Ellen Sandseter is a Ph.d., professor at the Department of Physical Education and Health at Queen Maud University College of Early Childhood Education.
Ellen’s primary research focus is on children’s physical play, outdoor play, and risky/thrilling play among children in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) institutions, as well as how to develop physical environments for children’s play, development and learning. She has also been involved in research on Norwegian children’s experiences of participation and well-being in Norwegian ECEC institutions, and projects about safety work, child injuries, and injury prevention in Norwegian ECEC institutions.
Currently, Ellen is the project manager of a project exploring the effects of childhood risk experiences on children’s risk assessment and risk management skills through the use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology and eye-tracking and motion capturing.
Ellen believes that children all over the world have the right to free play and that all childhood education should be based on play as a means for development, learning, and well-being.
Learning through risk
As a guest on our new TTS Talking podcast series, Ellen shares offers practical guidance and inspiration to support risk-taking in the Early Years.
Ellen’s episodes explore the benefits of creating open-ended outdoor spaces that encourage free play and how practitioners, parents, childminders, and caregivers can take a more relaxed approach to risky play.
