claims to be the spiritual home of the adventure playground movement. But they are struggling financially. We no longer have bombsites, but we do have city centres teeming with empty shops. Could that same progressive spirit be harnessed to repurpose these spaces for free-range play?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195031/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ben Highmore receives funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council. </span></em></p>The devastation of the second world war allowed progressive planners to reimagine the city and make spaces for children and young people to play in.Ben Highmore, Professor of Cultural Studies, University of SussexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1513512020-12-23T14:54:12Z2020-12-23T14:54:12ZMake room for play as we stumble through this pandemic holiday and new year<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375272/original/file-20201215-13-14hl64a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=29%2C22%2C4468%2C3280&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Play is integral to how children process and understand their experiences.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>We hear constantly how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/bank-canada-economy-covid-19-1.5780703">the economy</a>, <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00078-eng.htm">personal finance</a>, <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/pandemic-learning-gap-1.5732441">education</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2020.1761076">health</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/dont-say-goodbye-to-zoom-yet-most-people-want-to-get-back-to-the-office-but-not-for-the-full-week-151057">the work day</a>. But what about play — how has the pandemic affected play? </p>
<p>The community capacity to provide play opportunities has been diminished by COVID-19 restrictions or closures, yet <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/6881629/coronavirus-lockdown-child-care/">parental workload at home</a> has generally grown, which in turn has strained parents’ <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/managing-stress-anxiety.html">mental well-being</a>. Children’s play is now largely determined by parents’ ability to facilitate play in or around the home.</p>
<p>Research at the University of Regina has explored the effects that the pandemic appears to have on play. A recent study analyzed 10 conversations of between 60 and 90 minutes with parent participants describing their experiences in one-on-one virtual meetings, as well as hundreds of electronically submitted stories about play (or lack thereof) during the pandemic. The study is now undergoing peer review. </p>
<p>Since many communities are facing challenging second wave lockdowns or restrictions, we wanted to share our current recommendations for supporting play at home during the COVID-19 pandemic through the holidays and into 2021 <a href="https://www.playyqr.ca/research.html">based on our early findings</a> and our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/21594937.2017.1288391">research expertise in play</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A child at a playground in winter." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376486/original/file-20201222-17-45m1yk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376486/original/file-20201222-17-45m1yk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376486/original/file-20201222-17-45m1yk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376486/original/file-20201222-17-45m1yk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376486/original/file-20201222-17-45m1yk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376486/original/file-20201222-17-45m1yk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376486/original/file-20201222-17-45m1yk.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Making an effort to get outside even for a few minutes every day appears to be a critical step towards play, health and happiness during these challenging times.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Whitney Blaisdell)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>1. Prioritize your own wellness</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4152417/">Parental wellness</a> is a critical factor to play during the pandemic. Adults whose wellness is suffering are more likely to become not only less playful, but to actively resist play. Conversely, adult wellness spills over to benefit children through an increased ability to be fun-loving, relaxed and playful. It is recommended that adults prioritize their own wellness throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<h2>2. Value play</h2>
<p>Play is often <a href="https://www.dailyitem.com/news/fulbright-scholar-where-did-play-time-go/article_09bb48d4-c925-5c42-8e59-c4db605b3c46.html">undervalued</a>. A perceived importance of <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=jcHOugXx33wC&oi=fnd&pg=PA147&dq=info:Ff-k8OUoUI8J:scholar.google.com&ots=YKM6E8lD0r&sig=wFKX44MDVdR0pPUei2EJMdFi52c&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false">academic achievement over play for small children</a> and an increasingly <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/9/9/3134">risk-avoidant society can threaten children’s opportunities to play</a>. </p>
<p>Play is a wonderful <a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X034001013">tool for learning and cognitive development</a>. More importantly, play is fun and life is short. </p>
<p>In the midst of a pandemic that has placed constant demands on people to <a href="https://hbr.org/sponsored/2020/07/6-ways-to-avoid-isolation-fatigue-while-balancing-the-demands-of-remote-work">adapt their professional capacities</a> while <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/20/7417">lacking in-person contact</a>, play can become a vital avenue for both adults and children to strengthen our outlook and resilience. Approaching the pandemic, as much as possible, as a novel opportunity for family togetherness and play allows us to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic with greater joy and to foster resilience.</p>
<h2>3. Set a tone for neighbourhood play</h2>
<p>The visibility of children playing outdoors appears to be contagious. Parents can normalize free play by offering their children more freedom to play or even discussing their desire for a more playful community with neighbours. </p>
