Can I Design for Play? How Pedagogues Design for Children’s Play Situations in School

The purpose of this paper is to analyse how pedagogues can design for children’s play situations in schools. Based on design-based research and play design methods, the paper analyses three empirical examples using three theoretical concepts: play order (Skovbjerg and Sand 2022, reflection in action (Schön 1983) and improvisation (Sand 2021). A core argument of the paper is how pedagogues constantly observe, act and reflect on the pedagogical practice is evident in which specific play designs are implemented. It is the core of their professionals as pedagogues, who consciously think about what they do while doing it, acting in the situation regarding a specific reflection. This paper contributes to design for play activities, that is being developed in conjunction with a field of development within design practices and design research.