ABSTRACT
The philosophical approach of this chapter is profoundly influenced by the writer and play commentator Bob Hughes who has inspired the field of playwork principles. We think early years workers can take much from his approach when regarding play opportunities. Rather than there being a divide in principles relating to children’s play in playwork and early years play, there is a synergy when dealing with adventurous play scenarios. Historically, adults working with the early years have engaged in more precautionary principles in planning for physical encounters, though there is increasing evidence with influences such as forest school approaches that this is changing through acceptance that risk taking is a widespread and a fundamental psyche of children’s play. Hughes (2012) describes the ‘evolutionary nature of play’, that is the notion that children have always engaged historically in wild environments and have survived, that human beings have always had to deal with risk and therefore taking risks is a normal part of children’s development. Gray (2013: 119) concurs, ‘from a biological/evolutionary perspect - ive, play is nature’s way of ensuring that young mammals including young humans, with practice can become good at the skills they need to develop and thrive on their own’. The normality of risk is however challenged by the potential danger of risk and it is the association between risk and danger that needs more clarification in order to aid adults’ understanding, awareness and acceptance of risk as a normal rather than an abnormal undertaking in children’s play. Danger emerges in risk taking when children’s own recognition of risk is absent. It then becomes a hazard. Hughes remarks:
I would define risk as those parts of the physical environment that the child is aware of, which if engaged with may result in physical injury. The important distinguishing feature of risk is that the child is aware the risk is there. Danger on the other hand, is when a child is unaware of the risk or the nature of it.
