The Risk Spectrum: How We Hold Risky Play at Saplings

Risk is a word that often gets misunderstood in early childhood and outdoor education. It is sometimes treated as something to eliminate, and other times as something to celebrate without structure. At Saplings, we take a different approach.

We understand risk as something that lives on a spectrum, and our role as educators is not to avoid it or ignore it, but to hold it well.

Understanding the Risk Spectrum

Most educators sit somewhere on a spectrum when it comes to risk. This is not about personality, confidence, or experience; it is about practice, and practice shifts depending on context. Where we land can change based on group size, weather, time of day, stress levels, or the specific children in front of us. Our goal is not to be perfect or fixed in one place, but to aim consistently for the prepared middle.

Over-Cautious Practice

On one end of the spectrum is over-cautious practice. This often shows up as lots of rules, low challenge, and high adult control. While this approach is usually driven by care, fear of injury, or concern about complaints, it can unintentionally limit learning. When play is shut down too quickly, children lose opportunities to test themselves, build judgement, and develop confidence.

Children still seek risk. When it is overly restricted, they often do so without adult support. Over-control can also increase conflict and dysregulation, as children push against boundaries that feel arbitrary or overly tight.

Under-Boundaried Practice

On the other end of the spectrum is under-boundaried practice. This can look like few limits, high chaos, and adults feeling overwhelmed.

Letting everything happen is not the same as supporting risky play. Without structure, risk becomes hazard. Injuries and conflicts increase, and children are left without the clarity they need to feel safe. This approach often comes from a desire to be easygoing or liked, but children need boundaries in order to explore with confidence. Freedom without limits does not create safety; it creates uncertainty.

Prepared, Not Permissive

The middle of the spectrum is where meaningful learning happens. This is the space of clear boundaries, active supervision, and real challenge.

Here, children know what is allowed and what is not. Educators are watching, coaching, adjusting, and responding in real time. This is not about being strict or relaxed; it is about being ready. Prepared practice is where safety and learning meet.

How We Stay in the Middle

Staying in the prepared middle is not a static position. It requires ongoing awareness and professional judgement.

Preparation and Dynamic Risk Assessment

At Saplings, we rely on preparation and dynamic risk assessment rather than fixed rules alone. Educators are expected to know their site, know their children, watch the weather, and adjust as conditions change.

What was a “yes” yesterday might be a “no” today. What worked in the morning may not work in the afternoon. This flexibility is not inconsistency; it is professionalism.

Dynamic risk assessment is not a form you fill out once. It is a mindset that runs continuously throughout the day.

Why This Matters

Risky play, when held well, supports far more than physical development. When children are offered healthy, visible risk, behaviour issues often decrease. Children become calmer, more cooperative, and more regulated. They fight less, focus more, and trust adults more deeply when boundaries are clear and consistent.

This is why we invest time and energy into doing risky play well. It is not an add-on to learning; it is foundational to wellbeing.

Risk Versus Hazard

A core part of our approach is understanding the difference between risk and hazard.

Risk is visible, assessable, and learnable. It allows children to judge, adapt, and grow.

Hazards are hidden, broken, or unsafe elements that children cannot reasonably assess on their own. Our job is to remove hazards, not eliminate all risk. Fore example, a tall log is a risk. A rotten log is a hazard. A supervised zipline is a risk. A loose cable is a hazard.

By removing hazards and keeping risk visible, we allow children to build real competence without being reckless.

Risk Changes All Day Long

Risk is never fixed. It shifts constantly based on weather, energy levels, group size, and individual children. This is why we say that risk assessment is a living process. Adjusting boundaries throughout the day is not a failure to plan; it is a sign of attentiveness.

Responding to Children, Not Just Rules

Blanket rules remove professional judgement. Children bring different skills, confidence levels, and emotional states into play. Some children need more challenge. Others need more support. Risk should invite curiosity, not overwhelm.

Educators are expected to assess who the child is, what skills they have, how they are feeling, and who else is nearby. This is how we stay responsive and intentional.

Boundaries Make Risk Safe

Risky play only works inside clear boundaries. Boundaries help children understand where they can go, how many children can be involved, what surfaces are appropriate, and when adults will step in. These limits create freedom, not restriction. They also support educators, reducing uncertainty and increasing confidence in decision-making.

Rather than stopping play outright, educators are encouraged to coach, spot, slow, or redirect. Language matters. A well-timed phrase can reduce danger while keeping play alive.

Instead of saying “Stop,” an educator might say, “Show me where your feet are going next.”

This kind of guidance builds skill, awareness, and confidence.

Our Own Fear

Fear is not the same as risk. Educators often carry fears around injury, complaints, or getting in trouble. These fears are human and understandable, but they can shape decisions in ways that do not always reflect the actual situation.

Dynamic risk assessment helps us respond to reality rather than anxiety. The goal is not to be fearless, but to be thoughtful and prepared. When children are given real physical challenge outdoors, they are often calmer, more focused, and more regulated. Risky play burns off stress and replaces chaos with purpose. This is especially important in after-school care, where children arrive with pent-up energy from structured days.

Final Thoughts

• Risk is not danger. Children grow through visible, manageable risk, while our responsibility is to remove hidden hazards.

• Our goal is the prepared middle; not over-control and not chaos, but clear boundaries paired with meaningful challenge.

• Risk changes in real time. Weather, energy, group size, and individual children mean that decisions must shift throughout the day.

• Boundaries make freedom possible. Strong limits allow children to explore bravely without tipping into danger.

• When children receive real outdoor challenge, behaviour improves, confidence grows, and learning deepens.

At Saplings, we do not aim to be strict or permissive. We aim to be prepared, responsive, and present, holding risk in a way that allows children to grow safely into themselves.