This paper presents the research behind the formulation of a new didaktik model on waste and material resources in preschool. The research was part of an extensive collaborative R&D programme, involving close to 300 preschool teachers/managers and researchers, to build systematic knowledge on what may characterize teaching in preschool based on scientific grounds and proven experience.

This article is based on a partial study of an R&D programme with various theory-informed teaching arrangements aimed at describing and further developing knowledge of what characterizes preschool teaching.

The paper presents a review process of Didaktik and curriculum theories, one that suggests that a German Bildung Didaktik approach seems to be suitable ground for the development of a critical-democratic Didaktik in preschool.

This themed issue presents the results of a collaborative conceptual replication study based on a research and development (R&D) programme entitled “Multivocal teaching in preschools”. The issue is practically and theoretically positioned in a Continental–Nordic didaktik tradition, specifically a critical-reflective one.