SKINNED KNEES: The Benefits of Risky Play

Participants will have an opportunity to explore the importance of developmentally appropriate risk in children’s play
to keep them engaged and learning. Content includes:
• The science behind the benefits of risky play: focusing on the physical, emotional and psychological development
that occurs
• How risky play impacts literacy and learning
• Research indicating how access to active outdoor play– with its risks- is essential for healthy child development
• Discussions surrounding how parents, caregivers and professionals can increase opportunities for unstructured, self-directed play that expose children to developmentally appropriate situations that allow them to self-manage risk