Various aspects of the preschool environment may either promote or restrict children’s moderate- to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), for example through opportunities for outdoor play. The aim of the present study was to determine associations for preschool environmental quality with outdoor time and MVPA in preschoolers. In total, 358 Norwegian 2–6-year-old children had 1–3 valid 14-day periods of accelerometer-determined MVPA (ActiGraph GT3X+) and corresponding logs of preschool outdoor time collected during 2015–2016. The children were enrolled in 30 different preschool departments for which we assessed environmental quality using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised (ECERS-R). Associations for preschool quality with outdoor time and MVPA were determined using multivariate pattern analysis. We found strong inverse associations between preschool quality and outdoor time (51.4 % explained variance), and weak inverse associations between preschool quality and MVPA (5.4 % explained variance). Associations were strongest for the “Space and Furnishings”, “Personal Care Routines”, “Language-Reasoning”, and “Interaction” subscales of ECERS-R, in particular for aspects of safety practices. Children enrolled in departments rated as high quality spent less time outdoors and less time in MVPA. Thus, recognized quality aspects of preschool environments, in particular safety practices, might restrict children’s movement opportunities.

I artikkelen undersøker vi kva former for samspelskvalitet som kjem til syne hjå personalet i norske barnehagar observert med ECERS-R. Studien baserer seg på observasjonar frå 29 barnehageavdelingar der det standardiserte observasjonverktøyet Early Childhood Education Rating Scale – Revised (ECERS-R) vart nytta. Observasjonane vart gjennomførte tre timar på føremiddagen og avslutta med samtale med barnehagelærar på kvar av avdelingane. Funna viser at personalet vektlegg eit samspel med barna som er prega av varme, omsorg, tryggleik, barns medverknad, barns fridom i leik og kommunikasjon i kvardagssamtalar. Samstundes viser studien at personalet i mindre grad ser ut til å vektlegge utforskande, resonnerande og filosoferande samspel. English abstract Quality in the interaction between staff and children in Norwegian kindergartens observed with ECERS-R The purpose of this article is to investigate the quality of the kindergarten staff’s interaction with the children in Norwegian kindergartens using ECERS-R as an observation tool. The method is observations of 29 kindergarten departments using the standardized Early Childhood Education Rating Scale – Revised (ECERS-R). All observations were completed within three hours in the morning and followed by a conversation with the kindergarten teacher in each department. Our findings indicate that most staff members show a warm and caring interaction with the children. We also observed that most staff prioritize supervision, children’s participation, freedom in play and communication in everyday conversations. Staff seems to a lesser extent to prioritize explorative, logical and philosophizing conversations with children.