Study links risky play to quicker, smarter decision-making | Interview with Dr. Mariana Brussoni @mbrussoni.bsky.social www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/vi...

The benefits of "risky play" for kids | Mariana Brussoni's interview on The Jill Bennett Show @globalnews.ca globalnews.ca/bc/program/t...

"New research from UBC and Queen Maud University College (Norway), led by Dr. Mariana Brussoni reveals that kids who take more risks on the playground make faster, safer decisions in traffic." pediatrics.med.ubc.ca/2026/05/19/k...

Kids who take risks at play make faster, smarter decisions in traffic | Mariana Brussoni's interview on CBC's On The Coast about risky play, including recent virtual-reality based research www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

"We find that there is a broad culture of low autonomy and low unsupervised play that pervades the United States." From: www.afterbabel.com/p/state-of-c... - based on findings from a recent Institute for Family Studies survey

Active Play and Why Risky Play Matters More Than You Think | Dr. Mariana Brussoni talks with Dr. Emily Greenwald (Feb. 2026 episode of Dr. Emily's podcast) www.activeplayeveryday.com/episodes/ris...

Backing risky play: a pathway to building a child’s strength and resilience thesector.com.au/article/back...

NEW ARTICLE [open access]: ‘There are so many good things outside, let me tell you’: Children’s qualitative perspectives of outdoor play affordances at early learning and child care | By Rachel Ramsden, Emily Jenkins, Sally Thorne, Ian Pike & Mariana Brussoni journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Parents Who Hover Too Much Usually Raise Kids Who Struggle With These 5 Things Later On | @mbrussoni.bsky.social : "being put in a position where they have to figure things out independently helps kids develop their executive function" www.yourtango.com/family/paren...

Today is Healthy Environments for Learning Day! We are one of over 50 organizations in Canada calling for healthy, sustainable and climate-resilient outdoor learning and play settings for all children. To learn more, visit: healthyenvironmentforkids.ca/held/2026-ca... @cpche.ca

We were excited to see this great TED-Ed Animation, which included Dr. Mariana Brussoni as the Expert Consultant: WHY KIDS NEED TO TAKE MORE RISKS www.ted.com/talks/ted_ed...

ShiftED Podcast #90 In Conversation with Mariana Brussoni: Safe as Necessary, Not as Possible www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HW7...

Starting next week!! EMBRACING RISKY PLAY - online course for educators and teachers. The course includes four 60-minute sessions, led by Mariana Brussoni, Megan Zeni, Sheila Grieve and Susan Herrington. For details and to register, visit: outdoorlearning.com/event/embrac...

Reimagining Play: The Role of Risk in Childhood Growth | Dr. Mariana Brussoni was recently a guest on The Locked up Living Podcast, with Dr. Naomi Murphy and David Jones lockedupliving.podbean.com

“ … "risky play" is good for kids’ mental, physical and social health — even if it might result in injury. In an interview from January, we hear what’s behind this new advice, why ”incredibly boring playgrounds” are part of the problem, and why parents might need to just take a deep breath. “

CBC's The Current revisited one of our favourite segments this morning: Why Risky Play is Good for Kids - hear kids talk about play, as well as interviews with Mariana Brussoni @mbrussoni.bsky.social and Alexandra Lange @langealexandra.bsky.social www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

👉 UPCOMING COURSE: Embracing Risky Play | With Dr. Mariana Brussoni, Dr. Megan Zeni, Sheila Grieve and Susan Herrington - 4x weekly 60-minute online sessions, starting on April 13 | For more info and to register: outdoorlearning.com/event/embrac...

“When every moment is planned, kids have fewer opportunities to develop emotional control and internal motivation.” www.seattletimes.com/life/food-dr... | Jessica Haggard @seattletimes.com on unstructured play, including our online resource for parents www.outsideplay.org/tool-microsi...

@outsideplayubc.bsky.social created a free online tool that helps parents increase children’s outdoor time, supporting the shift from screen-based activities to independent, imaginative play. via @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS - including submissions on outdoor-related work - Atlantic Education Graduate Student Conference 2026 | Deadline: Feb. 27 | bit.ly/AEGSC26

THIS WEEK! Feb. 5, 3:00PM-4:30PM (PST): Drs. Mariana Brussoni and Megan Zeni lead a webinar as they promote their new book, Embracing Risky Play at School: Getting Kids Outdoors to Explore, Learn, and Grow | For more info and to register, visit earlylearning.ubc.ca/webinar-embr...

As the world has come to seem scarier, the tech industry has drawn children indoors with vibrant iPad games and an endless stream of YouTube slop. “The offline spaces where kids once congregated have emptied out,” writes Simon Lewsen. https://thewalrus.ca/is-it-dangerous-to-let-kids-be-free/

Here's my latest essay for @thewalrus.ca. As a parent, I understand the impulse to protect kids. Danger is real. And on the other side of danger? Unimaginable loss. But safety, I've come to believe, is inversely correlated with freedom—which, for kids, is sacrosanct. thewalrus.ca/is-it-danger...

What does it mean to raise independent kids in a culture obsessed with safety? In his latest essay for The Walrus, Simon Lewsen examines the risks, contradictions, and consequences of free-range parenting: https://thewalrus.ca/is-it-dangerous-to-let-kids-be-free/

"In an era when young men are disappearing into bedrooms and internet forums, her son remains fascinated by the tactile, physical environment." Is It Dangerous to Let Kids Be Free | Simon Lewsen @thewalrus.ca feat. interview w/Dr. Mariana Brussoni @mbrussoni.bsky.social thewalrus.ca/is-it-danger...