<p>Children have generally been <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/covid-19-return-to-school">expected to meet public health guidelines in school</a> that often include <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/In-Person-Learning/Health-and-Safety/Mask-and-Face-Covering-Requirements-For-TDSB-Students-and-Staff">wearing masks</a> and <a href="https://peopleforeducation.ca/our-work/tracking-canadas-education-systems-response-to-covid-19/">maintaining physical distance</a> from people outside of their household; parents can ask and reasonably expect children to follow the same guidelines in their outdoor play. The current <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-adult-sports-ban-1.5826300">lack of structured activities</a> combined with the professional obligations of many parents working from home has created an opportunity for community revitalization of children’s outdoor free play.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Brothers with a sled." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376440/original/file-20201222-15-576lle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376440/original/file-20201222-15-576lle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376440/original/file-20201222-15-576lle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376440/original/file-20201222-15-576lle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376440/original/file-20201222-15-576lle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376440/original/file-20201222-15-576lle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376440/original/file-20201222-15-576lle.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Parents can play a role in normalizing free play by offering their children more freedom to play outside or talking with neighbours.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>4. See children as drivers of play</h2>
<p>Children often engage in play with items or ideas that appear unchildlike or unplayful. Their play may revolve around mature concepts like death, illness, justice and control. Psychologist Lev Vygotsky <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1070266.pdf">famously wrote</a>: “In play a child is always above his average age, above his daily behaviour; in play it is as though he were a head taller than himself. As in the focus of a magnifying glass, play contains all developmental tendencies in a condensed form; in play it is as though the child were trying to jump above the level of his normal behaviour.” </p>
<p>Seeing children as drivers of their own play who are capable of conceiving, planning and executing their play will offer children an opportunity to increase their play stamina, while putting less stress on parents to entertain their children.</p>
<h2>5. Arrange a playful environment</h2>
<p>Homes with access to a private yard stand out as an advantage in offering opportunities for play. Of course, this is a privilege that <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/45-28-0001/2020001/article/00009-eng.htm">many families do not have</a>. However, a playful environment can be arranged with little to no spending. First, make the home feel as safe as necessary, so children can freely explore the home environment with minimal supervision. </p>
<p>Next, minimize toys. Children’s play relies surprisingly little on toys, and tidying toys can be a burden to parents who are currently experiencing a heavier domestic workload.</p>
<p>Finally, make outdoor access as easy as possible. Visible and easily accessed outerwear and footwear, and mats or towels near exterior doors to minimize mess, help make outdoor play more enjoyable and attractive.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Girl with soccer ball." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376442/original/file-20201222-23-5o42xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/376442/original/file-20201222-23-5o42xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376442/original/file-20201222-23-5o42xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376442/original/file-20201222-23-5o42xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376442/original/file-20201222-23-5o42xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376442/original/file-20201222-23-5o42xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/376442/original/file-20201222-23-5o42xm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Spending time playing outdoors has been found to greatly contribute to one’s overall well-being.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>6. Get outside</h2>
<p>Spending time playing outdoors has been found to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44097-3">greatly contribute to one’s overall well-being</a>. </p>
<p>Trying to make an effort to get outside even for a few minutes every day appears to be a critical step towards play, health and happiness during these challenging times.</p>
<p>Overall, COVID-19 is wreaking havoc on our <a href="https://www.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp2008017">individual and collective health and social and emotional functioning</a>. As we stumble our way through this pandemic, let’s remember that <a href="https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-children-process-grief-and-loss-through-play">play itself is integral to how children can process and understand their experiences with the pandemic; it is how they make sense of the world</a>.</p>
<p>Through attending to our own wellness, examining our attitudes towards play, normalizing child-structured outdoor play, framing children as drivers of play, arranging a playful environment and spending time outside, we too are attempting to be more playful and joyful during this challenging time. We wish the readers all the best in their own pursuit of play.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/151351/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Patrick J Lewis is affiliated with Project Play YQR a non profit which works to promote Play. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Whitney Blaisdell is the founder of Project Play YQR, a non-profit organization that promotes play.</span></em></p>Supporting play begins with parents attending to their own wellness and seeing children as drivers of their own play.Patrick J Lewis, Associate Dean, Professor ECE, University of ReginaWhitney Blaisdell, Master's student, Faculty of Education, University of ReginaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1287802019-12-16T16:31:13Z2019-12-16T16:31:13ZIf in doubt, let them out — children have the right to play<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306852/original/file-20191213-85412-3vsxjg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C543%2C5137%2C3120&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A 2019 UNICEF Canada report shows that only 21 per cent of children aged five to 11 engage in at least 1.5 hours a day of active play and unstructured activities.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>New research from Statistics Canada’s Canadian Health Measures Survey reaffirmed the dramatic decline in Canadian children’s fitness seen over the past 35 years — with <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31617932">only one-third of Canadian school-aged children</a> meeting physical activity guidelines. </p>
