Play is nature's training for life. Every child has the right to play, but too often this right is stifled by a societal pressure to protect our children from any conceivable harm.
As a parent I know only too well the scrapes that children can get into. I also know that play is a potential source of harm to my children, writes David Yearley, play safety manager at Rospa.
However, I also appreciate the role of play in the development of children.
Play is the mechanism through which they learn about their environment. They experiment in play in a way that teaches them how to interact with the world around them. They also learn, through playful experimentation, to assess risk for themselves. If we deny our children access to risk taking in play they will fail to develop this essential, life-enhancing tool.
All children should be free to play in an environment that stimulates, excites, challenges and contains an element of risk. Their spiritual, emotional and intellectual wellbeing depends upon it. If our play areas fail to provide these challenges to children they will simply attempt to seek them elsewhere.
I allow my children to play in environments that offer risk, but in a controlled setting. I would rather they come away with a few bruises and grazes having learnt in a playground than sustain a permanent disabling injury later on because they were only able to experiment in a more dangerous setting.
Albert Einstein said "play is the highest form of research". I hope that all parents can allow their children full access to this highest form of research.
