'Safe' playgrounds stunt emotional development

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Jungle gyms have evolved over the years.

Once ten-foot-tall, bare-bones metal contraptions set in bare grass or dirt have given way to colorful, shorter, purportedly safer (and less lawsuit-prone) wonderlands padded underfoot by materials such as rubber or wood chips.

But psychologists are raising concerns about the negative psychological impacts of these "safer" models even as studies about their physical safety benefits remain inconclusive.

Ellen Sandseter, a professor of psychology at Queen Maud University in Norway told The New York Times:

Children need to encounter risks and overcome fears on the playground. I think monkey bars and tall slides are great. As playgrounds become more and more boring, these are some of the few features that still can give children thrilling experiences with heights and high speed.

She and other psychologists believe that protective playgrounds have the opposite of their intended effect: instead of making children feel safer, and therefore braver, they actually make them more anxious and fearful.

How children approach playgrounds

Dr. Sandseter studied children on playgrounds in Norway, England and Australia, and identified six types of risky play that they engender: exploring heights, moving at high speed, playing with dangerous tools, being near near dangerous elements such as water or fire, physical play with others (such as wrestling) and getting lost.

When climbing equipment isn't high enough, Dr. Sandseter says it becomes boring for children. When approaching a tall jungle gym, most children will not try to reach the peak on the first try, but over the years, they will work up to it and develop a sense of mastery.

Even if they fall while trying, falls almost never cause permanent emotional or physical damage. The Times writer, John Tierney, says:

While some psychologists — and many parents — have worried that a child who suffered a bad fall would develop a fear of heights, studies have shown the opposite pattern: A child who's hurt in a fall before the age of 9 is less likely as a teenager to have a fear of heights.

Psychological and evolutionary benefits of risky play

The gradual way in which children tackle progressively greater challenges when playing on jungle gyms actually mirrors a technique called habituation that therapists use to coach adults who have phobias, Dr. Sandseter and her fellow psychologist, Leif Kennair of Norwegian University for Science and Technology, argue in the journal Evolutionary Psychology (pdf).

They cite other studies showing that experiencing an injurious fall from height between the ages of five and nine was associated with not fearing heights at age 18.

After analyzing statistics of playground accidents from several countries, they also saw that injuries from children's play such as bruises, fractures and concussions, were generally temporary and rarely caused the kind of trauma that would affect normal development.

It seems counterintuitive to think that a tendency to explore heights would have an evolutionary advantage. After all, if children risk death, they won't be able to pass their genes on.

But, Sandseter and Kennair say, there are evolutionary benefits to doing so because it helps children develop the important skills of conquering fear and forging a sense of mastery. Not letting those develop has its own side effects. The psychologists write:

Paradoxically, … our fear of children being harmed by mostly harmless injuries may result in more fearful children and increased levels of psychopathology.

via: The New York Times

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Thank you for the "duh" moment of the day.

I love it when modern psychiatrists use their heads. Now if we can only get them off of the drug craze, we'd be doing alright...

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Thank you for the "duh" moment of the day.

I love it when modern psychiatrists use their heads. Now if we can only get them off of the drug craze, we'd be doing alright...

On another note, parents are turning their kids into a bunch of metro zombies...imo. We didn't have any helmets when riding our bikes, we didn't stay in the house all day playing Ninspendo...we built tree houses, rode motorcylces, went down to the creek and fished, played army in the woods, had BB gun fights wearing helmets and goggles and we played foo ball out in the pasture. There were no retarded "baby on board" signs in cars, and moms didn't need a book on how to raise your kid. When you lipped off you got five across the eyes, and if you kept pushing your luck, your ol man gave you a whipping when he got home. That's when teachers could use paddles on kids, and nobody died from it.

Edited July 20, 2011 by Why_Me

[nane1104 146]

That's why I love playgrounds in Germany. They are still kind of "rough", but with a "safety cushion" out of wood- or rubber chips. I don't think you have to compromise on the fun neither the safety, there are ways to ensure both.

Plus, kids usually (not saying all), only do and play what they feel okay with, i.e, they will usually only climb as high as they feel they can comfortably handle.

It;s time to let kids be kids!

[Susita 175]

I'm all for safety, no one wants their kid to get hurt, but sometimes it's over the top or unnecessary. The main problem that I see is that playgrounds appropriate for kids 6-12 years old are sometimes used by kids who are too little and not coordinated enough to use them. I notice more injuries in those circumstances. Parents are too busy texting or on Facebook while their 3 year old is doing dangerous stuff.... Then OF COURSE its not their fault and they sue the town/county/whatever.

Nobody wants to get sued.