This resource was originally created as part of the Early Years Outdoors membership scheme from Learning through Landscapes.

To find out more about membership call 01962 845 811 or visit www.ltl.org.uk

P L A Y N O T E SP L A Y N O T E S

November 2006

If Risk can be defined as ‘toexpose to danger, a dangerouselement or hazard’ andChallenge as something that is‘demanding or stimulating’,why are both vital elements ofeffective provision outdoors?

Babies and very young children deserve a learningenvironment that enables them to take suitable risksand manage the challenges they present to enablethem to grow up into competent, confident adults.Children able to practise and acquire skills such asdigging, climbing and finding their own way aroundwill grow in confidence and develop theirunderstanding of themselves, their world and theirown abilities. This Playnotes offers inspiration andencouragement in developing ideas that will supportchildren’s ability to manage risk and challenge.Further support can be found in the November 06Groundnotes: Site security and Safety.

RoSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention ofAccidents) believes that exposure to acceptable riskshould be encouraged to avoid children seeking thethrill of risk elsewhere in unsupervised situations. They are also quite clear that children’s contact withunnecessary risk should beavoided: health and safetyprocedures must be followedand good hygiene habitsfostered.

Risks and challenges are positiveoutdoor necessities. An outdoorenvironment that is safe enoughis not one devoid of risks andchallenges.

Children, however, do not want to be met withdaunting experiences outdoors! Allow activities thatthey are familiar and comfortable with, as well asopportunities to try out new skills and to practiseacquired ones.

Who sets risks and challenges?

Lead by example, providing ideas for activities anddeveloping a positive climate where children cantake up challenges when they are ready and at theirown pace, with as much support as they need.

Work to what is developmentally appropriate ratherthan activities determined by age. Children canlearn from each other and may even set each otherchallenges which may or may not be appropriate.Enable your children to move about and useresources as much as possible without intervention.

An inclusive environment will allowchildren with a disability to bechallenged too. Beprepared to acceptinevitable mishaps andlearn from them.

Fill your outdoors withopportunities for childrento enjoy the space,freedom and naturalchallenges it provides.

Risk andchallenge forchildren from 0–5 years

Further resources

Early Years Outdoorspublications

Groundnotes: Security and Safety,November 2006. More advice onachieving a safe environment.

Advice sheet:Risk assessment.

Available to download from theMember Services pages of ourwebsite at www.ltl.org.uk or call the Advice line on 01962 845811.

WebsitesRoyal Society for the Prevention ofAccidentswww.rospa.com

DVDThe Rising Sun Woodland Pre SchoolProject. A DVD recounting theexperiences of nursery childrenexploring their local woodland.Available from Sightlines Initiativewww.sightlines-initiative.com

Turn negatives into positives

Is your outdoor area a negative or a positiveexperience for children? Have a look around to seewhat the children are able to do outdoors. What doyour children see as a risk? Do they have any worriesabout risks other children or adults take? Respect andlisten to their views and take the time to talk aboutactivities that have caused them to worry.

Think about what stages of development yourchildren are at, their interests and preferences. Offeropportunities that areappropriate to theirstage of development.A toddler may want toclimb independentlywhile an older childlikes to swing abovethe ground. Watchyour children andwhat they are nowable to do. Praise themand allow them topractice their newskills, offering newstimuli for them to testthese skills in other ways. When a child behavesinappropriately look at what skill they may be tryingto achieve. Are they doing this for fun, or are theytrying to test their strength or wit?

Keeping calmAccidents will happen and the way that you dealwith them can provide positive lessons to children.Be careful about forecasting accidents as it can putsome children off a task and undermine yourcredibility with more confident ones if the accidentdoes not occur. Getting the children to think forthemselves by asking questions will help them to feelthat their ideas count and that their views arerespected.

● Point out dangers in simple terms as appropriate and show how they can be avoided.

● State non-negotiable issues clearly, explaining adult responsibilities simply.

● Keep calm if an accident happens or nearly happens, don’t add to a drama!

● Take enough time- a measured response considers the real level of risk.

● Use a ‘no blame’ approach – treat incidents as mistakes that children can learn by.

