7.1 Explain the benefits of risk, stimulation and challenge during children’s play

This guide will help you answer 7.1 Explain the benefits of risk, stimulation and challenge during children’s play.

As an early years and playwork practitioner, you are expected to understand how risk, stimulation and challenge contribute to children’s growth, learning and overall wellbeing. Benefits occur across physical, emotional, social and cognitive development.

The Purpose of Allowing Risk in Play

Risk in play means letting children take part in activities where there is a possibility of minor injury or failure. It does not mean unsafe environments. It means manageable risks where the benefits outweigh the potential harm.

Children need opportunities to test their limits. Safe but challenging environments improve their ability to make decisions, assess situations and take responsibility for their actions. If children never attempt anything risky, they may develop fear or lack confidence in their own abilities.

Benefits of risk in play include:

• Development of physical skills such as balance, coordination and strength
• Improved decision-making through assessing potential hazards
• Building confidence and resilience by overcoming challenges
• Greater independence from managing risks themselves
• Learning how to keep themselves and others safe

An example is climbing a tree. A child learns to grip tightly, check each branch and judge how high they can go safely. They may slip slightly but recover their balance. This teaches their body and mind how to adjust quickly and handle uncertainty.

Stimulation in Play

Stimulation means engaging a child’s senses, emotions, skills and curiosity. This keeps the brain active and encourages creativity, problem-solving and exploration.

Play environments should offer a variety of sensory experiences. This could be visual colour, textures to touch, sounds to hear, movement sensations or tastes and smells in cooking play. A rich mix of stimulation fuels mental and emotional growth.

Benefits of stimulation in play include:

• Encouraging creativity and imagination
• Extending attention spans through engaging activities
• Developing sensory processing skills
• Supporting communication and language by discussing what they see, hear or feel
• Enhancing brain development through varied sensory input

For example, a sandpit with buckets, spades, water and moulds offers tactile and visual stimulation. Children experiment with wet and dry sand, make shapes, and discuss their creations. This supports both sensory and social learning.

Challenge in Play

Challenge means tasks or activities that push children slightly beyond what they find easy. It is about testing abilities and promoting personal growth. A challenging activity should be achievable with effort.

When children face challenge, they need persistence, problem-solving and creativity to succeed. Challenge helps them develop a growth mindset where they see effort as the route to improvement.

Benefits of challenge include:

• Development of perseverance and resilience
• Learning how to plan steps to complete a task
• Building self-esteem by achieving something hard
• Encouraging teamwork in group challenges
• Supporting cognitive growth through problem-solving

An example might be building a den from sticks and fabric outdoors. Children need to think about structure, stability and design. They make mistakes but try new approaches until the den stands up. This is active problem-solving combined with teamwork.

How Risk, Stimulation and Challenge Work Together

Risk, stimulation and challenge are linked. A stimulating activity often includes elements of risk or challenge. Climbing frames stimulate by offering movement and height. They challenge with tricky routes. They carry risk if children misjudge a step.

Balancing these elements is the role of the playwork practitioner. You create environments rich in sensory stimulation, with tasks that invite challenge and enough risk to encourage self-assessment without compromising safety.

Building Confidence Through Managed Risk

Allowing children to take managed risks builds confidence. When they overcome a risky activity, they feel capable and strong. This confidence transfers to other areas of life, such as speaking up in class or trying new skills.

Confidence grows when children:

• Attempt something new without adult help
• Solve small problems in play
• Learn from mistakes without punishment
• Receive encouragement from peers and adults

Physical Development Benefits

Risk, stimulation and challenge often involve physical movement. This supports muscle growth, coordination and fine motor skills. Activities such as obstacle courses, climbing, skipping and balancing require children to control their bodies in different ways. Physical skills learned during play often improve overall fitness and reduce health problems later in life.

Key points:

• Climbing improves upper body strength and coordination
• Running games increase stamina and leg strength
• Throwing and catching help hand-eye coordination
• Balance activities strengthen core muscles

Cognitive Development Benefits

Play that challenges thinking can sharpen problem-solving and reasoning skills. Children learn patterns, strategies and creative thinking through games, puzzles and building activities. Risk adds an element of decision-making under pressure which helps the brain work faster.

Benefits include:

• Better memory from recalling instructions or game rules
• Improved planning through structured play tasks
• Sharpened judgement when assessing hazards
• Enhanced creativity through imaginative play

Social and Emotional Benefits

Risk, stimulation and challenge help children understand emotions. They experience excitement, pride, frustration and satisfaction. Learning how to manage these emotions supports emotional maturity.

Social benefits come from group play where children negotiate rules, share equipment and cooperate on tasks. Challenging games build teamwork and trust.

Benefits include:

• Improved self-regulation by coping with strong feelings
• Stronger relationships through cooperation
• Learning to respect other’s limits in risky or challenging play
• Building empathy when comforting a friend who struggles

Encouraging Safe Risk Taking

Risk should be managed but not removed. Removing all risk can make play dull and can limit development. Safe risk taking is encouraged by:

• Supervising without over-directing
• Teaching children how to recognise hazards themselves
• Providing equipment in good condition
• Setting clear boundaries that still allow exploration

An example would be having a high climbing frame but with a soft surface underneath. Children know they can fall safely but still feel the height challenge.

Supporting Different Age Groups

Risk, stimulation and challenge look different for various ages:

• Under fives: manageable physical challenges like crawling through tunnels, handling large building blocks, pouring water
• Primary age: team games, structured sports, more complex construction play, supervised tool use in craft activities
• Older children: strategy games, unsupervised group projects, leadership roles in planning activities

Matching the level of risk, stimulation and challenge to the child’s age and ability makes play safe and rewarding.

Observing and Reflecting on Play

Observation helps assess if children are benefiting from risk, stimulation and challenge. Watch how they approach tasks, respond to setbacks and interact with peers. Reflection lets you adjust play activities to meet their needs and help them progress.

Consider:

• Does the child look engaged and motivated?
• Are they taking safe risks without reckless behaviour?
• Are they meeting challenges with persistence?
• Do they seek more stimulation or appear bored?

Encouraging Self-Reflection in Children

Helping children reflect on their own play increases awareness. Ask simple questions after play such as:

• What did you find hard today?
• How did you solve that problem?
• Would you like to try that again tomorrow?

These conversations help children recognise personal growth and see risk and challenge as positive parts of play.

The Role of the Environment

The play environment strongly influences risk, stimulation and challenge. Indoor and outdoor spaces can be adapted to suit different play styles. Outdoors offers natural risks such as uneven ground, weather changes and living creatures. Indoors allows manipulative play and quieter challenges.

Variety in the environment helps meet different developmental needs. A setting with both indoor crafts and a natural outdoor area supports well-rounded play experiences.

Practitioner Support

As a practitioner, your attitude towards risk and challenge will affect children’s confidence. Support them by:

• Encouraging exploration within safe boundaries
• Giving positive feedback for effort, not just success
• Allowing mistakes without criticism
• Modelling safe behaviour such as checking equipment and using tools carefully

Final Thoughts

Risk, stimulation and challenge are not separate ideas in children’s play. They blend together to create experiences that are exciting, meaningful and developmental. Children thrive when they are free to test themselves, explore their senses and solve problems.

Removing all risk or avoiding challenge may feel safer but can limit growth. The role of a skilled playworker is to balance safety with the freedom to explore. By guiding rather than controlling, you give children the space to build confidence, skills and resilience that will serve them for life.