<p>Other research from the same survey showed that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27655167">physical activity increases when children are outdoors</a>. Each additional hour spent outdoors per day is associated with seven more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, 762 more steps and 13 fewer minutes of sedentary time. Canadian children need to get outside to play more, to help them move more — and it is their right.</p>
<p>In late November, the <a href="https://www.unicef.org.uk/what-we-do/un-convention-child-rights/">United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child</a> marked its 30th anniversary. This document enshrines a child’s right to play, saying that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to engage in play and recreational activities appropriate to the age of the child … and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The convention also commits states “to develop preventive health care” and “guidance for parents” which can include the health benefits of active play.</p>
<p>Canada is failing to honour these commitments. The <a href="https://www.participaction.com/en-ca/resources/report-card">2018 ParticipACTION Report Card on the Physical Activity of Children and Youth</a>
gives Canada a “D” grade for “Active Play and Leisure Activities,” while the <a href="https://oneyouth.unicef.ca/sites/default/files/2019-08/2019_Baseline_Report_Canadian_Index_of_Child_and_Youth_Well-being.pdf">2019 UNICEF Canada Baseline Report for the Canadian Index of Child and Youth Well-being</a> shows that only 21 per cent of children aged five to 11 engage in at least 1.5 hours a day of active play and unstructured activities. The recent Statistics Canada research reaffirms these findings.</p>
<h2>Adult fears restrict play</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/introduction">Playing outdoors is better than indoors</a>, but the availability of digital media coupled with fears concerning stranger danger and play injury, among others, have shifted children indoors. </p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://www.outdoorplaycanada.ca/position-statement-on-active-outdoor-play/">position statement on active outdoor play</a>, endorsed by the <a href="http://www.phn-rsp.ca/aop-position-jae/index-eng.php">Canadian Council of Chief Medical Officers of Health</a>, concluded:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Access to active play in nature and outdoors — with its risks — is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings — at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>In an era of <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-school-bans-hard-balls-1.1080366">schoolyard ball bans</a> and debates about <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/tobogganing-winter-sport-or-illegal-activity-1.2891340">safe tobogganing</a>, have we as a society lost the appropriate balance between keeping children healthy and active and protecting them from serious harm? Have we restricted a child’s right to play and their access to the holistic health benefits of active outdoor play?</p>
<p><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/9/9/3134/htm">Adults’ fears</a> about all that can go wrong when children play is a barrier to letting children play outside. In the case of schools and other institutions, these <a href="https://doi.org/10.2304/ciec.2012.13.4.300">fears can result in unnecessary and restrictive policies</a> that limit the amount and type of play available to children. </p>
<h2>One in 14 million risk of abduction</h2>
<p>Yet the injury statistics show that children today are <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.17269/CJPH.107.5315">safer than at any other time in Canada</a>. Car crashes are the leading causes of child death, yet we do not hesitate to put our children in cars to “keep them safe.” </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306762/original/file-20191213-85391-1g3mdct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/306762/original/file-20191213-85391-1g3mdct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306762/original/file-20191213-85391-1g3mdct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306762/original/file-20191213-85391-1g3mdct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306762/original/file-20191213-85391-1g3mdct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306762/original/file-20191213-85391-1g3mdct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/306762/original/file-20191213-85391-1g3mdct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children’s outdoor play supports a myriad of health and developmental outcomes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/child-abductions-by-strangers-rare-in-canada-1.1335061">risk of abduction by a stranger is so remote</a> that statistics are not regularly released by police agencies. Public Safety Canada estimated the risk at <a href="https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/lbrr/archives/cn33598-eng.pdf">one in 14 million</a> more than 15 years ago.</p>
<p>The likelihood of a child dying from a fall from play equipment or a tree is even lower at one in 70 million, and there are no recorded deaths for children falling from trees in the 17 years of available statistics. Serious injuries are also extremely rare; the <a href="https://activesafe.ca/playground/">likelihood of sustaining a fracture while playing is 0.0004 per cent</a>.</p>
<h2>A duty to provide active outdoor play</h2>
<p>There are also <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/topic-commentary-why-outdoor-play">unique benefits of being in the outdoors, particularly in nature</a>. When children play the way they want outdoors they move more, sit less and play longer. </p>
<p>They get their hands dirty and are exposed to microbes that help them build immunity. They make their own goals and figure out the steps to attain those goals. They learn, build resilience, develop social skills and learn how to manage risks and keep safe. Their eyes get the exercise needed to combat short-sightedness.</p>
<p>The research is clear: children’s outdoor play supports a myriad of health and developmental outcomes. Despite these benefits and the remoteness of adverse events we restrict our children’s right to play outside. </p>
<p>As 2019, the year of the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child soon comes to a close, we are reminded of our duty to provide, encourage and facilitate active outdoor play for our children’s healthy development. </p>
<p>If in doubt, let them out — it’s their right.</p>