Surrey caregivers conference looks at the importance of outdoor play - conference includes Friday keynote by Dr. Mariana Brussoni - northdeltareporter.com/2026/01/23/s...

Why parents shouldn't let winter weather cut down on outdoor play for kids www.saltwire.com/newfoundland...

Hong Kong forest schools are embracing ‘risky play’ for children as young as 2 www.scmp.com/special-repo...

Great convo with @mbrussoni.bsky.social 🛝 @bcchresearch.bsky.social

Embracing Risky Play at Schools with Dr. Mariana Brussoni | Teach Outdoors podcast with Lauren MacLean www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAX2... via www.youtube.com/@TeachOutdoors

UPCOMING WEBINAR by Drs. Mariana Brussoni & Megan Zeni, in promotion of their new book, Embracing Risky Play at School: Getting Kids Outdoors to Explore, Learn and Grow! Embracing Risky Play: At School and Beyond Feb. 5 | 3-4:30PM (PST) | Via Zoom To register: earlylearning.ubc.ca/webinar-embr...

“It's just kind of limiting children's options in terms of how their imagination can shape their play.” Dr. Mariana Brussoni, in #CBCNews article by Sarah Petz: Lego unveils new ‘smart bricks’ with interactive lights and sounds www.cbc.ca/news/busines... @mbrussoni.bsky.social

"Kindergarteners in B.C. are entering school with challenges in one or more core areas of development at the highest rates ever recorded in the province." www.tiktok.com/@cbcbritishc...

New article! Social-ecological correlates of children's outdoor playtime and their interaction with gender: a nat'l longitudinal study | By Richard Larouche, Robert T. Duffy, Kristian Larsen, Mathieu Belanger, Mariana Brussoni, Guy Faulkner, Katie Gunnell & Mark S. Tremblay doi.org/10.1016/j.en...

Is your neighbourhood playable? New website breaks it down news.ubc.ca/2025/12/is-y... | Interview with Dr. Emily Gemmell @ubcpublichealth.bsky.social via UBC News

New publication! Children’s outdoor play at early learning and child care centres: Examining the impact of environmental play features on children’s play behaviour | By R. Ramsden, I. Pike, S. Thorne, M. Brussoni journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...

More than one-third of B.C. kindergarteners struggle in core areas of development, study finds | @theglobeandmail.com [subscription required to view] - w/ research from UBC's Human Early Learning Partnership www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/briti...

Embracing Risky Schoolyard Play for Exploration, Learning, and Growth - Dr. Mariana Brussoni's online session from Nov. 6th, the third in the Green Schoolyard Lecture Series www.greenschoolyards.org/green-school...

New! Cdn research on measuring how friendly neighbourhoods are for kids' play: Development and application of a geospatial index of urban playability for young children | Emily Gemmell, A. Cavenaugh, M. Brussoni, M. Guhn, F. Andrade-Rivas, I. Imon, M. Brauer www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Our Lab's Rachel Ramsden is one of the 2026 Children The Heart of The Matter Conference panelists! Conference will be held Jan 30 & 31, with sessions centred around the theme Rooted in Nature: Exploring Outdoor Play and Our Connection to the Land. www.childcareoptions.ca/children-the...

NEW RELEASE! Drs. Mariana Brussoni and Megan Zeni's book, Embracing Risky Play at School, is now available to pre-order! Scheduled release date: Jan. 2026 If you're in Canada, visit: outdoorlearning.com/product/embr... For US and other international orders, visit: www.tcpress.com/embracing-ri...

[Ipswich, Australia:] New playground equipment encourages children to learn through 'risky play' www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10...

🎉 It’s here 🎉 The 2025 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play is officially live! Packed with new insights, sector-specific recommendations, and grounded in 9 key themes, this updated Statement is your go-to guide for supporting active outdoor play for all! 🌿 www.outdoorplaycanada.ca/aop10/

How can active outdoor play build a better planet? -- Active For Life looks at the 2025 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play activeforlife.com/outdoor-play... @outdoorplayca.bsky.social

Move over, helicopter parents. Try being a lifeguard parent instead - by Katherine Martinko, for @theglobeandmail.com www.theglobeandmail.com/life/advice/...

One Community’s Experiment With a Phone-Free Childhood time.com/7314325/bala...

⁠Are Playgrounds Too Safe? The Benefits of Risky Play, interview w/our Lab's Rachel Ramsden - E.19, Screen Less Play More podcast: screenlessplaymore.com Rachel reflects on her PhD research, interviewing young kids about playing outside and what we can learn from children about playground design.

Important research underlining the many ways in which local authority policy making marginalises space for play (house building, finance, austerity, post-covid, Brexit, focus on physical activity, etc.) But some hope that “thoughtful planning” can work. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

2025 Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play will be released Sept. 25 - marking 10 years since the original statement! 2025 Statement is global in scope & highlights benefits of active outdoor play for all cultures, abilities, communities, and the environment. www.outdoorplaycanada.ca/aop10/

*JOB POSTING: Let Grow is currently looking for a bilingual (English/French) Canadian School Account Manager to act as a point of contact for schools across Canada, playing a key role in shaping their presence in Canada and supporting schools in implementing Let Grow programs. letgrow.org/careers/