Chapter 8: Values at Stake in Interplay Between Toddlers and Teachers

In this chapter, we will focus on the communication of values in play between teachers and children in Norwegian early childhood education and care settings. Values are understood as principles that guide human action and by which actions are judged to be good or desirable (Halstead & Taylor, 2000). Values are expressed, communicated, and negotiated by teachers and children in play through words, actions, and bodily expressions indicating judgments of positive and negative, good and bad (Emilson, 2008; Fjellström, 2004; Johansson, 2007). The position of values in play is not frequently studied, yet there is a taken-for-granted idea that play is positive and good in itself, enhancing values such as respect, rights, and caring. Research implies that the peer interactions of toddlers (children aged between 1 and 3 years) in play contribute to the building of friendly social relations and care for the well-being of others (Alvestad, 2010; Greve, 2009; Johansson, 2007; Løkken, 2011).