Citation

Hansen Sandseter EB, Sando OJ. Am. J. Play 2016; 8(2): 178-200.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, The Strong - National Museum of Play, Publisher University of Illinois Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The authors point out a basic contradiction: On one hand, we want to keep children as safe as possible; On the other, they suggest, learning to take risks is a normal part of childhood and child development. In Norway, research has shown that early-childhood education and care (ECEC) practitioners have, in the past, taken a permissive approach to children's risk taking. In this article, the authors surveys ECEC managers to explore how the increasing focus on safety in Norwegian society affects ECEC programs. They find the previously more relaxed attitudes regarding risky play among children to be changing in such settings. They describe restrictions recently introduced into everyday program activities, and they discuss the implications both for ECEC pedagogy and for children's play, learning, and development.

Keywords: early-childhood education and care (ECEC); play and safety; play in Norwegian preschools; risk taking and play

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Language: en