2 February 2026

At Scallywags Nursery, Forest School is a huge part of our identity — but it doesn’t stand alone. Alongside our Forest School sessions, we also intentionally offer risky play throughout the nursery day, because we know how powerful it is for children’s development.

February is the perfect time to talk about risky play. As children grow in confidence, strength, and curiosity, they naturally seek challenge. Our role as early years practitioners isn’t to remove risk altogether — it’s to teach children how to manage it safely.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝘀 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆?

Risky play (sometimes called adventurous play) is play that involves challenge, uncertainty, and managed risk. It allows children to test their limits, make decisions, and experience a sense of achievement.

Risky play might look like:

• Using real tools such as peelers, child-safe knives, or woodworking tools
• Cooking activities involving heat, such as using a hob with close adult support
• Building tall towers with Lego or blocks
• Using scissors, threading beads, or manipulating small tools
• Balancing on logs or planks
• Building with tyres, pallets, and loose parts
• Digging with spades or forks
• Exploring water, mud, pebbles, and natural materials

These experiences are carefully planned, risk assessed, and supervised — but they still feel exciting, empowering, and meaningful to children.

𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹– 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿

Forest School provides the perfect environment for risky play:

• Natural spaces offer varied, unpredictable challenges
• Children move their bodies in different ways
• Tools and materials are real and purposeful
• Children learn through experience, not instruction

But risky play doesn’t only happen outdoors. Inside the nursery, we also encourage challenge through:

• open-ended resources
• problem-solving activities
• opportunities to “try, fail, and try again”
• allowing children to attempt things independently before stepping in

Together, Forest School and risky play help children build confidence, resilience, and self-belief.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗜𝘀 𝗦𝗼 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁

Research shows that children who engage in risky play develop:
⭐ Confidence and self-esteem
⭐ Resilience and perseverance
⭐ Problem-solving skills
⭐ Risk assessment and decision-making abilities
⭐ Emotional regulation
⭐ Independence and creativity

When children are trusted to take appropriate risks, they learn:

• what their bodies can do
• how to judge danger
• how to recover from mistakes
• how to manage fear and excitement

These skills don’t just support physical development — they build strong foundations for lifelong learning and wellbeing.

𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝘃𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆– 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

It’s natural for adults to want to protect children — especially in today’s world. However, removing all risk can disadvantage children later in life.

At Scallywags, we believe in:

• not being careless or unsafe
• not wrapping children in cotton wool
• carefully managing risk rather than avoiding it

Before any risky play experience:
✔ staff complete risk–benefit assessments
✔ activities are adapted for individual children
✔ adults stay close, observant, and responsive
✔ children are guided, not controlled

This means children can challenge themselves safely and confidently.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆

Our practitioners:

• know each child as an individual
• judge readiness rather than age alone
• adapt activities so all children can participate
• offer close supervision when needed (1:1 or small groups)
• model calm, confident behaviour around risk
• talk children through decisions:
  “What might happen if…?”
  “How could we make this safer?”

We don’t rush in to “fix” things — we allow children time to think, try, and problem-solve.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲

Risky play works best when children experience consistent messages between nursery and home. Parents can support this by:

✔ Allowing age-appropriate challenges

Let children climb, balance, pour, build, and explore.

✔ Trusting your child

Confidence grows when children feel trusted.

✔ Resisting the urge to step in too quickly

Pause, watch, and let them try.

✔ Talking about risk

Ask questions like:
“What do you think will happen?”
“How can you make that safer?”

✔ Normalising small mistakes

Scrapes, spills, and wobble moments are part of learning.

✔ Celebrating effort, not just success

“I saw how carefully you tried that.”

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿

Risky play can feel uncomfortable for adults — and that’s okay. We encourage open conversations with parents and carers, and we’re always happy to explain:

• why an activity is offered
• how risks are managed
• how children benefit

When families and practitioners work together, children receive a powerful message:
“You are capable. You are trusted. You can do hard things.”

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀

This month, we celebrate risk as a tool for growth, not something to fear.
Through Forest School and carefully planned risky play, we support children to become:
🌟 confident
🌟 resilient
🌟 independent
🌟 thoughtful risk-takers

Because learning to manage risk is one of the most valuable life skills we can offer.

Risky play blog written by Demi Eastment