Barns frågor i lek

In this study, which is part of a larger project on play-responsive teaching in preschool,we analyze the questions children ask when they play. Questions are understoodas verbal actions that renders something in the foreground and something else in the background. Questions indicate what is in focus of children’s attention when they play and are considered important to respond to with an ambition to design teaching responsive to play. The purpose is therefore to contribute with insights about what we can learn from children’s questions with an interest in teaching in play. The study is based on an analysis of all questions children ask in 51 video documentation where teachers and children play. The results show that children primarily (94 of 104questions) ask about matters in or about the play they are engaged in (’as if ’), while the rest of the questions (10) concern something actualized in play but concerning conceptual matters outside the play (’as is’). The implications for teaching in preschool are discussed.