Risk-taking is a recurrent theme in early years education. And one that reliably provokes heated debate.

What occurs to you when you think of a young child taking a risk?

Maybe you imagine them riding a bike, jumping from a height, or crossing the road.

Or, perhaps, you think of them chatting to a peer, reading a new word, or expressing their sadness.

If I were to take a punt (a risk, even), I’d say that most of us tend to think of risk- taking as a physical thing. When we read about risky play, for instance, it is usually to do with something that could potentially cause harm, like helping build a fire or scaling a climbing frame.

A few years ago, Juliet Robertson - a former education consultant who specialised in learning and play outside - made a thought-provoking comment about this,

‘I've always been puzzled by the UK obsession with risk and how it's been narrowed down to often physical elements. My strategy for years has been to avoid engagement with the term 'risky play' and 'risk' because I object to the over-emphasis in an outdoor context.” (3 March 2020 on X).

 This is something worth pondering.

What is risk?

Fundamentally, risk-taking is daring to try something new. We make a leap in our thinking that enables us to have a new experience. In doing so, we venture away from what we already know, go out of our comfort zone.

Helen Tovey, former Principal lecturer in Early Childhood studies at the University of Roehampton, says,

‘Risk-taking is not just about physical risks, although these might be the ones that worry us most. Children take social risks - for instance, when they try to join in an established game. A toddler takes an emotional risk when he moves away from a trusted adult to explore.’

Helen adds, ‘Risk is part of being alive and being human. Life is full of varied risks, and we have to learn to recognise and manage them’. (13 January 2014, Nursery World).

Sarah Porter, Headteacher of Kaye Rowe Nursery School in Newham, comments,

“When young children take risks, we often have an image of them climbing a tree or balancing on a log. However, risk taking is much wider than that. When a child comes to a nursery and starts to trust a new adult, they are risk-taking”.

These points are important to consider. Many adults will spot a child pursuing a new physical risk. However, as Juliet Robertson, Helen Tovey and Sarah Porter point out, it is equally important to recognise and work with all the other sorts of risks that young children encounter. These are the substance of their life and growth.

A wider notion of risk-taking

As soon as we stop and think about it, we realise that young children take many risks: emotional, cognitive, and social (as well as physical).

Emotional risk includes all those times when young children dare to share their emotions. This may be their fears and concerns or their joy and excitement.

Social risk includes all the occasions when children are courageous enough to try and make a new friend or express their thoughts in a group setting.

Cognitive risk includes challenges like trying to solve a new puzzle, learn how to use a hammer or experiment with a new form of artistic expression.

As with any learning, the amount of support and input that a child will need when exploring new territory will be unique to them. Risk-taking is a fine example of why it is invaluable for practitioners to know the child well. This will help them to assess the particular sort of support they might benefit from. 

Sarah Porter adds,

“Trying new things alongside adults who are interested and support you when things go well, but also when they don’t, makes a big of difference to a child’s confidence and self-esteem. Children’s imaginative social play often involves them in complex, fast changing negotiations and requires quick responses to stay in the game.

One of our children with SEND recently decided to lead his classmates outside in a ‘story group’ activity where he was telling them a dinosaur story. He was the teacher standing at the front and gathered some children whom he asked to sit in front of him. He went through a routine that he was used to from his group sessions, singing a ‘hello’ song and then telling the story. He was trying out something new, taking on a new role and taking a risk. Not all his ‘pupils’ stayed, but some did, and he was clearly very excited to get to the end of his story. This excitement that comes with risky play is an important part of a child’s motivation.”

Why it is valuable for children to take risks

Taking risks is important for young children because it helps them to learn and develop skills that are central to their growth and development.  

·         Building confidence: by taking risks and trying new things, children gain confidence in their abilities. When they experience success after taking a risk, they feel a new sort of strength and are more likely to attempt future challenges.

·         Developing problem-solving skills: risk-taking encourages children to think creatively and come up with solutions to overcome obstacles. It teaches them to assess situations, make decisions, and learn from the outcomes of their risk.

·         Developing resilience: when children take risks, they learn to manage setbacks. Learning to overcome the disappointment of not meeting a challenge is an important skill in navigating life’s ups and downs.

·         Encouraging independence: taking risks enables children to develop a sense of autonomy and self-reliance.

·         Individual growth: risk taking takes children out of their comfort zone, promoting personal growth. It helps foster an attitude where children see challenges as opportunities, not obstacles to avoid.

How can we create an environment that enables non-physical risk-taking?

It is important that practitioners support children in taking non-physical risks by providing a safe and supportive environment: one where children feel able to venture into the unknown.
It can be useful to think about what we consider important for a physical risk-taking environment and apply it to the other sorts of risks children take. The requirements are not dissimilar:

1.      Practitioners need to encourage children to have a go and appreciate what they do positively, whatever the outcome. For example, a child may want to join in with a game but ends up standing back and watching instead - they should be commended for making a great start.

2.      Children will also need guiding through their new ventures. For example, a child may want to make a tall tower but need support working out how.

3.      Boundaries are important for children to feel safe. For example, if they want to express their anger towards a peer, they need to know that they can’t do this physically.

4.      Attuned adults need to be ready to step in if necessary. For example, a large aspect of risk-taking is the responses of those around – adults need to respond if children are laughed at or treated unkindly.

5.      Reflection after a new activity can help children feel more confident. Reflecting positively on what they did can spur them on to pursue it further, as well as take on other new things. Sarah Porter shares a fine example of this:

“On her first Forest school session 3-year-old Shamima, who was not used to going into the woods, felt anxious about the unfamiliar surroundings. She asked the practitioner, ‘Are we lost? I think we are lost, let’s go back.’ The practitioner suggested they look at a map together so that he could reassure her that he knew exactly where they were. He also made it clear to Shamima that he knew the way back to nursery. This was enough for her to feel less anxious and continue.

Shamima was worried again the following week, so the practitioner encouraged her to look at the map with him. This reminded her of the route they had taken the previous week. The practitioner reassured Shamima it would be exactly the same route. This helped Shamima to head off more easily.

Shamima clearly benefitted from reflecting on the challenges of this new activity (which felt like a risk for her) and being reminded of how she had overcome her anxiety the week before. This enabled her confidence to gradually grow and by the end of the 5th Forest school session she was really keen to carry on!”  

 Sarah adds, importantly, “At our nursery we see this growth in confidence transfer into other areas of learning and children feel more able to try new things.”

As Pablo Picasso famously said, ‘I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it.’

It is important that we provide an environment where children feel able to do the same.