This qualitative study investigated teachers' beliefs about the availability of play materials in the physical indoor environment of early childhood education and care (ECEC). The empirical data were gathered from fieldwork in eight child groups in ECEC institutions across Norway and comprised 13 semistructured interviews with teachers. The findings indicate a common ideological understanding among teachers that play materials should be available in children's play, enhancing play, learning, and development possibilities. However, many teachers described putting play materials out of children's reach during times of play. There are variations, but practical considerations often override pedagogical intentions when teachers plan and facilitate children's play. This study aims to enhance the indoor ECEC environment's quality by stimulating teachers' consciousness about play materials' availability, ensuring equal possibilities for children's play in ECEC. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

这项定性研究调查了教师对幼儿教育和保育 (ECEC) 室内物理环境中游戏材料可用性的看法。实证数据是从挪威各地 ECEC 机构的 8 个儿童小组的实地调查中收集的，包括对教师的 13 次半结构化访谈。研究结果表明，教师们有一个共同的思想认识，即儿童游戏中应提供游戏材料，以增强游戏、学习和发展的可能性。然而，许多老师表示在玩耍时将游戏材料放在孩子们接触不到的地方。虽然存在差异，但当教师计划和促进儿童游戏时，实际考虑往往会凌驾于教学意图之上。本研究旨在通过激发教师对游戏材料可用性的意识来提高室内幼儿保育环境的质量，确保儿童在幼儿保育中玩耍的平等机会。讨论了对政策和实践的影响。