By Ange Bertram, Play Therapist.

I was speaking with my 94-year-old pop this morning. From his nursing home chair, he described how he use to climb a ladder at school to wash the classroom windows each week. As a play therapist who is teacher trained, this led me to reflect on what this childhood experience did for his sense of self as he described it to me with such pride.  

Would teachers let a student scale a tall ladder to wash windows in 2023, no. Would a parent? Perhaps not. But what the principles of positive psychology and development tell us is that an experience that places a child just outside of their comfort zone, supports their capacity to develop resilience. 

The work of professor of psychology Carol Dweck, explores how a fixed and growth mindset is a product of our upbringing (Willard, 2017). As parents, we seek to foster a growth mindset where children see their potential can improve with practice. To achieve this, we must provide opportunities for our children to discover what they are capable of. Without ‘scaling a metaphorical ladder’ how will children know to put one foot in front of the other, stay focused and persist when faced with challenges?  

Healthy early risk taking prepares children for the greater challenges they will experience later in life by supporting their capacity to try, exercise caution and with practice, develop mastery.  Try encouraging your child to climb the ladder, without doing so they won’t discover the joy of the slide on the other side.

If you would like to learn more about how play supports healthy brain function and resilience I recommend Stuart Brown’s book Play (2010).  

Ange Bertram, Play Therapist, Healthy Mind Centre Launceston

(Reference: Chris Willard, 2017, Raising Resilience)