UK government report says playgrounds must be designed to increase likelihood of injuries so children learn to manage risks
By Agencies
London: Children should be allowed to break their legs and eat poisonous plants as part of their physical and social development, says a UK report.
The government document by Play England and the Department for Children, Schools and Families urges local councils to build playgrounds and parks that may “increase the likelihood of injuries”, so that they can learn how to manage risks as a part of their normal growing.
It says that the lives of children have become “much more restricted and controlled” over the last 30 years, reports the Telegraph. “It is unhelpful always to define ‘harm’ and ‘injury’ as negative,” the document said.
“The phrase, ‘That’ll teach you!’ is an acknowledgement that self-generated harm can be a valuable form of instruction. The presence of a hazard… is potentially to be welcomed.
“In a playground, bumps, bruises, scrapes and even a broken limb are not necessarily warning signs of greater dangers, as they might be in a factory or an office environment,” it adds.
Eating mildly poisonous plants or berries offers “good and bad risks”, it says. “It is almost unheard of for children to die or be permanently disabled from eating poisonous plants, but this has not stopped some local authorities and others from removing traditional plants from parks and public spaces,” said the guidance.
Courtesy: mumbaimirror.com
