Why Risky Play is Important for Your Children

Risky play is important for your children because it instills confidence and teaches our children to listen to their instincts.

Picture this: You are at the playground and your child proudly calls, “Mama! Look! No hands!!” ⁣You spring into action and screech for her to get down before she breaks her neck. ⁣Your child looks crestfallen and you inwardly cringe. >>>> Can you relate? ⁣

⁣We’ve all been there. Parenting is scary, and protecting our cubs is instinct. ⁣ But, if we want to raise confident kids who know how to follow their gut instinct, we need to learn instill confidence and not fear in their capabilities. ⁣

Does this mean you should allow your child to scale a lighthouse to the top when she has zero climbing experience and you aren’t sure if she will listen to you if you tell her to come down? Absolutely not.

Why do I let my children climb high and run barefoot?  I  encourage them to play this way because they’ve developed the skills to trust their own instincts and to take the path that intrigues them most.I want my children to test their strengths both physically and emotionally as often as possible.  

What about the nay-sayers? I’ve had quite a few people tell me that they want to allow their children to be more self-directed, but they feel unsure of themselves around other parents. For example, letting their child walk up the slide on the playground.  My thing is this, if my kids aren’t hurting anyone else either physically or emotionally, then I do what is right for my kids.  Yes, I let them walk up the slide.  I might start a conversation about what could happen if you are walking up the slide on a crowded climber. Usually, my kids will deduce that a crowded playground isn't an ideal place to walk up the slide. 

My kids play barefoot most of the time. Do I get raised eyebrows or tsk tsks from others at the playground? Yes. I am okay with that. Most of the time it comes form a well-intentioned place.  I am confident that my barefoot kids are developing an important relationship between body and ground.  Yes, I am very aware that they might step on something sharp.  They might get a splinter.  But we can deal with it and grow from it if they do.  

When we practice relying on our own judgment, we learn to care less what others think.  I want my kids to know that so I must know it and practice it.  I need them to be able to listen to their own judgement without the noise of others around them, so I need to do it too.

“Different families have different rules.”  Sometimes, my children are allowed to do stuff that their friends are absolutely not allowed to do.  My kids are allowed to use a sharp knife and climb a very tall tree.  BUT, there is a flip side.   My kids have earlier bedtimes than most of their friends.  My kids don’t own a gaming system like most of their friends…. “Different family. Different rules.”  See how that works? 

We had a great question and answer session on Instagram and I saved it all here for your to come back and reference. 

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-Lizzie

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