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Letting Kids Take Risks More Risk, More Reward by Jennifer Hood of Jump Gymnastics
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s parents, our job is to protect our children and keep them safe. But our job is also to prepare them to navigate the world around them with confidence as they grow up. And part of that is letting them take risks so they can learn to manage risk in the future. Without exposure to some risk, like the instability when a baby takes their first steps or a tween learns to skateboard, children wouldn’t learn anything new. Ultimately, being exposed to the risks that are inherent in trying something new helps them develop as athletes and as people. But it can be hard as a parent to know what risks are appropriate and what is simply too much. When choosing a sport or physical activity for their child, parents should look for programming that is designed to help children learn to identify, assess, and manage any risks that they will face. For example, soccer programs should educate athletes on the risk of concussion and help athletes learn how to avoid skills or activities where the risk of serious injury outweighs the potential benefits. But what about outside of an organized sport or activity, such as situations like playing at the park? Risk taking is an essential part in the healthy physical, social, and emotional development of children. But again, children must learn how to identify, assess, and manage risk, all of which are skills that are essential in adulthood. And this learning process is often messy, with bumps and bruises along the way. So how do we, as parents, feel comfortable allowing our children to take risks with the inevitable minor injuries that come with them, and help them manage risk in a responsible manner? The key to both of these lies in that process of identifying risk, assessing risk and managing risk, and this process needs to be taught, modeled, and practiced over and over again. First parents themselves need to know how to identify a risk versus a hazard. At a recent talk on Overprotected Kids, Dr. Mariana Brussoni, a Developmental Psychologist at UBC and a mom herself, identified the difference. She said, “A hazard is something a child does not or cannot see. A risk is a challenge a child can see and chooses to undertake or not.” A two-year-old crossing the street is a hazard, whereas a twelveyear-old crossing the street is a risk. As a parent,
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you manage the hazards but let your child choose whether or not to engage with the risks. It’s equally important to talk to your kids about risk and teach them how to identify it. As they get better at identifying the risk themselves, ask them to start telling you what the risks are in certain situations. Ask them, “I’m worried about you climbing up the slide. Can you think of why?” As they develop, you can start them off with small, low-stakes risks, like playing on the playground, and then move to more complex, higher-stakes risks, like climbing trees. Once your child becomes confident spotting potential risks, get them involved in assessing it. Say, for example, your child wants to ride their bike to school alone. Start by talking with them about what the risks are–traffic safety, getting lost, falling and injuring themselves etc. Then have them help you assess how likely these risks are and what the “worst case scenario” would be. Finally, involve your child in putting together a plan to manage these risks. This could include practicing with you for a week first, packing a first aid kit, travelling with a friend and so on. This can feel overwhelming and scary for a parent but completely removing risk from a child’s life puts your child at much greater risk as they grow up. According to Dr. Brussoni, “Eliminating
risk leads to a child’s inability to assess danger.” Not only does it send a clear message to your child that you don’t trust them to make sound decisions and that the world is a scary place to be avoided, but without practicing how to identify, assess, and manage risk, children become adults who are unable to safely negotiate the risks that come with everyday life and are far more likely to be hurt or injured. It’s likely that your child will be the leader when it comes to risk taking. Instead of letting your fear and anxiety guide you, which stems from your natural instinct to protect your kids at all costs, try to reframe their insistence on taking risks as an appropriate and necessary developmental activity. Be confident that you are setting the foundation now for your child to be confident, healthy and safe later in life. Jennifer Hood is the owner of Jump Gymnastics. www.jumpgymnastics.ca Jennifer has a degree in Anthropology and a degree in Education. Jennifer opened Jump Gymnastics in 2008 and opened a second facility in North Vancouver in 2014. The Jump curriculum, based on her years of experience and research, helps children become active for life by teaching them foundational movement skills.