<p>[ <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=expertise">Expertise in your inbox. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter and get a digest of academic takes on today’s news, every day.</a></em> ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/128780/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark S. Tremblay receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, The Lawson Foundation, the Public Health Agency of Canada, ParticipACTION and salary support form the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute. He is President of the Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance, Chair of Outdoor Play Canada, Chief Scientific Officer of the ParticipACTION and was primary author of the Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mariana Brussoni receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Lawson Foundation and salary support from the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute. She is a board member of the Child & Nature Alliance of Canada and on the leadership group for Outdoor Play Canada.</span></em></p>On the 30th anniversary of the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child, let’s remember children’s right to play.Mark S Tremblay, Professor of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of OttawaMariana Brussoni, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Population and Public Health, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1278452019-12-03T16:03:21Z2019-12-03T16:03:21Z‘Frozen II’ helps children weather risk — and accept change<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304314/original/file-20191128-178083-18gi33r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C12%2C1248%2C782&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">'Frozen II' sees Elsa move towards being herself without fear of harming others. Here, Elsa, voiced by Idina Menzel, sprinkling snowflakes on Bruni, a salamander. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Disney via AP)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Disney’s <em>Frozen</em> has been a staple in my house since before it won an <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/frozen-oscars_n_4887295">Academy Award for best animated feature in 2014</a>. Before my girls could even talk, they were humming along to the famous “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-zXT5bIBM0">Do You Want to Build a Snowman</a>?” song. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2294629/plotsummary"><em>Frozen</em></a> is about a fearless princess named Anna who journeys to find her sister, Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped their kingdom in eternal winter. Anna’s quest to save the kingdom comes to an abrupt halt when she is frozen in a heroic act to save Elsa from being killed by Hans, who wants to take over the kingdom.</p>
<p>Now, <em>Frozen II</em> has broken box office records <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/frozen-2-box-office-all-records-broken-1257703">for an animated film global opening</a> — and I’m not surprised. As a mom, I love that Anna and Elsa’s love for one another teaches my daughters to love each other and to take care of one another. And as an early childhood professional, I appreciate how the film <a href="https://www.tor.com/2016/06/23/fairy-tale-subversion-hans-christian-andersens-the-snow-queen/">reinterprets</a> and <a href="https://www.bustle.com/articles/38101-how-is-frozen-different-from-the-snow-queen-by-hans-christian-andersen-theyre-an-icy-world">retells</a> <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.act2080.0047.311">fairy tales</a> and myths to share powerful lessons about coping with change and taking risks.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eIw-dKqTtY0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">‘Frozen II’ trailer.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Lesson 1: Life is full of change</h2>
<p><em>Frozen II</em> begins with Elsa and Anna’s quest to discover the truth about their kingdom’s past, and Elsa’s gradual discovery that her charged and sometimes dangerous magical powers have deep origins. Anna, meanwhile, seeks to hold onto the sisters’ powerful bond while finding her own identity. </p>
<p>Olaf the snowman returns in this movie after being brought to life by Elsa in <em>Frozen</em>. No longer trapped in a perpetual ice world, the characters celebrate autumn. Olaf tells Anna about the difficulties he’s having. He observes changes in the season and anticipates change in the family with Anna and Kristoff’s engagement. He worries that “nothing is permanent.”</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304339/original/file-20191128-178121-1abe05n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304339/original/file-20191128-178121-1abe05n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304339/original/file-20191128-178121-1abe05n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304339/original/file-20191128-178121-1abe05n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=597&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304339/original/file-20191128-178121-1abe05n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304339/original/file-20191128-178121-1abe05n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304339/original/file-20191128-178121-1abe05n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Olaf the snowman, voiced by Josh Gad, finds comfort from Anna, voiced by Kristen Bell, in ‘Frozen II.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Disney)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Life is full of change. Children are constantly learning and growing, and are therefore experiencing large amounts of <a href="https://www.early-education.org.uk/sites/default/files/Helping%20children%20cope%20with%20change.pdf">change and transition each day</a>. </p>
<p>Change can include simple things like a change in season, or an unfamiliar food served at lunch. But changes like moving schools, parents divorcing or a death in the family can have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12243">profound effects on children</a>. Some children <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=30dIGIyRGf0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=how+children+adjust+to+change&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0npXpj4bmAhUCnOAKHYz3AzIQ6AEIMDAB#v=onepage&q&f=false">can adjust</a> easily to changes, but for many children, change is scary. </p>
<p>Children who have a <a href="https://www.easternflorida.edu/community-resources/child-development-centers/parent-resource-library/documents/parenting-the-slow-to-warm-temperament.pdf">slow-to-warm-up temperament</a> may struggle with change more than easygoing children. Children who have difficulty with trust may experience change as traumatic. For children <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/autism/behaviour/understanding-behaviour/changing-routines-asd">on the autism spectrum</a>, change, especially if it alters their predetermined structure, can be especially difficult.</p>
