Thinking time: Producing time and toddler’s time to think in ECEC

The study investigates how toddlers in kindergartens contribute to learning environments in unique ways, especially in relation to time and thinking. The researchers explore kindergarten teachers’ stories of toddlers’ time and thinking, and how they affect toddlers’ opportunities to participate in daily kindergarten routines.

The results show that toddlers’ ways of experiencing and expressing time and thinking often conflict with adults’ linear understanding of time. The authors argue that a deeper understanding of a toddlers’ experience of time can promote a more meaningful participation in daily kindergarten routines. They also suggest that today’s capitalist society may lead to ‘thoughtlessness’ among adults, which inhibits children’s opportunities to express themselves and fully participate in kindergarten.

The study uses qualitative methods, where data were collected through informal conversations with three kindergarten teachers who have extensive experience with toddler groups. The authors also used fieldwork from previous studies. The data were analysed through theoretical lenses such as spacetime mats and temporal diffraction to understand how time and thinking manifest in toddlers’ everyday lives.

Moxnes, A. R., & Aslanian, T. K. (2022). Thinking time: Producing time and toddler’s time to think in ECEC. Global Studies of Childhood, 12(3), 277–287.