Rate My Professor Helen Little

Helen Little is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood in the School of Education at Macquarie University, where she has served since 2001. Prior to her academic appointment, she worked as an early childhood teacher with experience in preschools and primary schools in Sydney. She also holds an Honorary Senior Lecturer position in the Faculty of Arts' Lifespan Health and Wellbeing Research Centre. Her research centers on individual, social, and environmental factors that influence children's engagement in risk-taking behavior during outdoor play. Current investigations explore how outdoor environments and teaching practices shape children's experiences of risk-taking in play. She has contributed significantly to understanding adult attitudes toward children's physical risk-taking, safety in playground design, and the benefits of risky play for child development.

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.