<h2>How to assure children</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304341/original/file-20191128-178135-io20w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304341/original/file-20191128-178135-io20w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304341/original/file-20191128-178135-io20w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304341/original/file-20191128-178135-io20w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304341/original/file-20191128-178135-io20w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304341/original/file-20191128-178135-io20w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304341/original/file-20191128-178135-io20w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Olaf comes to understand that growing up means adapting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Disney)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Through Olaf’s discussion with Anna, he comes to understand that “growing up means adapting, puzzling at your world and your place.”</p>
<p>In the face of Olaf’s sadness and unease about the unknown, Anna assures Olaf that it’s important to rely on the certainties: “Yes, the wind blows a little bit colder, and we’re all getting older,” but “some things stay the same.”</p>
<p>She reassures him that as things change, there will always be people in your life who will support you.</p>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-1-4614-3661-4">Resilience is important for learning</a>,
relationships and being able to handle difficult situations. Coping with change is a part of <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED386327">building resilience</a> and an essential skill for future success. </p>
<p>You can help children adapt to change by talking about it. Have discussions about what’s changing and why. If the change is unexpected, share with them only what you know about the change. It’s OK to tell children: “I don’t know.”</p>
<p>Have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02739615.2012.657040">routines</a> and consider transitions. When children know what comes first, then next and can predict some of what will happen, they are learning to think through situations and solve problems. Both these skills are important when managing the emotions that come with change.</p>
<p>Accept <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2012.718037">children’s grief</a> through change, especially during significant situations like the death of a loved one or a divorce. It’s important to listen to their feelings and respond to their questions and worries.</p>
<p>Give them choices and let them be a part of the change — this allows them to feel like they have control. With control comes acceptance. For example, if you’re moving to a new home, let your child help pick out the paint colours.</p>
<h2>Lesson 2: Taking risks</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304342/original/file-20191128-178078-ofhy8y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304342/original/file-20191128-178078-ofhy8y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=843&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304342/original/file-20191128-178078-ofhy8y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=843&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304342/original/file-20191128-178078-ofhy8y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=843&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304342/original/file-20191128-178078-ofhy8y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1059&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304342/original/file-20191128-178078-ofhy8y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1059&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/304342/original/file-20191128-178078-ofhy8y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1059&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Anna’s journey leads her out of her sister’s shadow.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Disney)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Elsa and Anna’s comfort zone was their kingdom, Arendelle. As they embark on their journey into the enchanted forest to discover their family’s history, Olaf reminds us <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/203434/the-uses-of-enchantment-by-bruno-bettelheim/">that the enchanted forest</a> — where we step outside of our comfort zones while looking to trusted guides or companions — is a place of transformation. </p>
<p>It’s important to take risks throughout life, but the uncertainty of taking risks can be scary. There is a feeling of unease associated with not knowing the outcome, as well as fear of potential failure. </p>
<p>Elsa depicts this fear in her musical response to the enchanted forests’ calling for her. She sings:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I can hear you, but I won’t … There’s a thousand reasons I should go about my day and ignore your whispers, which I wish would go away.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Elsa takes a leap of faith, plunges into the unknown and finally embarks on an adventure to discover hidden truths. She finds a place where she can be herself, without fear of harming anything with her powers. </p>
<p>Anna, meanwhile, becomes queen of Arendelle, a place where she no longer lives in her sister’s shadow — where she can shine.</p>
<h2>How to support children’s risk taking</h2>
<p>It’s important to allow children to participate in <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/12/6/6423/htm">risky play</a>. Risky play teaches children to regulate <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ985542">fear and anger</a>. They learn to manage and overcome obstacles. </p>
<p>Sometimes the outcome of risk-taking in both childhood and adulthood is failure. <a href="https://thriveglobal.com/stories/why-it-s-important-to-let-your-kid-fail/">Failure</a>, as difficult as it is, is an important part of life and necessary for children to learn for future success. We should help our children to see failure as a stepping stone to discovering who they are.</p>
<p>The forest howls and it’s scary. But with love and friendship, and having the courage to step into the unknown, in time princesses become queens, dangerous powers can become gifts — and snowmen can cope with autumn.</p>
<p>[ <em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/127845/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elena Merenda does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Frozen II teaches children that venturing into the enchanted forest — stepping outside of comfort zones while looking to trusted guides or companions — can be a place of positive transformation.Elena Merenda, Assistant Program Head of Early Childhood Studies, University of Guelph-HumberLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1259242019-10-28T20:40:54Z2019-10-28T20:40:54ZWhen can kids trick-or-treat without adults?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/298836/original/file-20191027-113972-pdo37a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C47%2C1590%2C823&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Roaming with a group of kids unsupervised in the '80s was awesome and your kids deserve that when you assess they can handle the risks. Here, Noah Schnapp, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin in 'Stranger Things,' Season 2.
