Qualification: NCFE CACHE Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Educator
Unit: Unit 2.3: Use legislation relating to the health and safety of children
Learning outcome: Be able to manage risk within an environment which provides challenge for children
Assessment criteria: Support children in own setting to manage risk
When we explored the balanced approach to risk-taking, we learned that it is important to provide opportunities for children to manage risk in their own Early Years setting. This will help them to understand and cope with risks in their everyday lives.
You can support children to manage risk in your setting in many ways. For example, you could:
- Encourage them to take part in activities that involve some element of risk, such as climbing and exploring
- Explain the potential risks of a particular action or behaviour
- Give them the opportunity to make choices about how they play and what activities they do
- Give them opportunities to identify potential hazards themselves
- Allow them to experiment with different materials and equipment, within safe limits
- Encourage them to problem-solve and think for themselves
Of course, it is important to ensure that the risks are appropriate for the individual child and that they are supervised at all times.