Risky outdoor play has been associated with promoting children’s health and development, but also with injury and death. Risky outdoor play has diminished over time, concurrent with increasing concerns regarding child safety and emphasis on injury prevention. We sought to conduct a systematic review to examine the relationship between risky outdoor play and health in children, in order to inform the debate regarding its benefits and harms. We identified and evaluated 21 relevant papers for quality using the GRADE framework. Included articles addressed the effect on health indicators and behaviours from three types of risky play, as well as risky play supportive environments. The systematic review revealed overall positive effects of risky outdoor play on a variety of health indicators and behaviours, most commonly physical activity, but also social health and behaviours, injuries, and aggression. The review indicated the need for additional “good quality” studies; however, we note that even in the face of the generally exclusionary systematic review process, our findings support the promotion of risky outdoor play for healthy child development. These positive results with the marked reduction in risky outdoor play opportunities in recent generations indicate the need to encourage action to support children’s risky outdoor play opportunities. Policy and practice precedents and recommendations for action are discussed.

The objective of this systematic review was to examine the relationship between outdoor time and: (1) physical activity, (2) cardiorespiratory fitness, (3) musculoskeletal fitness, (4) sedentary behaviour; or (5) motor skill development in children aged 3–12 years. We identified 28 relevant studies that were assessed for quality using the GRADE framework. The systematic review revealed overall positive effects of outdoor time on physical activity, sedentary behaviour, and cardiorespiratory fitness, although causality could not be assumed due to a lack of RCTs. Motor skill development was unrelated to outdoor time; however, this relationship was only examined in a single study of preschool children. No studies were found that examined associations between outdoor time and musculoskeletal fitness.

A diverse, cross-sectorial group of partners, stakeholders and researchers, collaborated to develop an evidence-informed Position Statement on active outdoor play for children aged 3–12 years. The Position Statement was created in response to practitioner, academic, legal, insurance and public debate, dialogue and disagreement on the relative benefits and harms of active (including risky) outdoor play. The Position Statement development process was informed by two systematic reviews, a critical appraisal of the current literature and existing position statements, engagement of research experts (N = 9) and cross-sectorial individuals/organizations (N = 17), and an extensive stakeholder consultation process (N = 1908). More than 95% of the stakeholders consulted strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the Position Statement; 14/17 participating individuals/organizations endorsed it; and over 1000 additional individuals and organizations requested their name be listed as a supporter. The final Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play states: “Access to active play in nature and outdoors—with its risks— is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings—at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature.” The full Position Statement provides context for the statement, evidence supporting it, and a series of recommendations to increase active outdoor play opportunities to promote healthy child development.

There is a growing debate on the balance between making sure our children are safe versus letting the children play in physically and emotionally stimulating and challenging environments. The focus is now on children's right to do risky play. There are no studies categorising risky play. The present study has aimed to do this. Qualitative observations of 38 children and semi‐structured interviews with 8 children and 7 employees from two Norwegian preschools gave 6 categories of risky play: 1) Play with great heights; 2) Play with high speed; 3) Play with harmful tools; 4) Play near dangerous elements; 5) Rough‐and‐tumble play; and 6) Play where the children can ‘disappear’/get lost. The reliability of the analysed categories was tested through a second opinion made by an experienced preschool teacher, who has long and varied experience with children's play in preschools. Il y a une discussion grandissante sur l'équilibre à maintenir entre d'assurer la sécurité de nos enfants et de leur permettre jouer dans des environnements qui les stimulent physiquement et émotionnellement. Pour le moment, il n'existe pas des études pour classer des jeux risqués. La présente étude étudie la question par des observations qualitatives de 38 enfants et une série d'entrevues demi structurées avec 8 enfants et 7 employés dans deux centres préscolaires en Norvège. Les résultats de la recherche ont donné 6 catégories de jeu risqué : 1) Jouer à hauteur élevée ; 2) Jouer à grande vitesse ; 3) Jouer avec des outils dangereux ; 4) Jouer auprès des éléments dangereux, 5) S'engager dans des jeux rudes, sans règles ou brutaux ; 6) Jeux pendant lesquels les enfants peuvent disparaître ou se perdre. La fiabilité des catégories analysées a été examinée par un professeur préscolaire expérimenté, qui a une longue expérience des jeux des enfants dans le préscolaire. Es gibt eine zunehmende Debatte über die Balance zwischen Sicherheit der Kinder und kindlichem Spielen in physikalisch und emotional stimulierenden und herausfordernden Umgebungen. Gegenwärtig gibt es einen Fokus auf dem Recht des Kindes, riskant zu spielen. Es gibt jedoch keinerlei Studien, die riskantes Spiel kategorisieren. Die vorliegende Studie hat dies zum Ziel. Qualitative Beobachtungen von 38 Kindern und halbstrukturierte Interviews mit 8 Kindern und 7 Beschäftigten aus zwei norwegischen Vorschulen ergaben 6 Kategorien von riskantem Spiel: 1) Spiel mit großen Höhen, 2) Spiel mit hoher Geschwindigkeit, 3) Spiel mit gefährlichen Werkzeugen, 4) Spielen nahe an gefährlichen Elementen’, 5) Tobespiele und 6) Spiele, bei denen Kinder verschwinden oder verloren gehen können. Die Reliabilität der analysierten Kategorien wurde mit einer zweiten Einschätzung durch eine erfahrene Vorschullehrkraft überprüft, die über lange und vielfältige Erfahrung mit dem kindlichen Spielen in Vorschulen verfügt. Existe un debate creciente sobre el balance entre garantizar que nuestros niños estén seguros contra el dejar que los niños jueguen en medios psíquicamente y emocionalmente estimuladores y desafiantes. Ahora hay un foco en el derecho de los niños a juegos riesgosos. No existen estudios que hayan categorizado los juegos riesgosos. El presente estudio tiene ese objetivo. Observaciones cualitativas de 38 niños y entrevistas semi‐estructuradas con 8 niños y 7 funcionarios de dos pre‐escuelas noruegas dio por resultado 6 categorías de juegos riesgosos: 1) Juegos en grandes alturas, 2) Juegos a gran velocidad, 3) Juegos con objetos peligrosos, 4) Juegos en cercanía de elementos peligrosos, 5) Juegos bruscos, y 6) Juegos donde los niños pueden ‘desaparecer’/perderse. La fiabilidad de las categorías analizadas fue probada por un experimentado maestro parvulario, que tenía una larga y variada experiencia con el juego de los niños en las pre‐escuelas.

This theoretical article views children's risky play from an evolutionary perspective, addressing specific evolutionary functions and especially the anti-phobic effects of risky play. According to the non-associative theory, a contemporary approach to the etiology of anxiety, children develop fears of certain stimuli (e.g., heights and strangers) that protect them from situations they are not mature enough to cope with, naturally through infancy. Risky play is a set of motivated behaviors that both provide the child with an exhilarating positive emotion and expose the child to the stimuli they previously have feared. As the child's coping skills improve, these situations and stimuli may be mastered and no longer be feared. Thus fear caused by maturational and age relevant natural inhibition is reduced as the child experiences a motivating thrilling activation, while learning to master age adequate challenges. It is concluded that risky play may have evolved due to this anti-phobic effect in normal child development, and it is suggested that we may observe an increased neuroticism or psychopathology in society if children are hindered from partaking in age adequate risky play.