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 Take
the hazard reduction challenge!
Sunny summer days invite children and their families
outdoors to play. On go the shorts, bathing suits and sunscreen. Out
come the strollers, riding toys, bicycles, tricycles, rollerblades,
skateboards, boats, soccer balls, baseball gloves and frisbees. Community
pools, bike paths, parks and playgrounds are busy from sunup to sundown.
Unfortunately, summer outdoor play also means sunburns, scrapes,
cuts and bruises. Some injuries
are more serious, even life-threatening. However, with a bit of
thought and effort, many injuries can be avoided.
Play
is children's work
Children love to play outside. And play is extremely
important for children's healthy development. Play is actually children's
work because children learn so much as they play. That is why a child's
right to play is enshrined in the UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child.
Risky
business
Children enjoy taking risks, and expanding limits
is very important to children's physical, social and emotional development.
Self-esteem grows each time a child overcomes an old fear or masters
a new skill. How can we, as parents and care providers, ensure that
the risks our children take are smart?
To keep children completely safe, we would have to build a protective
bubble around them. So how do we find a balance between safety and
play value? What risk is acceptable weighed against its benefits?
The key is to focus on hazard reduction.
Hazard
or challenge?
A hazard has been defined as something
a child does not see. A challenge is a risk the child
can see and chooses to either take or not take. Thus, the goal
is to reduce damaging injuries without eliminating challenges.
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Be wise around water
Three tips to keep top of mind when children
are playing near water:
- ALWAYS supervise children in and around water,
even if they know how to swim.
- A child can drown in only a few inches of
water -- just enough to cover the mouth and nose.
- Young children are at great risk of drowning
because they cannot understand the danger that water poses
to them.
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With some forethought, adults can see hazards and take preventive
measures. For example, children may know they can fall and skin
their knees while learning to ride a bike, but not know that they
could suffer severe brain damage. That is why it is up to parents
and caregivers to ensure that their children wear helmets. And do
as you say - wear your helmet too!
Similarly, children may know that they can fall off a swing or
climber, but not know that their fingers can get caught in a chain
or that their heads can get caught in an opening. So we supervise
young children at the playground and we stay alert to potential
hazards the children can't see.
Bold
or nervous?
When we focus on a child's desire to take risks,
we also need to be aware of capabilities.
This
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Ages and stages
make a difference
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Your child
experiences a huge amount of growth in his/her first five years.
This occurs not only physically, but emotionally, cognitively
and socially. It's obvious that a two-year old's ability to
see risk is different from that of a twelve-year old, but there
are differences even between a two-year old and a three-year
old!
Between birth and age five, there are huge physical changes
and the motor skills that go along with them. There are also
changes in other areas: curiosity, ability to listen, acceptance
of authority and respect for rules. These also have an effect
on risk-taking behaviour and vulnerability to injury. Some stages
of childhood may reflect more of a "dependence/independence"
struggle, while other stages may seem to reflect more of an
"explorer" challenge.
The main message is that, the more you understand your child's
developmental stage, as well as his/her unique personality,
the more you are better able to predict hazards and prevent
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means knowing your child. Do you have an active
child who leaps before he or she looks? You may need to encourage
this child to think about caution. With children who are more fearful,
you may need to encourage appropriate risk-taking behaviours, while
respecting their fears.
Developmental
readiness
Parents also need to be aware of the general developmental abilities
of their children. For instance, we don't expect a child who is just
learning to walk to be able to kick a ball.
But when children are ready, look out! Their attention span
for mastering one thing can tax your limits. Be prepared to spend
hours longer than you want turning a jump rope or running alongside
a two-wheel bike!
Get
active outdoors
This summer, to ensure the best possible development
for our children, let's get active outdoors. And let's practice our
knowledge. to decrease the hazards so children can get the maximum
value out of playing outdoors.
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Help your children get active!
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This
article was prepared jointly by the 
