By Ashley Nnabue ’16

Across the board, recent studies have shown an intriguing relationship between children’s emotional growth and the amount of time and freedom they receive for play. In Western society today, there has been a prevailing viewpoint that a constraining parent is a good parent, but that actually may only lead to having children that are too afraid to take their own risks.

In recent times, playgrounds have become overly cushioned by excessive supervision, rubber mats and loose fill surfaces instead of hard surfaces for safety reasons. Such precautions may prevent children from learning from any mistakes they may make during play. If a child gets hurt, they will most likely avoid doing the action that led to the pain again. These experiences help kids grow from their mistakes, which will eventually build decision-making skills for an independent future.

According to Peter Gray, a Ph.D. Professor of Psychology at Boston College, “if we deprive children of play, they can’t learn how to negotiate, control their own lives, see things from others’ points of view and compromise.” Gray studies the causes behind the higher rates of anxiety, depression and suicide amongst teens and young adults.

Without the confidence to take matters into their own hands, it will be difficult for kids to cope with simple injuries. Fear and anxiety build up when dealing with a situation due to the inexperience of owning up to the consequences of their actions.

In the United Kingdom, playgrounds more suitable to solidifying courage in young children became more popular in the 1940s. They varied but focused heavily on a natural environment enriched with random objects that could be used for creativity. The key to this atmosphere was limited adult supervision in order for children to rely on themselves. The professionally trained supervisors limited their intervention unless a real accident occurred. However, the approach failed to spread and laws in that country have been created to ensure safer playgrounds.

The issue of children being safer and creating sheltered and safer environments for children comes at the expense of their learning of basic consequences and cause-effect relationships. It potentially stunts the developmental skills used to handle real-life experiences, which hurts a child’s ability to thrive. When children finally reach the point of independence, they may experience extreme reactions to the absence of guidance from their parents. The stress of the independence that comes with maturity may induce anxiety or depression. Excessive playground safety is only an element of a bigger picture regarding the plummeting of emotional stability. Parents who struggle to allow their children to continue without their supervision or neglect to promote independent activities can cause similar results for their children’s future.