Unwrapping Childhood: Missed Developmental Opportunities from the Risky Play Deficit and Overprotection
Updated: Sep 3
While sitting at a playground, you might hear parents shout things like "get down," "not too high," or "be careful" to their children. These familiar phrases illuminate anxieties parents feel around letting their children engage in a subtype of play known as risky play. While parents naturally want to keep their children safe and avoid unintentional injuries, this protective instinct makes it difficult for parents to allow their children to engage in risky play—leading to a lack of important developmental opportunities when overprotected.
Risky play is generally defined as thrilling and exciting forms of free play that involve uncertainty of outcome and the possibility of physical injury, often taking place outdoors. It's important to note that when referring to risky play, risk is distinct from a hazard. Whereas a risk encompasses minor injuries such as cuts, bruises, or sprains, a hazard is something that could result in potentially broken bones, spinal or head injuries, or possible death. Researchers have identified 6 types of play that pose risks for children, being: 1) Play at great heights, 2) Play at great speeds, 3) Using dangerous tools such as knives, hammers, etc., 4) Playing near or with dangerous elements such as fire, water, or cliffs, 5) Rough and tumble play, and 6) Play where children might get lost without supervision, such as in forests or open areas (1).
Risky play provides children with many developmental opportunities. It helps children gain confidence, aids problem-solving, develops risk-evaluation and management skills, and fosters exploration of boundaries (e.g., 2, 3). Those who have been denied an adequate amount of risk exposure may experience "Risk Deficit Disorder," where these children are more likely to fail to meet daily activity guidelines and experience obesity, struggle with confidence, or develop certain phobias (like the fear of heights) later in life (2, 4).
In recent decades, there has been a shift away from risk-taking and a growing reluctance to allow opportunities for risky play. This evolving overprotective culture is reflected in our relevant phrases. Children of the 1970s and 1980s were often referred to as "latch key kids," being allowed to go in and out of the home independently, play unsupervised, and simply be home by the time the streetlights came on. In contrast, today's children are described as "bubble-wrapped" or subjected to "helicopter parenting," describing the idea that parents use intensive supervisory practices because they view children as fragile and needing protection. As a result, in today's society, parents try to keep children "as safe as possible" rather than "as safe as necessary" (5).
What explains this shift? While parental perceptions of risky play are multifaceted and influenced by a plethora of contextual factors, sociological trends can help explain the cultural push toward risk aversion. The creation of the 24-hour news cycle and constant media coverage amplifies stories of tragedies, including those of rare child fatalities from strangulation, falls, or impact trauma on playgrounds, leading viewers to believe these incidents are common, widespread social threats as opposed to tragic anomalies or highly improbable events. These stories frequently involve passing judgment on how well people managed risk (6). Additionally, an increase in road traffic and media coverage of crime has triggered a "culture of fear" despite children being safer than in previous decades. When parents fear abductions or traffic accidents, they restrict children's outdoor play and instead prioritize structured adult-supervised activities.
Wider societal and institutional influences reinforce individual parental concerns. At the systemic level, safety codes, community insurance policies, and liability laws focus on reducing risk and shaping parents' perceptions of acceptable risky play (6, 7). On a national scale, playground equipment standards have evolved to utilize shock absorbers, fences, fall-absorbing surfaces, level surfaces, and inflexible equipment (8). Although intended to protect children, these restrictions reinforce and further normalize the idea that children are fragile, and risk should be managed through adult intervention and restrictions. Consequently, activities such as climbing trees, using tools, or playing with water are often cut short, despite their benefits to physical, social, and emotional development.
Despite all of the fears surrounding risky play, nature-based preschools and kindergartens are rapidly gaining popularity in the United States. Between 2017 and 2022, the number of these programs grew by over 200%, rising from approximately 250 to 800 and serving about 25,600 children (9). These programs use nature to promote risky play: children spend time outdoors, navigating uneven terrain like rocks, mud, logs, and trees, which provides abundant chances for exploration and challenge. Teachers in these settings are often trained to view minor scrapes and bruises as a normal and healthy part of children's development, rather than something to be avoided at all costs.
What else can be done? Parents can start by being aware of the developmental benefits of risky play, which helps shift and reframe risk perceptions. Some experts have suggested that parents practice pausing for 15 to 30 seconds to observe children's "state of play" before intervening. Adjusting the language used with children is also important. Expressions like "slow down" or "be careful" can increase anxiety without providing guidance, whereas phrases like "do you feel like that branch is stable," "notice how those rocks are slippery," or "are you going to be able to get back down" encourage thoughtful risk evaluation and support autonomy (10).
Additionally, parents can also seek out natural landscapes for children to play in, or provide loose parts (like old tires, wooden planks, crates, etc.) for children to play on. At a broader level, organizations can empower teachers and childcare providers to support risky play by granting them greater autonomy. For example, in Canada, the YMCA has implemented mandatory training in risk-taking to encourage less restrictive supervision, while organizations like Outsideplay.org provide resources and education to help adults support a more tolerant approach to risk in children's play (10).
Parenting can be challenging and often comes with anxiety around child-rearing; understanding risky play and what can be done to support it can help parents provide their children with the important developmental opportunities to help children regain autonomy in play.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Emma Smith
Contributing Writer
Emma Smith is a recent Master’s graduate from Bucknell University with an interest in developmental and cross-cultural psychology. She has been a contributing writer for Remember Magazine since August 2026.
References
1. Sandseter, E. B. H. Characteristics of Risky Play. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 9, 3–21, (2009). https://doi.org/10.1080/14729670802702762
2. Sandseter, E. B. H., & Kennair, L. E. O. Children’s Risky Play From an Evolutionary Perspective: The Anti-Phobic Effects of Thrilling Experiences. Evolutionary Psychology, 9,2, (2011). https://doi.org/10.1177/147470491100900212
3. Smith, A. D., Dodd, H. F., Ricardo, L., & van Sluijs, E. Gender Differences in Caregivers’ Attitudes to Risky Child Play in Britain: A Cross-Sectional Study. Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 21, 4, 365–374 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2023-0676
4. Eager, D., & Little, H. Risk Deficit Disorder. International Public Works Conference. (2011). https://www.academia.edu/1479806/Risk_deficit_disorder
5. Brussoni, M., Olsen, L. L., Pike, I., & Sleet, D. A. Risky Play and Children's Safety: Balancing Priorities for Optimal Child Development. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 9,9 (2012). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph9093134
6. Gill, T. No fear: Growing Up in a Risk Averse Society. (2007). Calouste GulBentleykian Foundation
7. Meijer, M., Visser, K., & van Aalst, I. Planning for Risky Play: From Child-Safe Playgrounds Towards Adventurous Urban Areas. Planning Theory & Practice, 25,4, 463–481. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1080/14649357.2024.2399663
8. Kvalnes, Ø., & Sandseter, E. B. H. Risky play: An Ethical Challenge. (2023). Palgrave Macmillan. https://dio.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25552-6
9. Natural Start Alliance. Nature preschools in the United States: 2022 survey. Natural Start Alliance. (2022). https://naturalstart.org/nature-preschools-united-states-2022-survey
10. Beaulieu E, Beno S. Healthy Childhood Development Through Outdoor Risky Play: Navigating the Balance with Injury Prevention. Pediatric Child Health, 24, 9 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/pxae016
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