Children who engage in physical “risky play”—such as climbing high structures or moving at speed—develop superior risk management skills that translate to real-world safety, according to a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology. Researchers found that this practice helps children assess hazards, like crossing busy streets, with greater efficiency and speed without increasing their actual risk of injury.
How Risky Play Develops Real-World Safety Skills
Risky play acts as a training ground for the brain’s “perception-action loop,” a cycle where children learn to interpret environmental cues and adjust their physical movements accordingly. According to Mariana Brussoni, a professor at the University of British Columbia and researcher at BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, this play is a fundamental mechanism for children to understand their own physical limits and navigate diverse, high-consequence hazards.
The research, which utilized immersive virtual reality to observe 424 children aged seven to eleven, revealed that those who demonstrated higher “risk willingness” on a virtual playground were significantly faster at evaluating traffic in simulated urban environments. Specifically, children with the highest risk willingness scores spent approximately 68 seconds less assessing traffic than those with the lowest scores. Notably, this faster processing did not lead to more near-misses or collisions, suggesting that the children were not being reckless, but rather more efficient at reading the situation.
Researchers used virtual reality because it allows children to test their decision-making in high-stakes environments—like traffic—without the ethical impossibility of exposing them to actual bodily harm.
The Role of Cultural Environment in Childhood Development
Cultural norms significantly influence how children approach physical challenges. The study, conducted by an international team including researchers from Queen Maud University College in Norway and Colorado State University, found that Norwegian children exhibited higher risk willingness compared to their Canadian peers. This aligns with Norwegian national education policies, which actively encourage outdoor independence and risk-tolerant play, whereas Canadian environments often prioritize more supervised, restricted play structures.
While Canadian participants were slightly older on average, the study found that age and gender were secondary to the cultural environment in determining risk willingness. Boys and older children generally showed higher risk willingness across both groups, but the fundamental difference in how children were permitted to interact with their surroundings remained a key differentiator in their developmental outcomes.
Why Parents Should Rethink “Be Careful”
Decades of efforts to make childhood safer by removing physical hazards may have inadvertently hindered the development of essential judgment skills. According to the research team, if children are not given the opportunity to confront manageable dangers, they may struggle to develop the internal risk assessment tools needed for larger, real-world threats.
Brussoni suggests that parents and educators can foster these skills by providing three core ingredients: time, space, and freedom. For parents who find it difficult to step back, she recommends a specific behavioral intervention: counting to 17 before intervening with a “be careful” warning. This pause allows the parent to move past an immediate fear response and evaluate whether the child is actually in danger or simply testing their own limits.
Instead of hovering, look for “affordances”—physical opportunities for action in a space that match your child’s unique abilities—and allow them to explore those spaces with minimal interference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does risky play lead to more accidents?
No. According to the study, higher risk willingness was not associated with an increase in dangerous choices or accidents. Instead, it was linked to more efficient decision-making and better assessment of environmental cues.
What is the “dynamic risk management model”?
It is a three-part framework consisting of “risk willingness” (the interest in a challenge), “risk assessment” (evaluating the danger), and “risk handling” (the physical movements taken to navigate the challenge).
Is this study applicable to all children?
The current study did not include children who use physical mobility aids like wheelchairs, as the virtual reality setup was not designed to accommodate them. Future research is required to ensure these findings apply to children with diverse physical abilities.
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