Beyond the Fence: Cultivating Real Safety Skills in Children

This post explores the idea that relying solely on physical barriers like fences might offer a false sense of security. We'll delve into why active supervision and teaching real-world skills are paramount, drawing inspiration from outdoor learning philosophies. We'll also discuss practical strategies for setting expectations, managing behaviour outdoors, and teaching essential safety rules from the earliest age, empowering children to navigate their world confidently and competently.

The Fence Paradox: Why Barriers Aren't the Whole Story

     Picture a typical playground or backyard: often, the first thing we associate with safety is a fence. It seems intuitive – a barrier keeps children in and perceived dangers out. And while fences certainly have their place in defining spaces and managing certain risks, relying on them as the primary safety guarantee can create a subtle, yet significant, false sense of security.

Why? Because a fence, ultimately, is a passive measure. It doesn't adapt, it doesn't observe, and it doesn't teach. Here’s what we mean:

• Supervision is Still Paramount: The most critical safety element in any environment is attentive adult supervision. This principle is central to many outdoor learning philosophies, like those found in forest schools, where active engagement and teaching awareness are prioritized over reliance on static barriers. A fence doesn't replace the need for watchful eyes and engaged educators. As many of us know, a determined toddler or an unnoticed, unlatched gate can negate a fence's containment purpose in seconds. If supervision lapses because the fence provides a feeling of security, risk can actually increase. Safety is dynamic, requiring constant awareness.
  
  
• Fences Can Be Fallible: Gates get left open, latches fail, children learn to climb, or hazards might exist inside the fenced area itself (something safety experts differentiate from manageable risks). The barrier creates an illusion of total safety, but reality is more complex.
  
  
• They Don't Address the "Why": Children, especially those prone to wandering or elopement, often do so for underlying reasons. Research often points to factors like seeking something interesting, escaping sensory overload, or communication challenges. A fence might physically impede them sometimes, but it doesn't address the root cause or teach the child alternative strategies or coping mechanisms.
  
  
• What About the Rest of the World?: Perhaps most importantly, focusing solely on containment within a fence doesn't prepare children for the vast majority of the world that isn't fenced. Community parks, school fields, nature trails, even neighbourhood walks – these are common childhood environments. It's true that clearly defined boundaries, like those a fence provides, can offer some children an initial sense of security. Research has even suggested that this perceived safety net might encourage tentative exploration within those bounds. But is 'feeling safe because I'm enclosed' the ultimate goal? We believe true growth lies a step beyond. This is where the power of risky play emerges. We're talking about those thrilling, child-led moments – climbing a little higher, balancing on an uneven log, navigating a tricky path – where children encounter manageable challenges and uncertainty. Engaging in risky play shifts the focus from external safety measures (like the fence) to internal ones. Children learn to listen to their bodies, assess their capabilities in real-time, and make their own judgments. They develop self-reliance, not fence-reliance. This process inherently involves children wanting to explore and push their own boundaries, testing their limits in a supportive environment. It's in these moments of striving, problem-solving, and overcoming challenges – moving beyond that initial sense of enclosed safety – that deep learning, resilience, and genuine confidence take root. Our aim, therefore, isn't just to create a space where children feel safe because of the walls around them, but to foster capable individuals who feel safe because they trust their own abilities to navigate the complexities of the world.
  
  
• Building True Safety: True, lasting safety emerges from a combination of adult vigilance and children's growing competence, nurtured through experience and guided risk-taking – concepts strongly supported by child development research and seen in practice in many successful outdoor programs.

Our Approach: Safety Beyond Fences in Practice

     As a home-based preschool provider here in Ontario, we navigate slightly different regulatory landscapes than larger childcare centres. Interestingly, the need for flexibility aligns with formal recommendations made to the Ontario Ministry of Education, such as those in a 2020 submission by leading organizations like Outdoor Play Canada, the Child Nature Alliance of Canada, and Andrew Fleck Children's Services. This submission specifically advocated to "Remove the requirement of a physical fence" for programs accessing community nature spaces, arguing that "Educators are experienced and capable of teaching boundaries, [and] children are capable of learning the boundaries..."

At our program, both in our current location and our previous one which was situated on the corner of two fairly busy roads, we operate with an unfenced yard. While navigating those earlier circumstances without a fence wasn't necessarily by choice, the experience deeply informed our practice and solidified our core belief in the primacy of active safety management over passive reliance on barriers. We learned firsthand how to manage risks like nearby traffic and potential elopement through constant vigilance and proactive teaching strategies. While we acknowledge a fence could offer a beneficial additional layer of boundary support in certain locations (and perhaps would have been welcomed at our previous spot!), we know from experience that it's the active measures – the teaching, supervision, and assessment – that truly cultivate safety awareness and skills. Critically, we would never rely solely on a fence for security, even if one were present.

