Playing and exploring outdoors brings risk – and that’s good for children
We are currently in the midst of a youth mental health crisis. In 2023 in England, a fifth of children aged eight to 16 had a probable mental disorder. One way to address children’s wellbeing is through letting them take part in outdoor risky play. When climbing trees, building dens, riding a bike fast, constructing rafts to float on water, or exploring a woodland, children make their own decisions on which risks to take and which to avoid. This empowers children to be decisive and independent in other situations, such as in their transition to secondary school, rather than relying on adult prompting or direction. Progressive incremental exposure to uncertainty and risk builds resilience and enhances overall wellbeing in young people. In our own research with 622 teenagers, we used questionnaires to measure their resilience and wellbeing before and after taking part in an outdoor adventure education residential trip. We found that their scores for wellbeing increased by 23%, their resilience by 36%. Outdoor risky play supports experimentation and exploration. It helps children develop social …
