Parents who play games with their kids, challenge them to a race, or simply muck about with rough-and-tumble activities may be helping reduce the chances of them developing anxiety problems.

A recent study by Australian and Dutch researchers found that certain behaviours by parents play a role in protecting preschoolers from becoming anxious because they are encouraged to take risks, safely.

The world can be a silly place. Credit:Stocksy

They studied a group of 312 families and discovered that mums and dads who used more so-called challenging parent behaviour (CPB) had kids whose anxiety levels were significantly less than others.

Previous research has established links between how over-controlling, or helicopter-style, parenting can heighten anxiety in kids.