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Netflix) </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Parenting today can be fraught with anxiety. With the rise in technology and social media, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2018.1492702">stories seem to abound about dangers</a>, but the <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/5667325/canada-crime-rate-2018-statistics-canada/">prevalence of crime and its severity is lower today than it was a decade or so ago</a> in Canada. But this doesn’t necessarily stop parents from feeling scared and vulnerable.</p>
<p>Societal norms around child safety have changed and <a href="https://www.cpha.ca/parental-perceptions-play">children’s unstructured time and time outdoors has declined</a>. Children yearn for freedom, but it’s not the 1980s anymore. Children today experience the difference in norms when they watch shows like <em><a href="https://www.netflix.com/ca/title/80057281">Stranger Things</a></em>, where the kids pick up their bikes and ride through the streets unsupervised. My own child asked me: “Was this real? Did you just ride around and no one knew where you were?” This was real. It was awesome.</p>
<p>Perhaps this nostalgic world our children are experiencing through media is just that. But are there ways that parents can and should let go a little? </p>
<p>Our children need to learn <a href="https://www.cpha.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/resources/play/play_5reasons_infographic_e.pdf">independence and resilience</a>. Some reasonable risk is <a href="http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/documents/middleyears/On-MY-Way-Middle-Years.pdf">important for development</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299002/original/file-20191028-114011-1t0oqzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299002/original/file-20191028-114011-1t0oqzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299002/original/file-20191028-114011-1t0oqzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299002/original/file-20191028-114011-1t0oqzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299002/original/file-20191028-114011-1t0oqzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299002/original/file-20191028-114011-1t0oqzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299002/original/file-20191028-114011-1t0oqzc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If older children can handle the responsibility of trick-or-treating with younger children, both may benefit.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Children learn from being independent</h2>
<p>The right age for an unsupervised Halloween is highly debatable, but it’s a matter for parents to carefully consider. </p>
<p>Allowing your <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3299351/">age-appropriate child</a> to <a href="https://www.journalofplay.org/sites/www.journalofplay.org/files/pdf-articles/3-4-interview-marano-skenazy.pdf">experience freedom and independence</a> provides them with opportunities to develop confidence. New stages bring <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5886742/">new challenges and new fears</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/communicating-relationships/family-relationships/privacy-trust-teen-years">Trust your children’s instincts</a>, judgments and abilities to learn from their mistakes. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/04/hey-parents-leave-those-kids-alone/358631/">Reasonable risks</a> can increase <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=W1SwAIwR-nkC&pg=PA10&dq=safety+in+middle+childhood&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOv5yT7r3lAhXDs54KHbcUDwYQ6AEIWzAH#v=onepage&q=safety%20in%20middle%20childhood&f=false">problem solving, listening skills, decision-making skills and compassion</a>. </p>
<p>Children may be faced with challenges, and being without adults allows them to learn how to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK216783/">negotiate group dynamics</a>. They might have to decide what houses to avoid, or what to do if members of their group want to take different routes.</p>
<p>Children also find opportunities to learn how to <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/09/150908135101.htm">express their needs and decide what to do</a>, if they don’t agree with the group. And they may find some fun and fantasy. Maybe they’ll create stories about spooky houses.</p>
<p>Children who learn to explore and master new situations or conquer fears through play may <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12310">fare better later in life</a>. Some research links the decline of free play, and the developmental benefits it affords, with a <a href="https://www.journalofplay.org/sites/www.journalofplay.org/files/pdf-articles/3-4-article-gray-decline-of-play.pdf">rise in anxiety and depression</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299003/original/file-20191028-114005-180vpyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299003/original/file-20191028-114005-180vpyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299003/original/file-20191028-114005-180vpyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299003/original/file-20191028-114005-180vpyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299003/original/file-20191028-114005-180vpyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299003/original/file-20191028-114005-180vpyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299003/original/file-20191028-114005-180vpyq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If your child isn’t ready to trick-or-treat unsupervised, prepare them for the future.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>When is your child ready?</h2>
<p>They walk to school on their own, know the neighbourhood, streets and community. </p>
<p>The community feels safe for you.</p>
<p>You can trust families or neighbours to help your child if required.</p>
<p>Your child can understand and follow rules.</p>
<p>They can understand the consequences of breaking those rules.</p>
<p>You are able to follow through on the agreement of the consequences.</p>
<p>You can discuss and implement your rules (such as when they must return).</p>
<p>If you or your child isn’t ready, give them small developmentally appropriate levels of freedom. Maybe they’re ready to run up to the door on their own and you hang back and watch. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299005/original/file-20191028-113953-2a7mrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/299005/original/file-20191028-113953-2a7mrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299005/original/file-20191028-113953-2a7mrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299005/original/file-20191028-113953-2a7mrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299005/original/file-20191028-113953-2a7mrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299005/original/file-20191028-113953-2a7mrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/299005/original/file-20191028-113953-2a7mrv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">You can discuss and implement your rules including their route and when they have to return.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Parenting tips for your child</h2>
<p>Make sure you <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/tween-and-teen-health/in-depth/parenting-tips-for-teens/art-20044693">talk with your child first about rules, expectations and even your fears</a>. </p>
