As digitalization and digital transformation shape developments in society, children’s competence and agency for digital transformation need to be fostered from an early age. Equitable digital education is of utmost importance. Teachers’ expectation behavior is relevant for providing equitable learning opportunities for all children. This study focuses on guided pretend play in digital education in kindergarten. This study examines whether high-expectation behavior of teachers is found in the behavior of kindergarten teachers during guided pretend play, and whether teacher expectation play behavior reveals different expectations for boys and girls. Video observations of guided pretend play in 15 kindergartens were analyzed using a qualitative cross-over design. While teachers interacted for equal durations with boys and girls during guided pretend play, significantly more incidents revealed teacher expectations toward girls than boys. Overall, high-expectation play behavior was less prevalent than low-expectation play behavior. In order to support further research and practice, an exploration of video sequences identified characteristics of teachers’ high-expectation behavior for guided pretend play, such as holding back or enabling children’s agency.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the wellbeing of children and families globally. With extended lockdown periods, early childhood education and school closures, and remote learning, families experienced increased stress and anxiety, financial hardship, and disrupted routines. This paper aims to explore associations between children’s social-emotional wellbeing and environmental factors (including the burden of COVID-19 on the family, early learning experiences in the home and early childhood education, and parent wellbeing and mental health) during COVID-19 in Australia and Germany, two countries that experienced significant lockdown periods. Using a longitudinal online survey design, parents of young children (aged 1–6 years) in Australia (N = 66) and Germany (N = 53) completed surveys on their own wellbeing; their child’s wellbeing; the home learning environment, and their satisfaction with early childhood education and care at two time points in 2020 and 2021. The burden of COVID-19 mitigation measures on families’ everyday lives correlated with child wellbeing outcomes in both the Australian and German cohorts. Findings also provide evidence of potential protective factors of children’s social-emotional wellbeing during stressful events, such as the lockdowns experienced by families in Germany and Australia during the pandemic.