Adapted from materials written by Zhuhai Pun, with inspiration from longtime WYP mentors Smelly Kelly and Lia Grippo, and the Wilderness Youth Project team. 

For many adults, these moments raise concern. For children, it turns out, risky experiences are essential.

At Wilderness Youth Project, we see children grow in powerful ways through risky play. These are exciting, physically challenging experiences with a small chance of injury and a large opportunity for learning. In outdoor settings, this might look like climbing trees, balancing on logs, exploring water, or moving quickly across uneven ground.

When supported within a strong and attentive environment, risky outdoor play helps children build confidence, resilience, and real-world decision-making skills.

Children are naturally drawn to challenge. Through risky play, they learn to:

• Pause and assess situations
• Understand their own limits
• Build strength and coordination
• Work through fear and excitement

With regular opportunities for outdoor play that includes manageable risk, children develop the ability to make thoughtful choices in more complex situations later in life.

Every adult has their own comfort level with risk. Being aware of this helps us better support children during outdoor play.

In our programs, we have 3 to 4 mentors for every 12 children, including staff, volunteers, and counselors in training. This allows a mentor to step back if something feels too close to one mentor’s edge, while another adult steps in to support.

Children are highly aware of adult tone, body language, and energy. Calm and steady supervision gives them space to think, problem-solve, and build confidence.

A helpful question to return to:
Is this about the child’s readiness, or my own edge?

For example, if a parent, mentor, or teacher is afraid of heights while spotting a child climbing, that fear can transfer to the child. Children are not responsible for managing adult emotions.

Before reacting, pause, observe, and ask questions. Risky play is one way children process their experiences and test their limits.

Children communicate what they are ready for through movement, confidence, and curiosity.

When considering readiness, reflect on what you see:

• How is their balance and coordination developing?
• What is their stamina like today?
• What challenges have they already navigated?
• Where have they shown curiosity or hesitation?

If a child reaches just beyond their current capacity, you might say:
“You’ll get to that higher branch when your body is ready.”

This keeps the focus on growth. Readiness shifts from day to day, and needing more time or support is part of healthy child development.

Giving children space to navigate manageable risk builds confidence, resilience, and trust in themselves.

The outdoor environment plays a key role in how children experience challenge.

We take time to notice:

• Potential hazards such as height, footing, or weather
• The developmental value of the activity
• Whether the larger situation can be supported with attentive supervision

Being intentional about environment allows children to explore, stretch their abilities, and engage in risky play with appropriate support.

Research identifies six common categories of risky play in early childhood and beyond:

• Heights such as climbing trees or rocks
• Speed such as running or jumping
• Tools such as sticks or carving tools
• Elements such as water, mud, or fire
• Rough and tumble play such as wrestling
• Independence such as hiding or exploring

These forms of outdoor play help children learn how to notice, assess, and respond to risk in real time.

Risky play in nature gives children the chance to practice courage, awareness, and decision-making with supportive adults nearby.

We continue learning alongside them. With observation, communication, and care, we create spaces where children grow into capable and confident individuals.