Table 2.

Risks vs. hazards.

Risk in the context of risky play is understood as a situation whereby a child can recognize and evaluate a challenge and decide on a course of action how to respond to the challenge. The negative interpretation of risk led to a view of risk and hazard as being synonymous (53). A risk is not necessarily just negative. It can also be defined as situations in which we have to make choices among alternative courses of action without knowing the outcome (53). The presence of adults supervising children decreases injury rates. By enabling children to make choices that entail a risk of injury, while a caring adult helps to explore potential outcomes, their comprehension of the functioning of the world expands, fostering their development into independent and capable decision makers (55, 94).

A hazard is understood as a danger in the environment that could seriously injure or endanger a child and is beyond the child’s capacity to recognize (53). Considering the developmental and physical literacy skills of children engaging in risky play, risks that may pose hazards are eliminated from the play environment, taking into account the child’s age (53). Sometimes a hazard cannot be removed. In some regions of the world, children grow up in war-zones, where land-mines could be a severe threat to their lives, or they live in regions where encounters with wild or venomous animals are common. Extreme weather events such as heat or cold, long-term health risks of sun-exposure, or air pollution may impact a child’s ability to play outside without restrictions. Depending on the society one lives in, both high levels of traffic, or even violence, can contribute to an unsafe environment for a child to freely play outside.