Lone Svinth

Collaboration is often described as a situation whereby two or more children work
together towards a common goal. When viewed from a socio-cultural learning
perspective, a broader understanding of collaboration is suggested. This article
investigates the forms and pathways of children’s collaboration and how the
institutional demands influence children’s collaborative encounters. The study is
based on video recordings of paedagogical activities (workshops and circle
times) in two Danish pre-schools over a period of 11 months. Although
institutional demands challenge children’s initiatives, it is found that children
build friendships, assist, inspire, and imitate one another in their collaborative
encounters in paedagogical activities. In order to better support children’s
learning and engaged participation in paedagogical activities, an increased
attention to the institutional demands on children’s collaborative encounters in
early childhood education is suggested.