Background: Even though movement and physical activity are considered to be important for the well-being and development for children, national and international research indicates that preschool children have a low activity level and a sedentary behavior (Berglind et al., 2017; Herbert et al., 2022). In Sweden, the majority of all children aged 1-5 years (86%), attend preschool, and spend most of their waking time in preschool. Therefore, it is important that each child is offered a good balance between activity and rest throughout the preschool day. According to the Swedish national curricula (Skolverket, 2018), children should be given the opportunity to experience the joy of movement in preschool and thereby develop an interest in being physically active. The overall aim of the study is to shed a light on the challenges and possibilities for movement and physical activity in preschool and, in partnership with preschool educators develop the preschool practice within movement and physical activity.

Theoretical framework: The study will be analyzed through the lens of the theory of practice architectures (Kemmis et al., 2014) to gain a deeper understanding of what is happening within the practice of preschool and how we can understand it.

Methodological design: The study will be conducted within the frame of action research. Data will derive from a cyclical process with two working-teams in a Swedish preschool. It will involve eighteen focus group conversations (FGC) and six activities of movement and physical activity, over a period of eighteen months. Each FGC will be audio-recorded and last for approximately 90 minutes each. The activities of movement and physical activity will be planned and implemented in the preschool practice based on the interest and needs of the working-teams. Activities will be video-recorded and used as video-stimulated recall in the FGC. Each working-team will choose focus for the video-recordings guided by their interest. In addition to the FGC, researcher and educators will conduct field notes of observations.

Relevance to Nordic educational research: Movement and physical activity are considered important for the well-being and development for children. Cause to previous international research which indicates that preschool children have a sedentary behavior and low activity level, this study will have relevance to Nordic educational research. This study will contribute with a deeper understanding of how practice in site constitutes movement and physical activity.

Reference: Berglind, D., Hansson, L., Tynelius, P., & Rasmussen, F. (2017). Levels and patterns of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time in 4-year-old Swedish children. Journal of Physical Activity & Heahlth, 14(2), 117-122. https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2016-0250

Herbert, J., Matłosz, P., Przednowek, K., Martínez-Rodríguez, A., Asif, M., & Wyszyńska, J. (2022). Weekday and weekend physical activity of preschool children in relation to selected socioeconomic indicators. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19094999

Kemmis, S., Wilkinson, J., Edwards-Groves, C., Hardy, I., Grootenboer, P., & Bristol, L. (2014). Changing Practices, Changing Education. Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-47-4

Skolverket. (2018). Läroplan för förskolan, Lpfö 18. http://www.skolverket.se/publikationer?id=4001