<p>If you are scared about something specific such as eating candy without looking at it first, explain this to them. It’s important they don’t think you fear they’re incompetent, or worse, that you don’t trust them.</p>
<p>Let them know you trust and believe in them. It’s exciting and scary for them also.</p>
<p>Talk to them about what to do if something happens, such as getting separated from the group. </p>
<p>Sometimes it’s helpful to suggest what they can say to their friends or to other parents if they need help.</p>
<p>Let them have fun. If there are neighbours’ places where you know the candy is safe, you could make a special plan for children to eat it there. </p>
<h2>… And for you</h2>
<p>Know that <a href="https://www.familycircle.com/teen/parenting/communicating/letting-go-of-your-kids/">letting your child go and not being able to protect them at all times is scary</a> for most parents, especially at first.</p>
<p>Think about how you’re going to deal with your own anxiety.</p>
<p>There are <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-parents-should-think-twice-about-tracking-apps-for-their-kids-114350">controversies about parents tracking their children with GPS</a>. Your child could carry a phone, and you could look at the GPS every once and awhile — but if you do this, make sure the child knows you have GPS and you can see them, because trust is important.</p>
<p>A range of views exist about the <a href="https://journals.rcni.com/nursing-children-and-young-people/evidence-and-practice/childrens-and-parents-views-about-using-mobile-phones-to-support-outdoor-play-ncyp.2019.e1026/full">role of phones and whether they’re barriers or bridges</a> for children’s outdoor free play and activity. Maybe you’d like them to text or call at a certain time or to borrow a phone at a known home (remember they may forget when they’re caught up in the excitement). </p>
<p>Maybe, instead, you have friends or neighbours who can call when they see your child. </p>
<p>Talk with your child and <a href="https://jyd.pitt.edu/ojs/jyd/article/view/19-14-01-FA-03">let them be part of decisions and conversation</a>. Trust your child and yourself. You have put plans in place and you’re available if needed.</p>
<p>When your child runs in with a full bag of candy at the end of the night with a huge smile, brimming with confidence, you can be proud you are raising someone who is learning to manage life. </p>
<p>Allowing our children to take calculated risks, whether on Halloween or the playground as developmentally appropriate, supports their growth. That’s a parenting win. </p>
<p>[ <em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/ca/newsletters?utm_source=TCCA&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125924/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The right age for an unsupervised Halloween is highly debatable, but it’s something parents should carefully consider. Some reasonable risk is important for development.Nikki Martyn, Program Head of Early Childhood Studies, University of Guelph-HumberElena Merenda, Assistant Program Head of Early Childhood Studies, University of Guelph-HumberLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1180312019-06-11T23:09:05Z2019-06-11T23:09:05ZFrom obesity to allergies, outdoor play is the best medicine for children<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278978/original/file-20190611-32356-13o88s8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C59%2C4984%2C3183&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Children report being at their happiest when playing outside.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>What if there was a simple, inexpensive and fun way to address some of the major challenges facing humanity today. What if it could help improve children’s health, development and well-being?</p>
<p>Imagine a solution that could stem the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32129-3">current epidemics of obesity</a>, anxiety and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.10.005">depression</a> affecting children and youth today. Imagine that this solution could also promote brain health, creativity and academic achievement and prepare our children for the <a href="https://www.realplaycoalition.com/value-of-play-report/">rapidly-changing work force</a>. </p>
<p>Along the way it could reduce incidence of allergies, asthma and other <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1205624109">immunity challenges</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cxo.12845">improve eye health</a>. It could <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/indigenizing-outdoor-play">foster a culture of environmental stewardship and sustainability</a> and help build the health of cities — promoting neighbourliness and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.12.015">feelings of community connection</a>. </p>
<p>Imagine that this intervention could also help countries meet their targets for many of the <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/">United Nations Sustainable Development Goals</a>, such as the goals of Good Health and Well-being, Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth and Climate Action.</p>
<p>This isn’t an expensive intervention, or one that parents have to force their children to do — like homework or eating their vegetables. Rather than dreading it, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/21594937.2014.937963">children report being at their happiest</a> when doing it and they seek ways to keep at it for as long as possible.</p>
<p>What is this fix-all simple solution? Playing outside.</p>
<h2>The magic of outdoor play</h2>
<p>Many of us have <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7721/chilyoutenvi.26.1.0017">fond memories of childhoods spent outside</a>, hanging out with friends in our neighbourhoods, parks and wild places, making up the rules as we went along, with minimal (if any) adult supervision. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278984/original/file-20190611-32356-1vvvbdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278984/original/file-20190611-32356-1vvvbdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278984/original/file-20190611-32356-1vvvbdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278984/original/file-20190611-32356-1vvvbdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278984/original/file-20190611-32356-1vvvbdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278984/original/file-20190611-32356-1vvvbdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278984/original/file-20190611-32356-1vvvbdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Children need the time, space and freedom to play outdoors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We need only reflect on our own play memories to realize how valuable these experiences can be and how they can shape our lifelong health and development. The research is now catching up to our intuitions, recognizing the <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/">vast and diverse benefits of outdoor play</a>.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-kids-need-risk-fear-and-excitement-in-play-81450">Why kids need risk, fear and excitement in play</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>Playing outside is not the same as playing inside. There are <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/topic-commentary-why-outdoor-play">unique benefits of being in the outdoors</a>, particularly in nature, that don’t come as readily indoors. When children are allowed to play the way they want to play in stimulating environments, <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/active-outdoor-play">they move more, sit less and play longer</a>. </p>
