为什么孩子在玩耍的时候需要风险,害怕和刺激

"Be careful!" "Not so high!" "Stop that!"

"小心点！""不要爬那么高！""不要那么做！"

Concerned parents can often be heard urging safety when children are at play. Recent research suggests this may be over-protective and that kids need more opportunities for risky play outdoors.

孩子玩耍的时候，那些玻璃心的父母总会对他们说这些话让他们注意安全。最近的研究表明：这样可能过度保护了孩子，他们需要更多的机会在户外进行有风险的游戏。

Risky play is thrilling and exciting play where children test their boundaries and flirt with uncertainty. They climb trees, build forts, roam the neighbourhood with friends or play capture the flag. Research shows such play is associated with increased physical activity, social skills, risk management skills, resilience and self-confidence. These findings make intuitive sense when you watch children at play.

有风险的玩耍十分刺激、令人兴奋，孩子们能够知道自己的限度在哪、挑战未知的事物。他们爬树、建城堡、与朋友一起在家附近闲逛或玩夺旗游戏。研究表明：这类玩耍能增强身体活动、社交技能、风险管理技能，同时还能提高恢复力和自信心。当你观察孩子玩耍时的举动时，你就能明白这一研究结果了。

Importantly, it's not up to parents or experts to decide what is risky play for a particular child. Rather, children need to be given the mental and physical space to figure out appropriate risk levels for themselves: far enough that it feels exhilarating, but not so far that it becomes too scary.

重要的是，家长和专家不能为孩子决定什么样的玩耍是有风险的。相反，孩子需要有身心空间，找出适合自己的风险等级：既能让人兴奋，又不会太过恐怖。

My years as an injury prevention researcher have left me well aware of things that can go wrong and how to prevent them from happening. But because I have a doctorate in developmental psychology, I am also concerned that we are keeping our kids too safe. Preventing our kids from exploring uncertainty could have unintended negative consequences for their health and development, such as increased sedentary behaviour, anxiety and phobias.

担任伤害预防研究员的那几年经历使我特别清楚什么事情会出错以及如何预防这些事情的发生。但因为我读了发展心理学博士，所以我也担心我们可能过度保护了孩子的安全。不让孩子探索未知的事物可能会对他们的健康和发展带来意想不到的负面影响，比如久坐不动的时间变长、焦虑和恐惧增加。

Parents' hopes and fears

家长的希望和担心

Many of the parents I've spoken to through my research recognize the importance of risky play, but can be overwhelmed by worry about the possibility of serious injury or abduction. They also worry that someone is going to report them to the authorities for letting their child take risks. These worries make it hard for them to let go and can result in over-protection.

研究中，与我交流的很多父母都意识到风险玩耍的重要性，但却过分担心严重受伤或被绑架的可能性。他们还担心有人会向地方当局举报他们让孩子冒险。基于这些担心，他们很难放手，所以才会对孩子过度保护。

More recently, I've noticed an opposite trend: parents who are worried their child is too timid and not taking enough risks. They want to know how they can help their child take more risks in play. This concerns me as much as over-protection. Both approaches can increase the risk of injury and harm since they ignore children's capabilities and preferences.

最近，我注意到一个相反的趋势：父母担心自己的孩子太过胆小、不具有冒险精神。他们想知道如何让孩子在玩耍中冒更多险。这与过度保护一样令我担忧。这两种方法都会增加受伤的风险，因为他们都忽视了孩子的能力和偏好。