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(Unit 1) Topic 3: Life on the Playground

Healthy Risk Taking

​Topic 3 Page 14

As an educator, safety should always be first and foremost in your mind. You should never encourage a child to do something that would hurt themselves. However, it is also our job to help them experience appropriate risks, in this case physical ones, that they are ready for.
Too often, risks are taken through a screen, rather than experiencing them for themselves. In reality, no space is risk-free.  Bumps, bruises and the occasional scratch are a part of childhood. Preventing children from getting hurt in any way, shape, or form, is to do them a disservice. ​
​“The greater risk is not providing children with the skills and abilities to identify and mitigate risk when they come across it so they can engage with the big wide world.” (National Quality Standard Professional Learning Program). The goal is to encourage risks that are beneficial to children. The key is determining what it means to take healthy risks.
Risk vs. Hazard
​A risk is something that is possible to negotiate and may be appropriate for particular situations and children. 
A hazard is something that is inherently dangerous and needs to be remedied, such as a climbing structure with sharp edges or loose boards that could seriously injure children if they play on it (Curtis, 2010). ​
​
​Benefits of risk taking:
  • Developing self-confidence
  • Building resiliency
  • Learning through experience
  • Engagement with the natural environment and natural elements

​Sometimes it can be difficult for teachers to distinguish if an activity is a risk or a hazard. When managing risks, here are some factors to consider:
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Children’s ages, stages of development and temperaments.
What may be appropriate risk-taking behavior for a school-age child may not be safe for a preschooler or toddler to be doing. Even students of the same age group may be in different stages of development. Educators should be mindful of this when trying to decipher if an action is a risk or a hazard. It all depends on the individual child.
Gender 
Research indicates that boys are more likely to engage in risky behavior, and that sterile environments increase this type of behavior.
Additional needs 
Some children with particular disabilities or behavioral disorders may be less aware of risks and dangers, particularly in the outdoor environment and therefore may require closer adult supervision at all times.
Family backgrounds
"Children may have experienced being over or under protected which means that they may respond differently to their environments and the experiences provided”. (Kennedy, 2009) 

For more information on risk taking, explore the resources provided below.
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  • ​The Process Of Risk, Teacher Tom, March 27, 2015
  • Video: Safe risk taking in your centre?, Early Childhood Australia 
  • Video: Learning to take risks, Early Childhood Australia Inc.
  • "No Super Hero Play", Teacher Tom, February 03, 2017
  • I wish I had a playground like that, by Deborah J. Stewart, M.Ed., April 7, 2016 
  • Risky outdoor play positively impacts children’s health: UBC study, The University of British of Columbia

Alternate Link for Discussion Board Assignments

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(Unit 1) Topic 3: Life on the Playground * Navigation Menu
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Successful Solutions Training in Child Development

Address: PO Box 727, Burley, WA 98322-0727  * www.mycdaclass.com
Copyright 2018.  Successful Solutions Professional Development LLC.  
All Rights Reserved. Updated May 8, 2018

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  • Unit 1 Home Page
    • About Us
    • About the Trainers
    • Blog
    • CDA Credentialing Process
    • CDA Success Stories
    • Course Synopsis
    • Technical Requirements
    • Terms of Use
    • What is a CDA?
  • Enroll Now
    • Washington STARS
  • Student Log-In
  • Contact
  • CDA Virtual Classroom
    • Unit 1
    • Unit 2
    • Unit 3
    • Unit 4
    • Unit 5
    • Unit 6
    • Unit 7
    • Unit 8