Decreasing children's risk taking on the playground.

The team watched preschoolers on three different playground slides. They counted how often each child climbed up the wrong side, slid down head-first, or jumped off the top.

After baseline, teachers gave a two-minute safety talk. Then they praised safe sliding and ignored risky moves. They tracked the kids across days and across the three slides.

Risky moves dropped by half to four-fifths right after the talk and praise began. The low levels held for the rest of the study without any extra staff or equipment.

Gains stayed put when the team returned weeks later. One brief lesson plus steady praise did the job.

Jenkins et al. (1973) used the same praise-and-ignore plan 28 years earlier to cut aggression and boost peer play. The new study shows the tactic still works when the target is playground safety instead of hitting.

Ganz et al. (2004) taught gun-play safety with longer Behavioral Skills Training plus real-world drills. Their kids needed practice with fake guns to reach mastery, while the slide study reached mastery with only a short talk and praise. The difference is task complexity: sliding rules are simpler than gun refusal.

Otalvaro et al. (2020) used differential reinforcement of low rates to curb excessive questions in adults. Both papers shrink unwanted behavior with the same DR family, proving the principle spans ages and settings.

You can cut dangerous playground acts in half with one mini-lesson and steady praise. No extra aides, tokens, or timeout rooms are needed. Try a quick safety rule review at the start of recess, then catch safe sliding with immediate labeled praise. It worked on ordinary preschool slides and should port to swings, climbers, or school hallways.