Safety & Risk: Outdoor and Nature-Based Learning
Different program types have distinct safety regulations, making it essential for program leaders to understand the rules governing their program. However, safety rules for typical early childhood programs may not be sufficient to address the needs of outdoor and nature-based programs. Educators can develop safety policies, procedures, and practices to ensure children are as safe as necessary while allowing for important, appropriate risk-taking activities.
Program leaders, educators, and parents can work together to create policies to ensure safety when using outdoor spaces more frequently and when going beyond the program facility (NAAEE, 2019).
Program leaders, educators, and parents can work together to create policies to ensure safety when using outdoor spaces more frequently and when going beyond the program facility (NAAEE, 2019).
Ratios
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In Minnesota, teacher-to-child ratios in child care programs are determined by class size and children's ages (Minnesota Department of Human Services, 2025). Ratios for older children are higher than for infants and toddlers. Outdoor programs may need to adjust their ratios depending on the activity and how far they travel from the program base (NAAEE, 2019).
Recommended Safety EquipmentEducators can be prepared by having access to:
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Other Factors to Consider
The National Association for Environmental Education identifies other safety factors that educators need to consider, including:
- activity requirements
- proximity to hazards
- children's and staff experiences
- handwashing
- napping
Considerations for Environment Related Risk Mitigation
Educators can be prepared by developing policies to address:
- extreme temperatures (see: Minnesota Department of Health School Health Services Environmental Health)
- poor air quality (see: Minnesota Outdoor Air Quality Guidance for Schools and Child Care)
Additional Safety Considerations for Infants and Toddlers
Create fall zones using ground covers like grass, wood mulch, or rubber mats
- Scan area for choking hazards and remove small unsafe items babies might put in their mouths
- Soft level surfaces are good for crawling and scooting babies and scooters
- Slightly uneven surfaces are good for more mobile toddlers
- Provide sensory rich activities by including music, shatter proof mirrors, and wind chimes
- Ensure walkways are wide enough for children using adaptive walking equipment
- Develop other adaptations needed to meet need of children with disabilities
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Appropriate Risk Taking
Valuing and supporting appropriate risk-taking is a strategy for helping children develop skills.
Risk taking helps children develop skills such as:
In the book Balanced and Barefoot (2016), pediatric occupational therapist and author Angela Hanscom discusses the research on how “overly safe environments impede physical development” (p. 121).
Children need opportunities to fail and make mistakes so they can learn from them. Hanscom (2016) shares research showing how risky play, like running, jumping, climbing, and using tools, helps children overcome anxieties and build strength and should not be avoided out of fear.
Educators can be prepared by developing policies, procedures, and practices to address risk-taking through risk-assessment plans.
Risk taking helps children develop skills such as:
- confidence
- resiliency
- strength
- problem-solving
In the book Balanced and Barefoot (2016), pediatric occupational therapist and author Angela Hanscom discusses the research on how “overly safe environments impede physical development” (p. 121).
Children need opportunities to fail and make mistakes so they can learn from them. Hanscom (2016) shares research showing how risky play, like running, jumping, climbing, and using tools, helps children overcome anxieties and build strength and should not be avoided out of fear.
Educators can be prepared by developing policies, procedures, and practices to address risk-taking through risk-assessment plans.
iStock.com/Natalya Maisheva
Risk AssessmentEducators must develop formal risk assessment plans for activities that might be considered controversial to help illustrate to parents the potential risks of the activity by explaining the policies and procedures designed to mitigate those risks, and how the activity ties to the curriculum and benefits children’s learning (NAAEE, 2019).
This is especially important when addressing beliefs about risks related to infants and toddlers. Many people feel that infants and toddlers are too young to take risks and worry about injury, which can be a barrier to providing outdoor play (Quinones, 2023). Quinones (2023) suggests that research shows young children are interested in watching older children engage in risky play, and that educators feel more capable of providing risky play activities for young children when they have planned for the experience. When planning activities, educators must calculate the benefit of the risk and determine whether activities provide a healthy exposure to risk or unsafe exposure to hazards, understanding that not all risks will benefit children’s development (Hanscom, 2016; NAAEE, 2019). A risk evaluation continuum compares the level of control with the amount of risk involved in activities, ranging from overly controlled (low risk) to optimal (appropriate risk) to out of control (high risk), and helps educators choose appropriate risky play activities. (NAAEE, 2019, p 49.) Once educators have chosen appropriate risky play activities for the children, they can develop a risk assessment plan. 
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Risk Assessment PlanRisk assessment plans detail the activity, the benefits, risks, and safety policies developed for the activity (NAAEE, 2019).
These plans can be used to train educators and other staff and shared with parents to help address their safety concerns. A way to frame this is keeping children as safe as they need to be, rather than as safe as possible (Hanscom, 2016). Educating parents and caregivers, with concerns about their child’s safety, on the benefits of risk-taking, helps ensure they will support the practice of playing outside in various types of weather, provided the children have the appropriate gear and equipment. The Sample Risk Assessment Plan Template can be used to create plans for identified activities or can be used to help inform the development of your own templates and forms.
Sample WORD and PDF versions are provided. 
Find more information about safety and risk planning for young children in the Additional Resources.
Additional ResourcesFlourishing in Winter: Guidance for Cold Weather Play by and for early childhood practitioners
Outdoor and Nature-Based Learning: Learn more about planning for safety and risk in the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families webinar:
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References
Hanscom, A. J. (2016). Balanced and barefoot : How unrestricted outdoor play makes for strong, confident, and capable children (1st ed.). New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
Minnesota Department of Human Services. (2025). General child care licensing information. https://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcplg?IdcService=GET_DYNAMIC_CONVERSION&dDocName=ID_017386&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased.
North American Association for Environmental Education. (2019). Nature-based preschool professional practice guidebook: Teaching, environments, safety, administration. Washington, DC.
Quinones, G. (2023). An infant-toddler outdoor risky play practices in an early childhood centre in Australia. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 26(3), 463–477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-023-00148-y.
Hanscom, A. J. (2016). Balanced and barefoot : How unrestricted outdoor play makes for strong, confident, and capable children (1st ed.). New Harbinger Publications, Inc.
Minnesota Department of Human Services. (2025). General child care licensing information. https://www.dhs.state.mn.us/main/idcplg?IdcService=GET_DYNAMIC_CONVERSION&dDocName=ID_017386&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased.
North American Association for Environmental Education. (2019). Nature-based preschool professional practice guidebook: Teaching, environments, safety, administration. Washington, DC.
Quinones, G. (2023). An infant-toddler outdoor risky play practices in an early childhood centre in Australia. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 26(3), 463–477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-023-00148-y.