● Comfort a child if they are upset and listen to them if they want to talk.

● Reflect on any accidents in future planning where appropriate.

Unfortunate as accidents are, they do providechildren with opportunities for positive life lessons.Use a problem solving approach whenever possibleso children learn from their experiences. Posequestions to get the children to think carefully abouta challenge and how it can be met safely. Discusssolutions using a plan, do, review approach.

Adults need to taketime with children whofor instance happilyand confidently trystacking crates toohigh or jumping ontocluttered surfaces.Listening to children’sreasoning andexplaining what elseneeds to be consideredwill ensure realprogress for the child,who will learn far morethrough respect than through banning behaviour.Very young children need things explained incontext as they cannot yet apply these concepts inother situations. Be prepared to clarify each safetyissue calmly and simply as often as it arises. Thesechildren are not being naughty, they just need tolearn from a patient teacher.

A ‘too safe’ environment may be the cause ofaccidents if a child has no awareness of risk or hasnot developed the ability to rise to challenges. The role of the practitioner is to enable them to dothis safely, not to stop them, by providingappropriate activities.

Learning through Landscapes would like to thank the following settings for sharing their ideas and supplying images for publication:The New Ark Playgroup, Peterborough; The Coombes School, Arborfield; Bilston Nursery, West Midlands; Glebe House, Kent;Ethelred, London; Wingate Early Years Nursery and Mill Hill Nursery.

RI SK AND CHALLENGELEARNING THROUGH LANDSCAPES – 01962 845811

RI SK AND CHALLENGEGROUNDS FOR LEARNING – www.gflscotland.org.uk

Books and other publicationsToo safe for their own good, Jennie Lindon,National Children’s Bureau, ISBN 1 900990 97 0. This excellent bookoffers greater depth on this topic.

The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT).A range of booklets and fact sheets aboutstaying safe and coping with theconsequences of incidents.www.capt.org.uk

Managing risk in play provision, a positionstatement from Play Safety Forum. Availableto download from www.ncb.org.uk

P L A Y N O T E S P L A Y N O T E S

RI SK AND CHALLENGEGROUNDS FOR LEARNING – 01786 445922

Practical life skills and use of toolsStore and organise tools using labels and pictures sothey can be found and used safely. Learning skillsthat require the use of tools can be exasperating forchildren if they are given ‘safe’, blunt, children’s

versions. Finding slightlysmaller versions of realtools can result in satisfiedlearning when supportedby attentive adults.Remind children to watchcarefully what their handsare doing when they usetools. Think carefullyabout the activity andwhere best to site it.Woodwork, sewing and

craft activities will need to be in clear view ofwatchful adults with the appropriate amount ofsupport for the activity and children using them.

Enable

Step by step coaching ofnew skills is necessaryand a Tell, Show, Doapproach as advocatedby Jennie Lindon workswell. Offer help and do not always insist on childrenworking out how to use resources for themselveswhen there is a real safety issue. Firm suggestions canbe given in simple, explicit and respectful ways.Words of encouragement and constructive feedbackwhich acknowledges a child’s efforts help them topersevere and compliments can be used to confirmthings they have done well.

Preparing children to acquire new skills requires anawareness of what these skills involve, so be ready tobreak a task down into simple steps and explain whyyou choose to work in a particular way. Be specificabout safety rules before the children engage in anew activity.

● Tell the children what you are going to do.● Let children watch you as you explain the safety

aspects.● Answer questions and show pictures or written

instructions for the activity, sharing tips such as how to move around with tools and how to care for and store them.

● Let them try the activity with your support.● Gradually allow as much independence as the

children can manage safely.● If some activities are just for adults then give the

children clear reasons for this.

Assess and reassess behaviour

Evaluating behaviour can be fun and parents willappreciate learning about what their child has doneand how you have enabled them to learn. Theoutdoors is a great place for child-led investigationsand play. Knowledgeable adults provide appropriateopportunities and resources, letting the children’sneeds set the pace with adult and child-led activities.Decisions about where staff will be and how manychallenging activities are going on will require aflexible approach. Children can learn that risk andchallenges are exciting, necessary and important butrequire thinking through first and appropriateresources. Use group times to reinforce positivemessages so children can grow in confidence andsatisfaction - not just by recalling the activity but alsothrough praise when the ground rules areremembered.

