Description: Do we overprotect our children? Might our attempts to keep children safe actually do more harm than good? This webinar will consider these questions and what we might be able to do to restore balance. Mariana will share some tools for talking to parents, educators and others about the importance of risk-taking, and will provide an example from her research showing the effects of good play space design on children’s behaviour.

Dr. Mariana Brussoni is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and with the British Columbia Injury Research & Prevention Unit. She is a developmental psychologist investigating parents’ perceptions of children’s risk engagement and safety, the influence of nature-based challenging play on child health and development, and promoting developmentally appropriate opportunities for children’s risky play.