A new study from University of Iowa researchers offers fresh insight into how mothers and fathers guide elementary‑aged children through potentially risky physical activities, and how these approaches differ for sons and daughters.

Led by Elizabeth O’Neal, assistant professor of community and behavioral health, the study examined real‑time conversations between parents and their 8‑ to 10‑year‑old children as they evaluated the safety of various physical activities. The findings underscore the importance of understanding how parent and child gender shape safety communication during a critical developmental period.

O’Neal notes that as children move into middle childhood, helping them understand why a situation is dangerous becomes increasingly important. “Parents often lean on supervision when kids are young,” she says. “But as children become more independent, they encounter many new experiences—some with real risks. Teaching them to identify what could lead to an injury is critical. It’s healthy for kids to push their limits, but recognizing where the risks are helps them do that safely when parents aren’t there to intervene.”

The research comes at a time when unintentional injuries remain a leading cause of childhood emergency visits. Boys continue to experience higher injury rates than girls, yet little is known about how parents’ everyday safety conversations may contribute to these disparities. The research team set out to better understand how parents and children assess risk together—and how disagreements about safety are expressed and resolved.

Parents and children viewed photographs of same‑age peers engaged in activities such as climbing, biking, or balancing. After independently rating each activity’s safety, they discussed their reasoning aloud. These conversations revealed clear patterns. Mothers were significantly more likely to disagree with their sons than daughters about the safety of an activity, often working to resolve the disagreement when they believed the risk was high. Fathers, by contrast, approached sons and daughters similarly and were less likely to challenge their children’s assessments—reflecting fathers’ higher self‑reported tolerance for physical risk.

O’Neal said the findings add nuance to long‑standing assumptions about gender and injury behavior. “Most research points to differences in boys’ and girls’ injury risks and how they’re socialized,” she says. “But our study highlights the specific role dads play in encouraging both boys and girls to take measured risks. There’s a thin line between pushing boundaries that support healthy development and stepping in when things go too far—and moms and dads may play different, but equally important, roles in that balance.”

Children’s previous injury history also shaped their contributions. Those with more serious past injuries were less likely to identify dangerous features or outcomes during the discussion, suggesting they may be less attuned to cues that signal risk.

Overall, the findings suggest that effective safety guidance during middle childhood must account for how families communicate about risk differently. Mothers may emphasize caution, particularly with sons, while fathers may support exploratory risk‑taking with both children. Together, these complementary approaches help shape how children perceive and respond to physical challenges.

The research team notes that these insights may help inform injury‑prevention efforts, school programming, and parent‑focused safety education by acknowledging that children learn about risk not just through rules, but through conversation and negotiation with caregivers.

Hanxi Tang, Megan Noonan, and Jodie Plumert from the University of Iowa’s Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences are co-authors of the study.