When is risk or challenge unsafe?When an activity is beyond an individual child’smobility skills or level of understanding there ispotential for a risk orchallenge to becomea genuine hazard ordanger. Knowledgeof individuals iscrucial since allchildren havedifferent capabilitiesand an acceptablerisk for one may become an unacceptable hazard foranother.

Satisfy yourself that:

● All children can reach play materials or equipment without having to stretch or clamber in an unsafe way.

● The environment is organised to provide the opportunity to make choices between activities.

● Activities are available at the right level and a child can move easily in order to complete a task.

All practitioners should be aware of their Health andSafety procedures and have basic first aid as part oftheir responsibilities. Recording incidents isnecessary as is a reliable system for ensuringcommunication with individual parents of a childthat has been hurt, or has been affected by anaccident that happened to someone else. Keepingparents informed will help strengthen yourrelationship with them and can help a particularlyprotective parent to trust that their child will be safein your care.

Be clear that risk is acceptable

As with any policy and procedure your Health andSafety policy should be easily available for parents toread.

Does it contain a set of clear safety rules?Find out how people view activities that take placeoutside: observe and ask children, staff and parentstoo.

How do people feel about the risks incorporated intoyour outdoor space?Monitor how parents feel and inform them of goodpractise through meetings, displays, open days andaccess to their children’s work. Consider promotingyour safety rules during Child Safety Week which isorganised by CAPT (see Resources) and held annuallyat the end of June. You can help allay parents’ fearsby explaining their particular child’s needs. Parentsthat can openly question and remark on safety issueswill benefit from your positive attitude to children’sability to learn and develop skills of self-reliance.

Risk assess your outdoors

Use a risk assessment procedure to look closely atyour whole outdoor space and the existing features.See Resources for downloadable advice. Examineyour space carefully to identify any potential forharm to occur to children or adults. Talking withother adults using the space is crucial to gain otherperceptions of risk that you may have overlooked.Check the accident record book and lookfor repeated incidents involving specificareas or pieces of equipment.

Think about the different users of yourspace and how they might be affected: achild who knows the layout and proceduresmay be at less risk than a younger or newchild. Use your judgement to decidewhether the existing safety measures areadequate or whether more should be doneto reduce the risk. Remember that thebenefits of an experience will often begreater than the risk of harm.

Specific areas to consider

Fire and heatFire is a fascinating element and childrenbenefit from clear sensible warnings andadvice on its use. Perhaps you can talkthrough with your staff how best to provideopportunities outside for your children toexperience fire? New Ark Playgroup inPeterborough have a designated fire area.This is a hard standing area with a container– the top 1/3 of a metal dustbin (see pictureon page 1). They have benches or logs a safedistance from it and children are able to siton these after they have understood they

can go no nearer. The children love to sit and bake‘dampers’ (flour, milk and water) on sticks of asuitable length that they collected earlier, with 2adults at the fire.

Physical play and explorationCrates, logs and tyres are all useful items outdoors, aswell as specialist equipment such as A frames, blocks,steps and planks. Expect the children to try out newways to use familiar equipment and supportopportunities for experimentation.

Some members have had experiences of beingchallenged by Health and Safety Inspectors aboutthese resources. Our advice is to be well aware of

how these items are used bychildren and to support themin their effective, safe use.

Rules you create will bedetermined by the age andinterests of the children butestablishing a policy of howand when these resources areused will support goodpractise. Some settingsdetermine a height limit forstacking crates or climbingthem. Allowing their useencourages children toexplore and deal with safetyissues in a supervisedenvironment. A ‘safe enough’environment will have soft oryielding surfaces for childrenlanding from jumps orsomersaults; rules for thenumber of children a piece ofequipment can withstand;agreed ways to useequipment; and explanationsor examples of safety byadults as and whenappropriate.

