Adult values, attitudes, behaviours, and beliefs are factors that shape childhood exposure to risk-taking experiences. This study examined the role of adults in supporting children’s play and learning in a high-risk park environment. Considering this context, our research incorporated a two-phased mixed-methods approach to explore parent and caregiver perceptions of a bespoke Australian outdoor “nature play park” named Boongaree. Quantitative data collected from participants (n = 302) investigated playground visitation patterns, and qualitative data were collected around parents’ and caregivers’ insights around the benefits and challenges of the park. A noteworthy finding that emerged was the parents’ and caregivers’ strong support of children’s risky play at this park and how the park supported the children’s development. Nine emergent themes from the qualitative data showed that the adults supported their children’s engagement with this high-risk park as it offered opportunities to (1) engage with an innovative nature play park, (2) be challenged and solve problems, (3) connect to the outdoors, (4) have fun, (5) direct their own play, (6) be physically active, (7) be creative and curious, (8) demonstrate confidence and independence, and (9) build social capacity. Finally, our study concluded that the risk appetite or risk tolerance level of parents’ and caregivers’ is one of the primary factors underpinning their desire to engage (and re-engage) with risky nature play opportunities for their child.

According to the Australasian Society for Developmental Paediatrics, experiential learning and outdoor play contain elements of risk, bravery, uncertainty, exploration, personal challenge, and adventure. These attributes are fundamental to a child’s growth, development, and wellbeing, and yet, in contemporary society, outdoor experiences have significantly declined. This scoping review explores the benefits and affordances of nature-based risky play and adventure education across early childhood and adolescence, asking what developmental opportunities emerge when children and adolescents engage in meaningful outdoor challenges. Adopting a benefit–risk approach where safety is “as safe as necessary” rather than “as safe as possible,” the review identifies common elements across developmental stages. A scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines synthesised empirical studies (2015–2025). Our review included 40 empirical studies from a total of 5218 references, using diverse methodologies conducted predominantly in Western nations. All 40 studies reported positive associations across multiple developmental domains. Eight key themes developed: resilience and confidence, wellbeing, physical skills, autonomy and agency, nature connectedness, quality play provision, and educator influence. Authentic child agency and autonomy functioned as critical mechanisms through which benefits are realised across early childhood and school-aged populations. Key benefits included enhanced mental health, social competence, and anxiety prevention. Implementation barriers persist, including parental anxiety, institutional liability concerns, and cultural risk aversion. Evidence overwhelmingly supports nature-based risky play and outdoor adventure education as beneficial for child and adolescent development. Translation into practice remains limited by stakeholder attitudes and systemic barriers. Future research should prioritise longitudinal studies, cross-cultural investigation, and equity-focused approaches addressing disparities in access to positive risk-taking.

Outdoor play can be linked to numerous health, cognitive, and social benefits for children. All children must have opportunities to engage in regular outdoor play experiences. Despite this, some children, including those with different abilities, are less likely to participate in outdoor play. Educator-led outdoor play programs, including those in schools and early childhood centres, “bush schools”, and other initiatives, may increase time spent playing outdoors for all children, as learned activities generalise to the home environment. However, effective inclusion in these programs requires practices that are flexible enough to welcome all children, of all abilities. Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a framework designed to support flexible and inclusive learning environments, offers an inclusive approach. UDL provides a tool which has the potential to assist educators in creating flexible learning processes for their students and has been used across a range of curriculum areas. To explore this further and to investigate the use of UDL in educator-led outdoor play programs, the authors undertook a preliminary review of literature that mapped the field and identified 10 relevant studies related to both UDL and outdoor play programs. From this review, three themes were identified: the critical importance of including all children in outdoor play, the potential of UDL to support this inclusion, and the need for specific UDL resources tailored to outdoor play. Finally, we argue that integrating UDL into educator-led outdoor play initiatives may enhance accessibility and participation for children with unique needs. This review suggests an explicit agenda for future research and practice for professionals in the field.

This paper aims to contribute to conversations around child participationwithin early childhood settings in Australia. Ethnographicapproach was used for this study to explore child participatoryworkshops in Early Childhood Centers. The center in which this studytook place was chosen as one of the sites of analysis for a broader PhDresearch project. Data were collected at the Early Childhood site using avariety of collection tools deemed child friendly amongst educators whoconducted participatory workshops. By examining the pedagogicalactions of the center, this paper explores six of their practices whichsupport child participation. The findings provide practical applications ofexamples of practices which may be adopted by early childhood educators.

Storytelling can be a purposeful action leading to positive outcomes. Classroom teaching strategies can employ storytelling to develop the linguistic, cognitive, social and emotional domains of young children. Parents reading to their children can yield hurclean benefits to their overall development. This study intended to explore the parental attitude and practices towards story book reading. A cross sectional study design was approached for this survey. A cross-sectional survey study design was employed for this study. A universal sampling method was employed to seek the responses from the caregivers. All the caregivers who agree to provide consent filled the form. The questionnaire was made on a Google link and was shared in a caregiver’s educational Facebook group. The data was collected from August – September 2021. This findings of this study provides some insights into building awareness programs for the parents to provide them with hand on skills to initiate, sustain and promote story telling at home.