JETEN (Dec 2020)
Preschool teacher’s courage and physicality in risk-filled play
Abstract
The purpose with the article is to make visible and discuss the role of preschool teachers in working with risk-filled play in a physical and didactic perspective. Risky play is defined as: ‘An exciting and challenging game that involves uncertainty and the risk of physical injury. (Sandseter, 2010 ). These are activities where children balance on the verge of losing control. The play is exciting precisely because there is a risk and fear of the unknown. In order to create such possibilities, preschool teachers need to create frameworks that both allow and contain opportunities for risky play. Building on the research project ‘Risky Play in Day Care’ the focus of this article is on preschool teachers’ courage and physicality. Reflections is made as to which considerations the preschool teachers make in relation to challenging and/or counteracting a precautionary culture, where the adults are the ones preventing the children from engaging in risc filled play, based on their own norms and values. This will be linked to a theoretical framework regarding the development of preschool teachers personal competencies within their professional role. This personal aspect of their profession, will in the article be linked with preschool teachers’ work with risc-filled play in educational environments, where their physicality comes into play. The outcome of the article is to bring forth and discuss the role of preschool teachers in working with risk-filled play in a physical and didactic perspective. The research project shows, through interviews with preschool teachers, that risky play has the potential to help individuals think about play in a different and challenging way.
