Play for learning and learning for play: Children’s play in a toddler group

Abstract

There is a concern that children’s right to play is restricted as a result of the governments’ narrow focus on school preparatory activities and learning. Play and learning are rights embodied in the United Nations convention on the rights of the child. This article discusses how play and learning are organized in the everyday life of a Norwegian toddler group. Critical voices claim that there is not enough structure and that there should be more teaching and mapping to facilitate early intervention in Norwegian kindergartens. The article suggests that the critics’ claim can be countered by asking if there are too few teachers with adequate education and too large groups of children.

Keywords

• Play
• Learning
• Toddlers
• Democratic education