Supporting the development of risk-taking behaviours in the early years: an exploratory study

Children's opportunities for independent play in natural outdoor spaces, and the associated opportunities to take and negotiate risk, are being eroded despite potential links between such play and the development of positive learning dispositions. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study that documented the risk-taking behaviours displayed by four-year-old children in the natural environment of a Forest School and within their school outdoor play-space. The data indicated that the Forest School environment was better able to support the development of positive risk-taking behaviours. The environmental features that may have contributed to the observed behaviours are considered.