I was visiting a student on her practicum recently and she explained that she was used to play in which everything was tidy and clean. The centre she worked at believed that children should be able to go with the flow and move from one activity to the other without being interrupted. Aprons were not used, and one activity was titled “messy play,” where children could play with shaving foam and paint on tables. The student struggled with the concept of getting “stuck in,” and “in touch” with “dirt.” She felt it was the adult’s responsibility to guide the children to take care of their clothes.
I could relate to the student’s background. My upbringing was fairly clean. Yet, I wanted to know more about messy play, and how it potentially might impact children’s development. I wondered if getting stuck into an activity without pausing to cover up and take precautions could foster confidence and self-belief. I also wondered about risk- taking and children.
Children are keen to take risks, as any early childhood educator or parent will tell you. They have no concept of fear and are willing to throw themselves into any situation. So how do we as adults deal with this super human attitude? We may do one of several things: We yell or pull them away from impending doom, or we explain carefully in detail what might happen if they continue down that path. Or we simply use the tried and tested method of “don’t do that, because I said so!” We pass on our own cautious nature and trepidation and even instill fear into our children’s hearts.
Dr Wayne Dyer says our society encourages caution and safety at the expense of curiosity and adventure. However early childhood supposedly promotes curiosity and a sense of adventure. If we look at Te Whaariki (Ministry of Education, 1996) we note that empowerment is the first principle. The explanation of the principle highlights the role of independence, taking increasing responsibility and the value of the adult inviting children to explore a range of activities. The fifth strand – exploration – states two of its goals as children experience an environment where:
- Their play is valued as meaningful learning and the importance of spontaneous play is recognised.
- They learn strategies for active exploration, thinking and reasoning.
- Surely this places a firm focus on risk: If children are developing independence and enjoying spontaneous play, they will be taking risks.
- We learn from taking risks; we learn what we can and can’t do.
But how do we provide opportunities for appropriate risks for children – enabling them to learn with graduated levels of risk? I have seen many centres allowing children to use real saws, nails and hammers, which seems extremely risky when these same children have to wear gloves if they want to do any gardening. But the centres have planned for this risk by providing guided instruction and safe supervision, empowering the children to make their own decisions. This sort of approach creates a wide variety of learning experiences from safety discussions, appropriate use and instruction in equipment use, and possible consequences of misuse. This is an ideal way to get the children to identify the potential risks and can lead to the topic of caring for each other and working together to use the equipment.
So how can teachers and educators foster structured risk taking? Some broad starting points might include:
• Provide the right environment – where limits are placed in discussion with the students. For example if you can’t climb a tree by yourself, you don’t get a lift up.
• Provide guidance in using real equipment so children know how to use it, but without over-dramatizing the dangers.
• Allow children to make decisions about what they want to do – and discuss how this can be achieved.
The final point to consider: What is life really about? Is it about being safe, never getting dirty, never spoiling anything and only doing something when you are certain that you will achieve? Or is it about having a sense of adventure, trying something, at the risk of getting wet and getting it wrong, and maybe discovering that you are indeed capable of more than you could possibly have imagined?
KaTE SOUThCOMBE