Abstract The construction of “the competent child” and early childhood care Values education among the youngest children in a nursery school The phenomenon I focus on in this article is the construction of “the competent child”, which has developed from both psychology and later the sociology of childhood and has influenced the Swedish Childhood Education. One purpose of this paper is to investigate the pedagogical signs in this construction of “the competent child” and to contribute to the discussion of the influence of a new understanding of children in a nursery practice. In addition to the theoretical part of the article, I present analysed material from a limited case study. I have chosen a Reggio Emilia-inspired nursery, with its emphasis on democracy and perspective of the child as competent and active, to shed light on the connections between this view and a values education. I also aim to problematise this paradigm of childhood. The methods used in the present study are field notes and video recordings. Material from my case study illustrates how values education is expressed in a child care practice. Key words: Childhood, participation, pre-school, Reggio Emilia, the competent child, toddlers, values education.