Our safety strategy is built on these proactive, dynamic practices:

• Hazard Identification & Removal: Before children play, we conduct regular checks of the outdoor space to identify and remove potential hazards – things like broken equipment, sharp objects, or unsafe debris – distinguishing these from the manageable risks that offer learning opportunities.
  
  
• Constant Conversation: We engage in ongoing dialogue with the children about boundaries – where the safe play space ends in the yard, how we stay together on walks, rules for the park.
  
  
• Landmark Visual Boundaries: We use trees, garden edges, or other clear landmarks to help children visualize the limits of their play area.
  
  
• Constant Visual Supervision: Educators maintain vigilant visual contact and proximity appropriate to the activities happening.
  
  
• Risk-Benefit Assessment: We utilize Risk-Benefit Assessments (RBAs) – a standard practice in outdoor education – to thoughtfully evaluate activities. This means we consider not just potential risks, but also the immense developmental benefits, implementing appropriate safety measures to manage challenges rather than simply eliminating them.
  
  
• Trust and Redirection: We fundamentally encourage and trust children's abilities to learn, explore, and understand limits. When behaviour needs guidance, we focus on positive redirection and reinforcing expectations, building their internal controls rather than just relying on external ones.
  
  
• Skilled Educators: This approach requires, and relies upon, experienced educators skilled in dynamic risk management, child development, and fostering learning in natural environments.

This diligence allows us to foster deeper awareness and more transferable safety skills in the children we care for.

Beyond Barriers: Cultivating Safe Habits and Expectations from Infancy

     The journey of learning about safety and boundaries doesn't start when a child enters preschool; it begins in infancy. Long before children develop expressive language (the ability to speak words), they are building their receptive language skills – their understanding of what words, tone, and routines mean. This crucial period is when the foundation for safety awareness is laid. Even babies and toddlers can begin to grasp simple concepts like "gentle hands" with pets, understand a firm but calm "stop" near a hot stove, or learn the routine of pausing at the edge of stairs before they even crawl effectively. By starting these conversations and consistent routines early, using simple language and clear actions (like physically stopping them gently), we leverage their early understanding to build habits that will serve them as they grow more mobile and independent. This early start makes the ongoing process of teaching rules, setting expectations, and fostering self-regulation feel like a natural continuation, rather than something introduced abruptly later on.

     Building on this foundation, we establish clear expectations and consistent guidance as children grow, partnering with families to cultivate the skills needed for navigating the world safely.

Setting the Stage: Expectations in the Outdoor Environment
      Children thrive on predictability and clear communication. In our outdoor setting [or "In outdoor learning environments"], we establish expectations from the start:

• Clear, Positive Guidelines: We talk about staying within sight, using "walking feet" in certain areas, being gentle with nature, and listening for specific signals (like our gathering call).
• Visual Cues: Sometimes visual markers (like colourful flags or natural landmarks – "remember, we don't go past the big maple tree!") help define the play space for the day.
• Group Dynamics: Interestingly, as many educators observe, children often respond very well to group expectations. Learning alongside peers can be highly motivating, and the structured routines of a program setting often encourage cooperation and listening.

Guiding Behaviour Outdoors: An Educator's Approach

      What happens when a child isn't following guidelines? Our aim is always to guide behaviour positively without compromising everyone else's valuable outdoor time:

• Proximity & Prompts: Often, simply moving closer to a child or offering a quiet, specific reminder is enough.
• Redirection: Gently guiding a child towards a different, engaging activity can shift focus.
• Clear Choices: Offering simple, appropriate choices can empower a child ("You can use the stick for digging here, or we can put it away for now.")
• Brief Reset: If needed, we might briefly step aside with the child for a quick chat to calmly reinforce the expectation before rejoining the group activity. It's rarely necessary to end outdoor time for everyone due to one child's actions.

Partnering with Parents: Reinforcing Safety Conversations

Safety learning is most effective when reinforced consistently. Parents play a huge role! You can support your child's growing awareness by:

• Asking Open-Ended Questions: Instead of just "Be careful!", try prompts that encourage thinking: "What's your plan for climbing down?", "How does that rock feel under your feet?", "What do you notice about where the safe play area ends?".
• Talking About Risks: Discuss potential dangers encountered during walks or play (like slippery surfaces, thorny bushes) and how to approach them safely. Validate their feelings ("It's okay to feel a bit nervous climbing that high") while encouraging capability.
• Celebrating Competence: Acknowledge when they make safe choices or successfully navigate a challenge!