RI SK AND CHALLENGELEARNING THROUGH LANDSCAPES – www.ltl.org.uk

P L A Y N O T E S P L A Y N O T E S

RI SK AND CHALLENGEGROUNDS FOR LEARNING – 01786 445922

Practical life skills and use of toolsStore and organise tools using labels and pictures sothey can be found and used safely. Learning skillsthat require the use of tools can be exasperating forchildren if they are given ‘safe’, blunt, children’s

versions. Finding slightlysmaller versions of realtools can result in satisfiedlearning when supportedby attentive adults.Remind children to watchcarefully what their handsare doing when they usetools. Think carefullyabout the activity andwhere best to site it.Woodwork, sewing and

craft activities will need to be in clear view ofwatchful adults with the appropriate amount ofsupport for the activity and children using them.

Enable

Step by step coaching ofnew skills is necessaryand a Tell, Show, Doapproach as advocatedby Jennie Lindon workswell. Offer help and do not always insist on childrenworking out how to use resources for themselveswhen there is a real safety issue. Firm suggestions canbe given in simple, explicit and respectful ways.Words of encouragement and constructive feedbackwhich acknowledges a child’s efforts help them topersevere and compliments can be used to confirmthings they have done well.

Preparing children to acquire new skills requires anawareness of what these skills involve, so be ready tobreak a task down into simple steps and explain whyyou choose to work in a particular way. Be specificabout safety rules before the children engage in anew activity.

● Tell the children what you are going to do.● Let children watch you as you explain the safety

aspects.● Answer questions and show pictures or written

instructions for the activity, sharing tips such as how to move around with tools and how to care for and store them.

● Let them try the activity with your support.● Gradually allow as much independence as the

children can manage safely.● If some activities are just for adults then give the

children clear reasons for this.

Assess and reassess behaviour

Evaluating behaviour can be fun and parents willappreciate learning about what their child has doneand how you have enabled them to learn. Theoutdoors is a great place for child-led investigationsand play. Knowledgeable adults provide appropriateopportunities and resources, letting the children’sneeds set the pace with adult and child-led activities.Decisions about where staff will be and how manychallenging activities are going on will require aflexible approach. Children can learn that risk andchallenges are exciting, necessary and important butrequire thinking through first and appropriateresources. Use group times to reinforce positivemessages so children can grow in confidence andsatisfaction - not just by recalling the activity but alsothrough praise when the ground rules areremembered.

When is risk or challenge unsafe?When an activity is beyond an individual child’smobility skills or level of understanding there ispotential for a risk orchallenge to becomea genuine hazard ordanger. Knowledgeof individuals iscrucial since allchildren havedifferent capabilitiesand an acceptablerisk for one may become an unacceptable hazard foranother.

Satisfy yourself that:

● All children can reach play materials or equipment without having to stretch or clamber in an unsafe way.

● The environment is organised to provide the opportunity to make choices between activities.

● Activities are available at the right level and a child can move easily in order to complete a task.

All practitioners should be aware of their Health andSafety procedures and have basic first aid as part oftheir responsibilities. Recording incidents isnecessary as is a reliable system for ensuringcommunication with individual parents of a childthat has been hurt, or has been affected by anaccident that happened to someone else. Keepingparents informed will help strengthen yourrelationship with them and can help a particularlyprotective parent to trust that their child will be safein your care.

Be clear that risk is acceptable

As with any policy and procedure your Health andSafety policy should be easily available for parents toread.

Does it contain a set of clear safety rules?Find out how people view activities that take placeoutside: observe and ask children, staff and parentstoo.

How do people feel about the risks incorporated intoyour outdoor space?Monitor how parents feel and inform them of goodpractise through meetings, displays, open days andaccess to their children’s work. Consider promotingyour safety rules during Child Safety Week which isorganised by CAPT (see Resources) and held annuallyat the end of June. You can help allay parents’ fearsby explaining their particular child’s needs. Parentsthat can openly question and remark on safety issueswill benefit from your positive attitude to children’sability to learn and develop skills of self-reliance.

Risk assess your outdoors

Use a risk assessment procedure to look closely atyour whole outdoor space and the existing features.See Resources for downloadable advice. Examineyour space carefully to identify any potential forharm to occur to children or adults. Talking withother adults using the space is crucial to gain otherperceptions of risk that you may have overlooked.Check the accident record book and lookfor repeated incidents involving specificareas or pieces of equipment.

