A Risk-Takers Guide to Life on the Playground

photo courtesy of  kanzlerphoto.com

We are all risk takers to some degree.  Think about the risks you take everyday as a parent, employee, athlete, student, teacher, pastor, friend, doctor, window washer and so on.  The split second decisions you make can save your life, or the decisions you labor over that could change the course of your future.  What is the risk of eating that piece of key-lime pie?  Is it worth the pay off?  Do you take the same kind of risks today as you did 30 years ago?

Recognizing risk is the first step in a long, often invisible, decision making process.  Once the risk is recognized you’ll have to determine what the consequences of taking that risk could be.  You may feel the need to discuss taking that risk with a friend or co-worker, weighing the pros and cons of “going for it.”  In the end, you will make a decision that either demands action or perhaps, inaction.  You may go all out, or you may hedge your bets and find a way to minimize the consequences.

Not only is risk assessment a part of every manufacturer's quality assurance program, it is also a process that is essential to our everyday lives.  Assessing risk is a developed skill. It doesn’t really come naturally to many of us. The sad story is that our children are given far fewer opportunities to learn about risk, risk assessment and risk management.  They used to learn this on the playground monkey bars, or during outdoor play in the woods behind the house, where the forest’s fallen shoulders formed forts, castles and submarines.  Today the litigious nature of so many parents and consumer groups in the United States has meant the removal of any risk taking playground equipment, cutting down trees that may tempt kids to climb, and reducing P.E. class to a mild game of four square.  

The  National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) reviewed injury data from 1990 to 2000 and estimated that about 206,000 public playground and home playground injuries were treated in hospitals across the United States. 

• Children under 5 years accounted for 29.1 injuries per 10,000
• Children between 5-14 years accounted for 34.8 per 10,000
• Children 15 years and older showed up at only 0.6 per 10,000

Falls account for the majority of injuries, but strangulation is also a serious issue. Loose cords or drawstrings on clothing can become entangled in the equipment and the young child can not free themselves.  [See the 2/5/2011 article on Bike Helmet Safety]

• Sixteen states have now enacted some form of playground safety legislation. Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming have adopted the CPSC or ASTM public playground safety regulations.

• The CPSC guidelines for drawstrings on children’s clothing such as jackets and sweatshirts should be carefully enforced by parents and caregivers, as well as classroom teachers.

Research has shown that the improved safety standards for playgrounds do have a positive impact on reducing the most significant playground safety risks to youngsters. But that trend has also come at a price.  Over-protective parents somehow think that protecting their child from any sense of fear or risk is a good thing. The risk for that, however, can be just as dangerous. Have you seen a child that is afraid to jump off a platform, or swing too high, or slide down the slippery slide too fast?  These children are in danger of entering the real world without the coping skills they'll need in their adult life.  


The challenge for parents and childcare providers is finding a reasonable balance between risk and consequence. Supervision coupled with moderate problem-solving opportunities can go a long way to developing self-confident kids. Preschool playgrounds that incorporate naturally growing trees, tree stumps  and grassy knolls into the outdoor scheme invite creative play. Even these moderately challenging environments can help contribute to implanting adventure and a life-long love of physical activity into a child’s world view.  

In today's increasingly urban communities, the older, more threatening structures have been replaced with wooden or recycled plastic playground structures that more closely align with the new safety regulations.  Nature-friendly organizations like Arbor Day and their Nature Explore program are working with many schools to educate them about the benefits of more natural outdoor play areas. The CDC obesity statistics in the United States show that our children are in dire need of physical activity and exercise.  Making playgrounds enticing, challenging, fun and safe is an essential component of integrating physical activity into a children’s daily learning, problem-solving and overall sense of well-being.


Why not step away from the computer right now, and take your child to the park or the forest behind your home.  Challenge him to take a small risk. Let her know that being afraid is okay. Encourage him by letting him know that you believe he can make that jump, or leap across that puddle, or climb that rope ladder alone.  Showing your kids you trust them and that you'll be there for them as they take that risk, will build their self-confidence.  Be ready to kiss-and-make-it better when they fail - then send them back out to risk again.  When they leave home years later to face life on their own - these lessons will be invaluable.