Risky Outdoor Play and Adventure Education in Nature for Child and Adolescent Wellbeing: A Scoping Review.

ABSTRACT: According to the Australasian Society for Developmental Paediatrics, experiential learning and outdoor play contain elements of risk, bravery, uncertainty, exploration, personal challenge, and adventure. These attributes are fundamental to a child's growth, development, and wellbeing, and yet, in contemporary society, outdoor experiences have significantly declined. This scoping review explores the benefits and affordances of nature-based risky play and adventure education across early childhood and adolescence, asking what developmental opportunities emerge when children and adolescents engage in meaningful outdoor challenges. Adopting a benefit-risk approach where safety is "as safe as necessary" rather than "as safe as possible," the review identifies common elements across developmenta

SUBMITTER: Gray T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12837311 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature