Circle time is a common every day activity in many preschools in Sweden. Circle time goes back a long way when it comes to Swedish preschool history. The preschools of today has a strong belief in the competent child, and the influence of children is supposed to color the entire preschool operation. In circle time, however, we have observed that the influence of children sometimes seems to be forgotten. By observing circle time activities in a preschool based in a suburb in the outskirts of Stockholm, we hope to see just how much children are allowed to make their own decisions, express their opinions, and make suggestions to their preschool teachers that are relevant to that activity.

To aid us in the analysis of our observation material, we have harnessed aspects from the new sociology of childhood approach. The core of childhood sociology is that it sees children as active agents in co-constructing practices and understandings of childhood, both in co-ordination and in opposition with adults. With the help of earlier studies, we seek to explore the purposes and functions of circle time, and how that affects the role and the space of action of the children. We also find that when children aren't pleased with what the forced participation circle time includes, they find ways to protest while all the while participating in the activities.