The vigilant presence of the adult is important so that the child does not run risks, but the risk is a necessary condition to proceed in the development of skills and skills
The Andersen Prize 2017 goes to the Italian psycho -pedagogist and cartoonist Francesco Tonucci (known as a friar), creator of the “The City of Children” project. Since 1982 this prestigious event selects The best works for childrenwith particular attention to the most innovative and original productions. Francesco Tonucci paid homage to Evidence Networkof his contribution published in number 4/2011 of our magazine, which here, today, we propose you.
In 1970 they went to school on foot and alone 80% of English children aged 6 to 11, in 1990 only 10%. From recent research by the CNR appears that in Italy goes to school on foot without being accompanied by 12% of elementary school children, while 70% are accompanied by car.
The percentages of autonomy of children drop to 8% in the North and grow at 30% in the South; They are lower when parents have a higher qualification. Other Italian searches tell us that Only 50% of middle school children go to school without adult accompaniment.
The risk is necessary to develop their skills
This situation gives rise to absurd drifts: our boys receive the scooter without ever having experienced freedom and responsibility for moving without the control of adults. Children live their day between school, home, afternoon courses and TV; They are always assisted and supervised by adults, both at school and in the afternoon activities. It has become impossible for them to live experiences of discovery, exploration and adventure: it is therefore impossible for them a real gaming experience.
The adult who accompanies the child in the various stages of his day cannot allow him to take risks, but Risk is a necessary condition to proceed in development of skills and skills. By facing the obstacles and testing itself, the child never exposes himself beyond his skills and can feel the satisfaction of the overcoming of the various tests. Conversely, being never able to take risks for the watchful presence of adults, the child cannot verify and consolidate his skills and skills and accumulates a great desire for unexpressed risk that can even explode in dangerous forms when the adult control will no longer be possible.
The only possibility for children to experience their ability, explore the environment, discover new things, to elaborate risk control criteria, rules of organization of time and space is that they can have periods of time in which to meet outside the home, with other children and without the presence of adults in charge of their surveillance. Going to school with companions and not with parents, going out in the afternoon to play, go to the shop to do buy, go alone in the pool must be considered experiences of great value.
Autonomy since childhood
It is important that the autonomy of children grows with them starting from the first days of life and without ever interrupting: better a blanket of the box, because from the blanket you can go out and from the box no; Later he will leave the front door to play on the stairs or on the landing, then in the courtyard, then on the sidewalks and then more and further away as his skills will allow him.
These moments of autonomous organization of time and space will also allow you to move freely avoiding the risk of obesity, to process mechanisms of space control, time and defense in the face of dangers, indispensable to avoid the too frequent accidents of adolescence.
