The significance of play in the lives of children is widely recognized. Child's Play is a valuable tool that offers strategies that support the play of children.  However, rarely do we talk about the importance of unsupervised play.  Is this because we are constantly fearful for our children? And, are they consequently being overprotected? Are they missing out on adventure because parents fear for their safety? A major study by Play England, part of the National Children’s Bureau, has found that half of all children have been stopped from climbing trees, while 21 percent have been banned from playing “conkers” (a game in which a child swings a horse chestnut on a string to try to break that of another player), and 17 percent banned from playing chase or tag. A recent article describes the extreme lengths some parents go to, to protect their children.

“Children are not being allowed many of the freedoms that were taken for granted when we were children,” said Adrian Voce, director of Play England. “They are not enjoying the opportunities to play outside that most people would have thought of as normal when they were growing up.”

Voce argues that allowing younger children to be out only when accompanied by an adult is a “social norm” and that “Logistically that is very difficult for parents to manage because of the time pressures on normal family life. If you don't want your children to play out alone and you have not got the time to take them out then they will spend more time on the computer.”

Voce says that some decisions to keep children safe are illogical: last year, nearly three times as many children were admitted to a hospital after falling out of bed than falling out of a tree.

According to research, 70 % of adults say they had their biggest childhood adventures in outdoor spaces of rivers, woods, and trees; only 29 % of children today take part in those activities. The majority of young people surveyed say their biggest adventures were on playgrounds.

Voce said Play England is determined to spread the message that children ought to be taking risks. He states that it is “'not the end of the world if a child has an accident.” The latest study shows that play providers feel that opportunities for children to “test and challenge themselves in play involving a level of risk” have reduced over the past decade. They blame the decrease on fear of litigation and overly cautious health and safety officers.

Andrea Quaintmere, manager of Toffee Park Adventure Playground in London, admits that there are fears that parents will sue if their children are injured, but that “We need to educate parents who are worried about their kids having accidents and hurting themselves. Children can learn from small accidents. Parents do get nervous and tell us ‘don't let them do that.’ I try to remind them of their own childhood,”

The Play England study quotes one play provider who says that “Risk-taking increases the resilience of children;” another who said that “It helps them make judgments.”

The research gives examples of risky play that should be encouraged: fire-building, den-making, paintballing, climbing trees, and other behaviors.

Justine Roberts, founder of Mumsnet.com, an online forum for mothers, says that parents only want to protect their children. “It is the mums and dads that have to deal with the bruises and cuts. But broadly speaking I think that we will have to be brave and allow our children to take physical risk because, within reason, that is the way that they learn.”