The Canadian Paediatric Society recently released a position statement on outdoor risky play that recognizes that risky play is essential to children’s development, and physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. You might think that injury prevention and encouraging risky play don’t go together but they do!

Key takeaways:

• There is a difference between a risk and a hazard. A risk is thrilling and exciting play, where kids are engaged with uncertainty and there is a chance of physical injury - think back to your favourite childhood memories. A hazard is something that could cause serious injury or death, such as broken equipment, broken glass or needles. Luckily these are very rare occurrences. Risks and hazards can be age or ability specific, and therefore can change over time.
• As safe as necessary, not as safe as possible. Let children take the lead, give children the choice, trust them to make good decisions, and to manage the risk on their own. 
• Physicians and other medical professionals are a trusted source of information for parents. The Canadian Paediatric Society’s Injury Prevention Committee statement provides best practice information to physicians to be able to support parents in balancing and encouraging physical activity – risky play.

For more information, visit parachute.ca/en/injury-topic/playgrounds-and-play-spaces/

Guests:
Dr. Suzanne Beno*, a Paediatric Emergency Medicine Specialist and Medical Co-Director for Trauma at The Hospital for Sick Children;
Dr. Émilie Beaulieu*, a General Pediatrician at the CHU du Quebec and an Assistant Professor at the Department of Paediatrics at Laval University;
Dr. Mariana Brussoni, lead of the Outside Play Lab and Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership at the University of British Columbia

*Lead authors of the Canadian Paediatric Society’s statement on Risky Play:
Canadian Paediatric Society, Position Statement, Healthy childhood development through outdoor risky play: Navigating the balance with injury prevention cps.ca/en/documents/position/outdoor-risky-play

Popping the Bubble Wrap is a podcast of Parachute, Canada’s national injury prevention charity. We release episodes monthly. Visit us at parachute.ca and follow us on Instagram and Facebook at Parachute Canada.

Popping the Bubble Wrap is produced by Story Studio Network. www.storystudionetwork.com/