Revealed: The childhood activities that make for happier, brighter kids – the riskier the better, scientists say

Parents should stop mollycoddling their children and allow them to enjoy more ‘risky’ play, researchers say.

Kids who climb trees, ride bikes downhill and splash in outdoor streams have better physical and mental health, as well as sharper learning and thinking skills, according to a large analysis.

The team, from the University of Exeter (UoE) and the University of British Columbia, said encouraging such activities could counteract rising screen use and an increasingly risk-averse society.

They analysed 74 existing studies linking ‘risky play’ to the health outcomes of children aged three to 12.

Risky play was defined as ‘thrilling’ and ‘exciting’ activities including riding a bike downhill at speed, climbing trees and paddling in water.

The review found children who took part in this type of play had a better mental wellbeing, while those who exercised independently – even just by walking to school themselves – were more physically active overall, too.

‘If we deny children the opportunity to engage in the sort of play that previous generations took for granted we take away rich learning opportunities linked to children’s health and development, ultimately affecting some of the key issues we see around us today,’ said Helen Dodd, a professor of Child Psychology at UoE.

‘Of course, we all want to keep our children safe but if we focus only on keeping children safe and remove the opportunity for them to exploring risks in their play, we are doing them a disservice.’ 

The findings were published in the journal PLOS One. 

Writing about their findings, the researchers said: ‘Amidst the prevalence of screen use and structured activities, risky play offers invaluable opportunities for children to immerse themselves in outdoor activities that afford challenge. 

‘Risky play has emerged as a distinct category of play due to its unique developmental benefits for children and its diminishing presence in children’s everyday play experiences.

‘This can be viewed as a response to increasingly restrictive safety regulations and policies, as well as societal safety-first attitudes, that have been widely implemented and embraced in recent years.’

Professor Dodd said parents should embrace the findings and give their children more freedom. 

She said research suggests that children are typically allowed to play outside or walk to school independently at around the age of 11.  

But Prof Dodd said a better approach would be to start at around eight. 

‘My concern is that presently children have no gradual exposure,’ she said.

‘They’re just at home, not going out independently. Then suddenly they go to high school and they’re having to catch the bus or walk there. 

‘They have to be independent all in one go just at the point where they’re trying to transition to a new school and they’re entering puberty.

‘I personally think it would be better if when they’re maybe eight, nine or ten, they start walking to their primary school, which usually is closer and feel safer. People are more likely to notice if they don’t turn up.’

Prof Dodd stressed that children need to be able to play and walk to school safely, and that pavements and street lights are essential. 

Furthermore, not all forms of risky play in the study were linked to positive outcomes. 

The researchers found that play fighting was sometimes linked to aggression, though it was not clear whether it caused it or whether children who chose to play-fight were naturally more aggressive. 

Prof Dodd added: ‘More research is needed in this area because we only know risky play and positive health outcomes are linked, but we don’t necessarily know cause and effect.’