Play Provocations #3: Risky Play for Preschoolers

Join hosts Linda Harrison and Lindsay Laing as they explore the vital role of Risky Play in early childhood settings! Find out why risky play is important for building a young child's resilience, self-confidence, and problem-solving skills. This episode equips educators to understand the 6 types of Risky Play in early education.
 
You'll take away an innovative play provocation idea with using tools at a  Woodworking and Whittling Station. Discover how to safely set up an inviting outdoor workshop using natural materials and real tools to teach responsibility, persistence, and focus. This episode will empower you to become a brave facilitator of healthy risk-taking for preschoolers in your early learning environment!

If you enjoyed this episode, consider leaving us a review on your favourite podcast platform.

Have questions or feedback? Connect with us on social media or email us at info@learnplaythrive.com.au

Connect with Us:

- Website: www.learnplaythrive.com.au

- Instagram: @learnplaythrive_

- Facebook: @Learn Play Thrive Australia

- Email: info@learnplaythrive.com.au

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:01

Welcome to Learn Play Thrive the podcast, the ultimate early learning podcast for educators and leaders in the sector. Let's learn, play, and thrive together.

SPEAKER_00 0:11

The Learn Play Thrive podcast was recorded on the land with the Dark and Jung people. We pay our respects to the traditional custodians, past, present, and emerging. Hands up, hands down, clear and dark and young land.

SPEAKER_03 0:24

Hello listeners and welcome back to Play Provocations.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

I'm Linda Harrison. And I'm Lindsay Lang. We're so excited you're joining us. Last time we dove into the power of pretend play, and today we're shifting gears to explore risky play, a form of play that is vital for resilience and development in early childhood.

SPEAKER_03 0:42

Yes, and when we talk about risky play, we're referring to exciting and thrilling play. The risky play position statement for young Australian children defines risky play as play that is exploratory and challenging with often unpredictable outcomes. It is child initiated and physically engages all the senses, leading to positive learning and development outcomes. Risky play invites children to participate in play that offers a sense of thrill and excitement, as well as opportunities for exploration, problem solving, challenge, and dealing with uncertainty. And these skills are all important for lifelong learning.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Yes, and we also need to be clear on the difference between a risk and a hazard in this context of risky play. A sequer defines a risk as something that is possible to negotiate and may be appropriate for particular situations and children. A hazard, however, is something that is dangerous and needs to be removed, like a climbing structure with sharp edges or loose parts that could seriously injure children if they play on it.

SPEAKER_03 1:41

Well, let's now move on to explore why risky play matters in early childhood education and care settings. This type of play actively builds a young child's self-confidence and resilience, creativity and problem solving, self-regulation and social skills, spatial awareness, and a deeper understanding of the world. The EYLF version 2.0 supports the notion of risk taking. It emphasizes that quality outdoor learning spaces and natural environments should invite open-ended interactions, spontaneity, risk taking, exploration, discovery, and connection with nature. The EYLF also highlights the benefits of social emotional risk taking, noting that children become strong in their social and emotional well-being when they make choices, accept challenges, when they take considered risks, manage change, and cope with frustrations and the unexpected.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

Yes, and risky play also has other developmental benefits for children. This can look at physical motions required in some types of risky play, can help children acquire fundamental movement skills such as running, jumping, kicking, and balancing, which help develop muscle and skeletal strength and endurance.

SPEAKER_03 2:56

Let's now move on to describing the six main types of risky play, because understanding these can help us as educators design more effective play provocations. Ellen Sansita defines these six types of risky play. Firstly, play with great heights. This involves climbing trees, rocks, or play structures. It's about the thrill of exposure to height and the possibility of falling. Educators can provide encouragement and support as children test their limits. Next is play with high speed. Activities that involve fast movement like games of tag, races, riding bicycles or scooters down a hill, swinging on a tyre or flying through the air on a flying fox. Feeling the thrill of speed without being in complete control. Another type of risky play is play with dangerous tools. This involves using real tools for building, creating or gardening. We're not talking about power tools here, but a real hammer or wood whittling tool and other culturally specific tools like spears or hunting tools under adult supervision. Being trusted with real tools provides a feeling of being responsible while still being aware that they can cause injury. This builds competence and responsibility in young learners. Playing near dangerous elements is the fourth type of risky play. This includes playing near water like a creek pool or beach, or with fire, like when roasting marshmallows, of course, again with active supervision. Being near deep water or crossing a flowing creek by stepping on slippery stones and making the crossing safely gives children a feeling of mastery. And learning about fire and safety around fire, helping to build a fire, considering the risks, cooking on an open fire and dousing the fire. These are all skills that help children to be aware of and show respect to the environment.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

Rough and tumble play is next. Being chased and caught in other types of rough and tumble activities such as play wrestling, allowing children to learn acceptable limits, burn off energy, and provides physical contact. And the very last type of risky play is where the children can disappear or get lost. This involves a thrilling feeling of hiding or having a secret hideout. Spending time in the bush, setting to wander, explore, observe, and be creative without adult intervention. Playing hide and seek where children may experience a little separation anxiety or being startled as a friend jumps out from behind a tree. This all allows children to be with themselves and to experience a small degree of fright and delight. Now let's move on to today's play provocation idea that targets the risky play category play with dangerous tools. This activity is perfect for the older preschoolers. This involves being trusted with real tools such as hammers, nails, saws, or whittling peelers, providing children with a feeling of being responsible. For these preschoolers, we can introduce this safely by focusing on natural materials and age-appropriate tools. Our play provocation today is a woodworking and whittling station. The features of this play provocation environment are key to make this space aesthetically pleasing to promote focused engagement and respect for the materials. Set up your area outside, perhaps under a beautiful shady tree or awning, ensuring you have some natural light. Arrange a few small sturdy logs or low tree stumps for the children to sit on. This promotes comfort and connection to the natural setting. In this play provocation, we can use a small sturdy workbench or low heavy table as a central point. To define the purpose and set the tone, create a simple workbench sign, perhaps a wooden plug with a burnt or painted inscription, like builder's station or whittling workshop.

