Risky play is thrill-seeking play that involves uncertainty and a chance of physical injury - and it's a completely normal, healthy part of childhood development. Researcher Ellen Sandseter, who has led much of the modern study into risky play, identified six categories that children are naturally drawn to

• Great heights - climbing trees, furniture, playground equipment
• High speed - running fast, swinging, sliding
• Dangerous tools - using knives, saws, hammers and axes
• Dangerous elements - being near fire or water
• Rough and tumble play - wrestling, play-fighting, sword fights
• Disappearing or getting lost - exploring alone, hide and seek in the bush

Modern childhoods have quietly removed a lot of this. Playgrounds are softer, supervision is closer, and "dangerous" toys are often the first thing to go. But researchers like Sandseter and Tovey argue that play environments with zero risk actually work against children - kids who never get to test their limits are more likely to develop anxiety, and less able to judge real risk when it matters

VAH Spielzeugmanufaktur has been one of Oskar's most popular ranges for years - handmade in Germany from solid wood, built for kids who want to be knights, archers, warriors and guardians of their own imaginary kingdoms

• Handcrafted wooden swords, shields, bows, arrows and crossbows built for real play, not just display
• Role-play costumes and armour that turn backyard games into full imaginative worlds
• Designed to hold up to genuine rough and tumble - sword fights, chases, epic battles
• A long-time bestseller with families who want play that's physical, imaginative and a little bit wild

This is rough and tumble play in its purest form. Kids negotiate the rules themselves - who's the dragon, who's allowed to "die," when a hit counts - and in doing so they're practising empathy, fairness and conflict resolution without even realising it

Risky play isn't one single activity - it spans imaginative battle play through to hands-on, real-world skill building, and kids benefit from both ends of that spectrum

• Talk to your kids about the rules before play starts, not after something goes wrong
• Let them set some of those rules themselves - it builds ownership and judgement
• Stay close enough to step in, but resist the urge to manage every moment
• Trust the process - a few tears along the way are part of how kids learn their limits

If you're ready to bring more risky play into your home, explore our VAH Spielzeugmanufaktur collection for imaginative, rough and tumble adventures, or our Kids at Work range for real tools and real building projects. Both have been trusted by Oskar's families for years - and both are worth the occasional scraped knee