Essential Life Skill: Navigating Roads and Parking Lots

      Some safety rules are non-negotiable and distinct from exploratory risky play. Road and parking lot safety falls firmly into this category. This teaching goes hand-in-hand with everyday experiences:

• Stop at Every Edge: We explicitly teach children to STOP at every transition point – curbs, driveways, the edge of a parking space – before entering a potential traffic zone.
• Stop, Look, Listen: Practice the routine: Look left, look right, look left again, and listen for traffic before crossing with an adult.
• Hand-Holding: Emphasize holding hands tightly in parking lots and near roads.
• Parking Lot Awareness: Treat parking lots like roads. Teach children never to walk away from the car or caregiver without explicit permission and guidance, explaining that drivers may not see them.

Using "Stop!" for Urgent Safety

      While we typically focus on positive language in early childhood education ("Use gentle hands," "Walking feet inside"), there's a critical place for clear, firm commands like "Stop!" or "No!" These aren't used casually, but reserved for moments of immediate danger – like nearing a road unexpectedly, reaching for something hazardous, or acting in a way that could instantly harm themselves or others. Using a distinct, urgent command in these specific situations, contrasting with our usual encouraging tone, helps children learn to differentiate. It signals 'This is not a suggestion; this is an immediate safety instruction.' This distinction is vital for helping them understand the difference between a manageable risk (something to explore carefully with guidance) and imminent danger (something requiring an instant stop for safety). After the immediate danger has passed, we always follow up with a calm explanation to reinforce the learning.

Scaffolding Skills and Trust

      Learning these behaviours and trusting children's developing abilities is an ongoing scaffolding process. As we discussed, this starts in infancy by leveraging receptive language. We begin with very close supervision and clear, simple rules and routines. As children demonstrate understanding and capability, we gradually offer more independence, always observing and ready to step in. It's about building skills layer by layer.

Home vs. School Dynamics & The Bolting Child

      It's common for children to test boundaries more at home – it's often their safest space to do so! While this can sometimes relate to consistency in expectations or follow-through at home, it's a normal part of development. However, certain behaviours signal immediate danger, not just boundary-testing.

     Consider a child walking away from a car in a busy parking lot, or darting from a yard towards the road. This is not risky play; this is a hazardous situation requiring immediate intervention. Whether a fence is present or not becomes irrelevant when a child is determined or unaware in that split second. The crucial safety layers here are vigilant supervision and the child's previously taught understanding (like the "stop at the edge" rule), rooted in those early lessons started in infancy and reinforced by urgent commands like "Stop!" when necessary. These moments underscore why relying only on passive barriers isn't enough; active teaching and supervision are paramount.

A Note on Individual Needs and Specialized Support

    It’s important to note that the strategies discussed in this post – managing safety through taught boundaries, landmark cues, risk-benefit assessments, and active supervision in lieu of relying solely on fencing – are generally focused within the context of typically developing children or those whose needs can be met safely within our specific program structure. Children with significant elopement risks, complex medical needs, or certain developmental differences often require different actions, specialized strategies, and environments. Supporting these children successfully and inclusively necessitates individualized planning, often involving a collaborative team of parents, educators, medical professionals, and resource consultants or teachers. The resulting plan might indeed include specific environmental adaptations (like fencing for visual support), the necessity of dedicated one-on-one support, or the use of adaptive equipment. While inclusion is always the goal, the specific needs of each child must guide the approach, and finding the right fit between a child's requirements and a program's capacity and environment is essential for ensuring their safety and well-being. Sometimes, this means recognizing that a different program or provider might be better equipped to meet a child's specific needs at a particular time, and seeking that alternative is a perfectly valid and often necessary step for the child's success and safety. It's better to move to an environment that works now, knowing that possibilities might change again in the future.

Conclusion: Building Competence, Not Just Containment

     Ultimately, creating truly safe environments for children involves more than just physical barriers. It requires a shift in perspective – from solely focusing on preventing all potential harm to actively building the skills and awareness children need to navigate their world competently. By embracing principles of active supervision by skilled educators, clear communication from infancy, consistent boundary-setting, and the powerful learning opportunities offered by managed risky play, we empower children. We help them develop not just a temporary feeling of safety based on external structures, but a deep, lasting confidence rooted in their own capabilities, judgment, and resilience – skills that will keep them safer throughout their lives, long after they've left the fenced yard behind.