Think about the different users of yourspace and how they might be affected: achild who knows the layout and proceduresmay be at less risk than a younger or newchild. Use your judgement to decidewhether the existing safety measures areadequate or whether more should be doneto reduce the risk. Remember that thebenefits of an experience will often begreater than the risk of harm.

Specific areas to consider

Fire and heatFire is a fascinating element and childrenbenefit from clear sensible warnings andadvice on its use. Perhaps you can talkthrough with your staff how best to provideopportunities outside for your children toexperience fire? New Ark Playgroup inPeterborough have a designated fire area.This is a hard standing area with a container– the top 1/3 of a metal dustbin (see pictureon page 1). They have benches or logs a safedistance from it and children are able to siton these after they have understood they

can go no nearer. The children love to sit and bake‘dampers’ (flour, milk and water) on sticks of asuitable length that they collected earlier, with 2adults at the fire.

Physical play and explorationCrates, logs and tyres are all useful items outdoors, aswell as specialist equipment such as A frames, blocks,steps and planks. Expect the children to try out newways to use familiar equipment and supportopportunities for experimentation.

Some members have had experiences of beingchallenged by Health and Safety Inspectors aboutthese resources. Our advice is to be well aware of

how these items are used bychildren and to support themin their effective, safe use.

Rules you create will bedetermined by the age andinterests of the children butestablishing a policy of howand when these resources areused will support goodpractise. Some settingsdetermine a height limit forstacking crates or climbingthem. Allowing their useencourages children toexplore and deal with safetyissues in a supervisedenvironment. A ‘safe enough’environment will have soft oryielding surfaces for childrenlanding from jumps orsomersaults; rules for thenumber of children a piece ofequipment can withstand;agreed ways to useequipment; and explanationsor examples of safety byadults as and whenappropriate.

RI SK AND CHALLENGELEARNING THROUGH LANDSCAPES – www.ltl.org.uk

This resource was originally created as part of the Early Years Outdoors membership scheme from Learning through Landscapes.

To find out more about membership call 01962 845 811 or visit www.ltl.org.uk

P L A Y N O T E SP L A Y N O T E S

November 2006

If Risk can be defined as ‘toexpose to danger, a dangerouselement or hazard’ andChallenge as something that is‘demanding or stimulating’,why are both vital elements ofeffective provision outdoors?

Babies and very young children deserve a learningenvironment that enables them to take suitable risksand manage the challenges they present to enablethem to grow up into competent, confident adults.Children able to practise and acquire skills such asdigging, climbing and finding their own way aroundwill grow in confidence and develop theirunderstanding of themselves, their world and theirown abilities. This Playnotes offers inspiration andencouragement in developing ideas that will supportchildren’s ability to manage risk and challenge.Further support can be found in the November 06Groundnotes: Site security and Safety.

RoSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention ofAccidents) believes that exposure to acceptable riskshould be encouraged to avoid children seeking thethrill of risk elsewhere in unsupervised situations. They are also quite clear that children’s contact withunnecessary risk should beavoided: health and safetyprocedures must be followedand good hygiene habitsfostered.

Risks and challenges are positiveoutdoor necessities. An outdoorenvironment that is safe enoughis not one devoid of risks andchallenges.

Children, however, do not want to be met withdaunting experiences outdoors! Allow activities thatthey are familiar and comfortable with, as well asopportunities to try out new skills and to practiseacquired ones.

Who sets risks and challenges?

Lead by example, providing ideas for activities anddeveloping a positive climate where children cantake up challenges when they are ready and at theirown pace, with as much support as they need.

Work to what is developmentally appropriate ratherthan activities determined by age. Children canlearn from each other and may even set each otherchallenges which may or may not be appropriate.Enable your children to move about and useresources as much as possible without intervention.

An inclusive environment will allowchildren with a disability to bechallenged too. Beprepared to acceptinevitable mishaps andlearn from them.

Fill your outdoors withopportunities for childrento enjoy the space,freedom and naturalchallenges it provides.