SPEAKER_03 6:26

An organization is crucial for safety and aesthetics here. So hang a small rack or pegboard nearby displaying the safety glasses, which of course must be worn when hammering, and have tool belts ready for the children to put on. The tools themselves can be beautifully presented and logically arranged. We can arrange whittling material baskets, use some deep woven baskets filled with straight, soft fallen sticks, and this is the best wood for whittling, wood that's young and fresh and that's not dried out. Also provide some wood whittling tools. For young children, a whitler peeler is a great tool. So for preschoolers, this provides a safe and easy way for them to learn how to hold a carving tool. Hang the whittler peelers on accessible hooks as well. We can also offer woodworking tools like real carpentry tools, manageable hammers, a few nails pressed lightly into wood scraps, and this can make aiming easier as they're hammering the nails in, as well as a sturdy pair of pliers. And for toddlers, we could also provide some wooden hammers and soft thick wood. Arrange the tools neatly in compartmentalized toolboxes so children can easily find what they need. And we can place small baskets or crates nearby with wood cutoffs of varying shapes and sizes, together with a tube of wood glue for construction.

SPEAKER_01 7:40

We are using open-ended materials and real tools in this risky play provocation. So we can invite children to make stick people using wood whittling tools and sandpaper. We can add elements for inspiration and aesthetics by laying out books about wood whittling or simply construction nearby. Another idea is to provide small bowls of coloured wool for making hair and hats, twine for wrapping around the sticks they have whittled, and marker pens for googly eyes for creating their finished stick characters.

SPEAKER_03 8:09

And safety is paramount here, and the best way to keep it safe is through clear, consistent rules that children understand, and of course, active supervision. We can create a pictorial chart using photographs to clearly demonstrate the rules of this type of risky play, including space, so demonstrating on the poster that everyone needs at least an arm's length space around them, away from others. The push away rule about pushing the blade of the wood whittling peeler away from your body and hand holding the stick. Safe positioning, don't hold the stick on your lap. Instead, show children in the visuals to hold it at the end so your cutting is past your knees or to the side of them. And small cuts is another rule. So to pair off small pieces of the stick at a time, it's much easier to lose control when pressing hard to remove large chunks. And to stay put, so encouraging children to sit still while they are whittling rather than walking around with their tool.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Once these rules are established, children can start by sitting down, holding the stick to one side of their body for the wood whittling. To create a gnome, for example, children define the hat area by shaving up from the bottom of the hat to the top of the stick. They then shape the hat into a cone using lighter strokes to smooth out edges. Once the character is shaped, they can carve a face or use the markers or wool to decorate. This hands-on natural exploration is essential for building their confidence, resilience, and persistence.

SPEAKER_03 9:38

Absolutely. So to finish up, here are three actionable takeaways for your early childhood education and care service this week. Number one, build supportive relationships and high expectations. Central to children's willingness to engage in risky play is an encouraging environment and supportive adults. Have realistic but high expectations of children's capabilities. Build a positive outlook toward challenge and help children gradually take responsibility for their own safety by giving clear information about the risks. Number two, shift your language from be careful to focus guidance. Instead of vague commands, develop a language to talk about risk and safety. Replace those phrases instead with specific guidance and open-ended risk assessment questions about tool handling and spatial awareness. For example, is the area around you clear, or can you pair off a smaller piece?

SPEAKER_01 10:32

And number three, embrace non-uniformality. In your outdoor space, use materials that are naturally challenging, use wobbly boards, different sized tree stumps, and slope ground to challenge your children. It's important to keep in mind that your service has a policy in place around risky play with the appropriate risk assessment. And of course, this is communicated with your families.

SPEAKER_03 10:52

Thank you so much for joining us for this episode of Play Provocations. We hope you feel empowered to be a brave facilitator of healthy risk taking in your early learning environment. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss our next episode where we're actually going to dive more into risky play for infants and toddlers. So stay tuned for that one. And you can find more resources and connect with us at www.learnplaythrive.com.au. Until next time, keep playing, learning, and thriving.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

Thank you for joining us on this episode of Learn Playthrive the podcast. We hope you found inspiration and valuable insights to fuel your journey in early childhood education. Remember the key to fostering learning, promoting play, and empowering young minds lies with your dedication and creativity. Stay connected between episodes by following us on Instagram at LearnPlaythrive underscore and join the conversation on Facebook at LearnPlaythrive Australia. If you've enjoyed today's episode, please like, subscribe, rate, or review our podcast on your favourite platform. Your feedback helps us to continue to deliver content that resonates with you. And don't forget to visit us at our website at learnplaythrive.com.au for additional resources, blog posts, and professional development opportunities. Until next time, keep learning, keep playing, and keep thriving. We'll see you in the next episode of Learn Playthrive the podcast.