Movement and Experimentation in Young Children's Learning - A Critical

In this review the focus is on Liselott Mariett Olsson's Movement and Experimentation in Young Children's Learning, a thoughtful study for readers who want to challenge standardised early childhood practice. The book's single biggest reason to buy is its sustained argument for restoring movement, experimentation and process-based thinking to preschool practice, using vivid Swedish examples and the theoretical lens of Deleuze and Guattari. For practitioners, teacher educators and researchers seeking conceptual tools to contest tightly governed learning, this review finds the book to be a rigorous, conceptually rich resource.

Key Features

• Process over position: Emphasises focusing on learning as an ongoing process rather than fixed positions, which prompts reflection on everyday pedagogy.
• Theoretical framing: Uses concepts from Deleuze and Guattari to introduce new ways of thinking about subjectivity and experimentation in early childhood.
• Concrete preschool examples: Draws on vivid case material from Swedish preschools to illustrate how movement and experimentation play out in practice.
• Crossprofessional relevance: Addresses teachers, teacher students and researchers, offering language and practices useful across training and research contexts.
• Critical stance: Challenges prevailing trends of control, prediction and evaluation, encouraging readers to question policy-driven forms of governance.

Who It's For

This book is best for early childhood educators, teacher educators and researchers who are already comfortable with theoretical texts and want conceptual frameworks to resist bureaucratic standardisation. It will particularly appeal to those interested in contemporary continental philosophy applied to educational practice and to people working in or studying Scandinavian preschool settings.

Readers seeking a practical how-to manual with step-by-step classroom activities or those expecting a purely empirical report without theoretical argumentation should look elsewhere; the book is philosophically driven and assumes interest in concepts such as subjectivity and process.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Provides a strong conceptual alternative to standardising tendencies in early childhood education.
• Combines theory and vivid preschool examples to make abstract ideas more tangible.
• Useful for teacher education, offering language and practice-oriented recommendations for reclaiming experimentation.

Cons

• Theoretical density may limit accessibility for readers who prefer purely practical guides or who are unfamiliar with Deleuze and Guattari.

Specifications

Our Verdict

Movement and Experimentation in Young Children's Learning is a valuable, conceptually bold book for educators and researchers who want to contest controlling, standardised approaches in early childhood. Its combination of continental theory and rich preschool examples makes it good value for readers seeking deeper frameworks to support experimental, process-focused practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this book practical for classroom use?
The book includes vivid preschool examples that inform practice, but it is primarily theoretical rather than a step-by-step activity guide.

Does the author use established theory or new concepts?
The work weaves established concepts from Deleuze and Guattari into new applications for early childhood subjectivity and learning.

Who contributes to the examples in the book?
Examples involve children, teachers, teacher students, educators and researchers from Swedish preschools.