Risky play and children’s well-being, involvement and physical activity.

The study investigates how risky play affects children's well-being, engagement and physical activity. The research question is: What is the relationship between participating in risky play on the one hand and children's well-being, engagement and physical activity on the other in eight Norwegian preschool institutions?

The results showed that engagement in risky play had a positive correlation with children's well-being, engagement and physical activity. The findings suggest that one way to support children's daily experiences and positive outcomes in kindergarten is to provide them with opportunities for risky play.

The study was conducted as a sub-study within the EnCompetence project. The data material consists of video observations of children during periods of free play. The children could decide for themselves what they wanted to do, where they wanted to be, and who they wanted to interact with. A total of 79 children – 40 boys and 39 girls with an average age of 4.7 years – participated from eight Norwegian kindergartens.

Sando, O. J., Kleppe, R. & Sandseter, E. B. H. (2021). "Risky play and children’s well-being, involvement and physical activity". Child Indicators Research, 14(4):1435-1451.