Risk andchallenge forchildren from 0–5 years

Further resources

Early Years Outdoorspublications

Groundnotes: Security and Safety,November 2006. More advice onachieving a safe environment.

Advice sheet:Risk assessment.

Available to download from theMember Services pages of ourwebsite at www.ltl.org.uk or call the Advice line on 01962 845811.

WebsitesRoyal Society for the Prevention ofAccidentswww.rospa.com

DVDThe Rising Sun Woodland Pre SchoolProject. A DVD recounting theexperiences of nursery childrenexploring their local woodland.Available from Sightlines Initiativewww.sightlines-initiative.com

Turn negatives into positives

Is your outdoor area a negative or a positiveexperience for children? Have a look around to seewhat the children are able to do outdoors. What doyour children see as a risk? Do they have any worriesabout risks other children or adults take? Respect andlisten to their views and take the time to talk aboutactivities that have caused them to worry.

Think about what stages of development yourchildren are at, their interests and preferences. Offeropportunities that areappropriate to theirstage of development.A toddler may want toclimb independentlywhile an older childlikes to swing abovethe ground. Watchyour children andwhat they are nowable to do. Praise themand allow them topractice their newskills, offering newstimuli for them to testthese skills in other ways. When a child behavesinappropriately look at what skill they may be tryingto achieve. Are they doing this for fun, or are theytrying to test their strength or wit?

Keeping calmAccidents will happen and the way that you dealwith them can provide positive lessons to children.Be careful about forecasting accidents as it can putsome children off a task and undermine yourcredibility with more confident ones if the accidentdoes not occur. Getting the children to think forthemselves by asking questions will help them to feelthat their ideas count and that their views arerespected.

● Point out dangers in simple terms as appropriate and show how they can be avoided.

● State non-negotiable issues clearly, explaining adult responsibilities simply.

● Keep calm if an accident happens or nearly happens, don’t add to a drama!

● Take enough time- a measured response considers the real level of risk.

● Use a ‘no blame’ approach – treat incidents as mistakes that children can learn by.

● Comfort a child if they are upset and listen to them if they want to talk.

● Reflect on any accidents in future planning where appropriate.

Unfortunate as accidents are, they do providechildren with opportunities for positive life lessons.Use a problem solving approach whenever possibleso children learn from their experiences. Posequestions to get the children to think carefully abouta challenge and how it can be met safely. Discusssolutions using a plan, do, review approach.

Adults need to taketime with children whofor instance happilyand confidently trystacking crates toohigh or jumping ontocluttered surfaces.Listening to children’sreasoning andexplaining what elseneeds to be consideredwill ensure realprogress for the child,who will learn far morethrough respect than through banning behaviour.Very young children need things explained incontext as they cannot yet apply these concepts inother situations. Be prepared to clarify each safetyissue calmly and simply as often as it arises. Thesechildren are not being naughty, they just need tolearn from a patient teacher.

A ‘too safe’ environment may be the cause ofaccidents if a child has no awareness of risk or hasnot developed the ability to rise to challenges. The role of the practitioner is to enable them to dothis safely, not to stop them, by providingappropriate activities.

Learning through Landscapes would like to thank the following settings for sharing their ideas and supplying images for publication:The New Ark Playgroup, Peterborough; The Coombes School, Arborfield; Bilston Nursery, West Midlands; Glebe House, Kent;Ethelred, London; Wingate Early Years Nursery and Mill Hill Nursery.

RI SK AND CHALLENGELEARNING THROUGH LANDSCAPES – 01962 845811

RI SK AND CHALLENGEGROUNDS FOR LEARNING – www.gflscotland.org.uk

Books and other publicationsToo safe for their own good, Jennie Lindon,National Children’s Bureau, ISBN 1 900990 97 0. This excellent bookoffers greater depth on this topic.

The Child Accident Prevention Trust (CAPT).A range of booklets and fact sheets aboutstaying safe and coping with theconsequences of incidents.www.capt.org.uk

Managing risk in play provision, a positionstatement from Play Safety Forum. Availableto download from www.ncb.org.uk