<p>They get their hands in the dirt and are <a href="http://letthemeatdirt.com/">exposed to microbes that help them build their immunity</a>. They make their own goals and figure out the steps to attain those goals, helping them build <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/influence-outdoor-play-social-and-cognitive-development">executive function skills</a>. They <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/young-childrens-outdoor-play-based-learning">learn</a>, build resilience and <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/influence-outdoor-play-social-and-cognitive-development">develop their social skills</a>, learn how to <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/outdoor-risky-play">manage risks</a> and keep themselves safe. Their eyes get the exercise they need to help combat <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cxo.12845">short-sightedness</a>.</p>
<p>We are rediscovering the magic of outdoor play. Governments see it as a way of <a href="http://www.phn-rsp.ca/aop-position-jae/index-eng.php">getting kids active</a> and averting the obesity crisis. Schools and <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/building-capacity-support-outdoor-play-early-childhood-education">early childhood centres</a> see it as a way of promoting academic and socio-emotional learning. Corporations see it as a way of <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/01/play-gap-hurting-childrens-skills-futures">preparing children for the jobs of the future</a> that will focus on creativity, empathy and connection with others. Children just see it as a way of having fun and feeling free!</p>
<h2>Adults must let go of their fears</h2>
<p>There are three key ingredients to supporting outdoor play: <a href="http://www.playwales.org.uk/eng/outdoorplay">time, space and freedom</a>.</p>
<p>Kids need time to be able to play outside. In schools, that means <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1137793.pdf">recess policies that get kids outside every day</a>, finding opportunities to use the outdoors for learning and limiting homework. At home, that means laying aside screens and limiting scheduled structured activities.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278988/original/file-20190611-32331-12mgj2z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278988/original/file-20190611-32331-12mgj2z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278988/original/file-20190611-32331-12mgj2z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278988/original/file-20190611-32331-12mgj2z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278988/original/file-20190611-32331-12mgj2z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278988/original/file-20190611-32331-12mgj2z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278988/original/file-20190611-32331-12mgj2z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Risky play teaches children to keep themselves safe.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>Kids also need <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/early-childhood-outdoor-play-and-learning-spaces-ecopals-achieving">high quality outdoor spaces</a> to play in. That doesn’t necessarily mean expensive playground equipment. It means <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/creating-inclusive-naturalized-outdoor-play-environments">spaces where all children feel welcome</a>, regardless of their abilities and backgrounds, that they can make their own and that also have loose parts (for example sticks, stones, water and cardboard boxes) they can use and let their imagination shape the play. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-tips-to-manage-screen-time-this-summer-97844">Five tips to manage screen time this summer</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<p>In cities, that means being prepared for and allowing play to happen everywhere, not just parks and playgrounds. We need to design <a href="http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/outdoor-play/according-experts/designing-cities-outdoor-play">inclusive and child-friendly cities</a> where kids feel welcome everywhere and can easily access nature.</p>
<p>Finally, freedom: the biggest barrier to children’s ability to play the way they want to play is adults. We need to <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-kids-need-risk-fear-and-excitement-in-play-81450">let go of our excessive fears of injuries and kidnapping</a> and realize that the benefits of kids getting out to play far outweigh the risks. My lab developed a <a href="https://outsideplay.ca/">risk reframing tool for parents and caregivers to help them on this journey</a>.</p>
<h2>Support the children in your life</h2>
<p>Helping support children’s outdoor play can be as simple as opening the front door. It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. If we all do our bit, we can help bring back this crucial activity that should be part of all children’s daily lives, regardless of age, cultural background, gender or ability. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278989/original/file-20190611-32317-1hy7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/278989/original/file-20190611-32317-1hy7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278989/original/file-20190611-32317-1hy7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278989/original/file-20190611-32317-1hy7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278989/original/file-20190611-32317-1hy7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278989/original/file-20190611-32317-1hy7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/278989/original/file-20190611-32317-1hy7cs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Playing outdoors reduces incidence of allergies, asthma and other immunity challenges.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Matthew T Rader)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There are lots of <a href="https://www.cpha.ca/unstructured-play">tools to help you get started</a>, whether you’re a parent, caregiver, <a href="http://lawson.ca/advancing-op-ece.pdf">educator</a>, city planner or a neighbour. </p>
<p>I would encourage you to consider one simple and attainable thing you are going to do today to help get the child or children in your life get out to play.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118031/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mariana Brussoni receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Lawson Foundation and salary support from the BC Children's Hospital Research Institute. She is a board member of the Child & Nature Alliance of Canada.</span></em></p>Adults must let go of their fears of injury and kidnapping. Children need free outdoor play to build physical immunity, psychological health, executive functioning and social skills.Mariana Brussoni, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Population and Public Health, University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.