Over-anxious parents, please note — children should be encouraged to climb trees and graze knees, for a new report says that kids learn from cut knees.
The report, issued by the Health and Safety Executive and Play England, says that children should be allowed to take risks and organisations designing play areas should allow for a “few grazed knees or bruised elbows” if kids gain from the experience, for e.g., learning how to ride bike on rough ground.
Mick Conway of Play England was quoted by the Daily Telegraph as saying, “We do assess risk and hazard but we look at the benefits to children too and take a balanced approach.”
“There has been too much of a cotton wool culture. People accept that children need more challenges while staying safe and that a few bumps and scrapes are all part of growing up.”
The guide warns that if playgrounds fail to stimulate children then the more risk-taking youngsters will seek challenges in more dangerous settings. The report said health and safety was “no longer about creating a risk-free society”.
—PTI