Risky play

What It Means

Risky play is thrilling, exciting free playUnstructured playPlay a child chooses and directs, with no adult-set rules, lesson or goal, like making up a game in the yard or building whatever comes to mind. See more where the outcome is uncertain and a child could get physically hurt, such as climbing a tree, racing down a hill on a bike or wrestling with a sibling. The child chooses the challenge and judges for themselves how far to push it. Canada's national association of pediatricians, known as the CPS, has a position statement on outdoor risky play that weighs its benefitsBenefits packageEverything an employer offers on top of wages, such as health insurance, paid leave and a retirement plan, which can be worth thousands of dollars a year. See more against injury prevention.

How Parents Say It

• "Let him climb, I'm right here."
• "She wants to go higher every time we come to this tree."
• "They're wrestling, but they're both laughing."

The Breakdown

The six kinds of risky play

The categories come from Norwegian researcher Ellen Sandseter and are used in the CPS statement and UBC research.

By age. For toddlersToddlerA child from 1 to 3 years old, the stage CDC's parenting guidance places between infancy and the preschool years. See more, risky play is small and close: low climbs, soft falls and an adult within arm's reach. Older children can take on more height, speed and distance as they show they can judge it. Match the challenge to what your child has already managed, and let them step up one notch at a time.

What the research links it to. The CPS statement and UBC research describe outdoor risky play as linked with more physical activity and less sitting, and with better social interaction, creativity, confidence, resilienceResilienceThe capacity to adapt and keep developing well in the face of hardship. In children it's built above all through a stable, supportive relationship with an adult. See more and self-regulationSelf-regulationA child's growing ability to manage their own feelings, attention and actions, like calming down, waiting a turn or sticking with a hard task. See more. A UBC study reported in May 2026 found children who were bolder on a playground task decided more quickly and efficiently when to cross a street, without making riskier choices.

When to talk to the doctor. If your child is very fearful of any physical challenge, or keeps getting hurt, mention it at the next checkup.

Good to Know

The CPS statement's own title pairs risky play with injury prevention, and both halves apply. Remove hazards a child can't see or judge, like broken equipment or a hidden drop, and keep safety gear such as bike helmets. UBC's Dr. Mariana Brussoni names three things that make room for risky play: time, space and freedom.

Related Terms and Categories

• Unstructured play

  Play a child chooses and directs, with no adult-set rules, lesson or goal, like making up a game in the yard or building whatever comes to mind.

• Free-range parenting

  A parenting approach, named by Lenore Skenazy, that gives children age-appropriate freedom to do things alone, like walking to school or playing outside unwatched.

• Helicopter parenting

  A style of parenting where a parent stays overly involved in a child's life, hovering close to manage problems, choices and schoolwork, sometimes into adulthood.

• Resilience

  The capacity to adapt and keep developing well in the face of hardship. In children it's built above all through a stable, supportive relationship with an adult.

• Gross motor skills

  Movements that use the large muscles of the arms, legs and torso, like rolling over, sitting, walking, running and kicking a ball.

Parenting and child development