Studies reveal how risky play can benefit child development. But encouraging it can be a challenge for parents.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.dk/post/9969468

From the article:

Risky play is associated with greater resilience, self-confidence, problem-solving and social skills such as cooperation, negotiation and empathy, according to studies by Sandseter and others. When a study in Leuven, Belgium, gave four- and six-year-olds just two hours a week of opportunities for risky play over the course of three months, their risk-assessment skills improved compared with those of children in a control group2. In this study, the risky play took place at school, in a gym class and in the classroom.

  • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    1·
    23 hours ago

    The post you linked was primarily about the direct fallout of COVID. They very directly said what they were talking about was a basically overnight charge.

    My point is about societal change. The kids aren’t “wusses”, they’re reacting rationally to a changing world. You grew up with much lesser consequences for the risks you took. Those are no longer justifiable risks. Even flipping a lightswitch can trigger a devastating chain of consequence if you have a crazy power tripping teacher, so why bother? Phone screens are backlit anyway.

    I take opposition to the way you’re framing this. Are you a wuss because you didn’t work 16 hours a day in a coalmine as a kid? Every generation thinks the next is too soft. The world changes, and the skills and techniques to successfully navigate it change.