Rate My Professor Helen Little

Little has authored numerous publications advancing knowledge in early childhood education, particularly on outdoor learning and risky play. Notable works include 'Outdoor play: Does avoiding the risks reduce the benefits?' (2008, with S. Wyver), 'Risk, challenge and safety: Implications for play quality and playground design' (2010, with D. Eager), 'The influence of play context and adult attitudes on young children's physical risk-taking during outdoor play' (2011, with S. Wyver and F. Gibson), 'Early childhood teachers' beliefs about children's risky play in Australia and Norway' (2012, with EBH Sandseter and S. Wyver), and 'Promoting risk-taking and physically challenging play in Australian early childhood settings' (2017). Recent contributions encompass 'Children thriving with risky play: a risky play position statement for young Australian children' (2025, with R. Jones, S. Elliott, and K. Tonge), 'Risky play is not a dirty word: a tool to measure benefit-risk in outdoor playgrounds and educational settings' (2025, with D. Eager, T. Gray, F. Robbé, and L. Sharwood), and 'Promoting development and wellbeing through risky play' (2025). Her scholarship underscores the importance of balancing safety with opportunities for challenging play to foster children's physical, social, and emotional growth. She has delivered keynotes on early childhood education benefits and serves on committees such as Play Australia NSW.