The risk paradox in play refers to a well-established idea in play theory, child development, and psychology: exposing children to manageable risk during play actually makes them safer and more competent in the long run.
What is the Risk Paradox?
The paradox is that: When we try to eliminate all risk from play, we often increase the likelihood of harm later. By over-protecting children and restricting risky play, adults may unintentionally prevent children from developing the skills they need to judge danger, manage fear, and regulate their own behavior.
What Counts as “Risky Play”?
“Risky play” does not mean reckless or unsafe play. It involves challenge, uncertainty, and perceived danger. There are infinite ways this could manifest based on age, location, culture, interests and so on but some examples include:
Climbing trees or playground structures
Playing at speed (running, biking, skating)
Using tools (sticks, ropes, simple tools)
Rough-and-tumble play
Exploring unfamiliar environments
Testing physical limits (jumping from heights, balancing)
These activities allow children to assess risk, make decisions, and learn consequences in relatively safe contexts. It is incredibly important to also consider that while the aforementioned examples are usually seen as “physical risks”… However huge portion of risks children undergo in their development, as they should, exists within a social, emotional and cognitive realm. This can present as…
Manageable conflicts within play
Working up the courage to take on a challenge
Integrating into new social groups, or even sometimes even “riskier”, learning when to leave one!
Despite rarely making the risk management paperwork, these examples are equally, or maybe even more important in childhood development to ensure resilience, coping mechanisms and grit.
Why Is It a Paradox?
Short-term thinking:
Removing risk reduces immediate injuries (scrapes, falls).
Long-term reality:
Children who don’t experience risk may:
Have poorer risk-assessment skills
Be more prone to serious injury later
Experience higher anxiety or fearfulness
Lack confidence and physical competence
So, less risk early can mean more danger later. This however is a huge paradigm shift for conventional and well-established views of risk management, workplace health and safety, and interpretations of care… These need to be challenged as society is showing us clear as day current methods ARE NOT effective on a longitudinal scale.
How Risky Play Supports Development
Risky play helps children develop:
Risk assessment skills – judging what is safe vs. unsafe
Emotional regulation – managing fear and excitement
Physical competence – balance, coordination, strength
Resilience – coping with mistakes and minor injuries
Independence and confidence
Research has also linked appropriate risky play with lower anxiety levels and better mental health outcomes.
The Role of Adults
The goal is not to remove risk, but to:
Distinguish real hazards from acceptable risks
Provide environments that are challenging but not dangerous
Supervise without constantly intervening
Allow children to make age-appropriate decisions
A common phrase used by playworkers in an Outsiders context:
“As safe as necessary, not as safe as possible.”
Or to quote Marc Armitage from Malarkey Playwork…
“We are providing risks to children to keep them safe!”
In One Sentence
The risk paradox in play highlights that children need exposure to manageable risks in order to become safer, more capable, and more resilient individuals over time. As playworkers, educators, carers, teachers… Is this something we should at least be considering?
Angus Gorrie