Abstract
This study examined the role of kindergarten teachers' 'nagomase' interventions during conflicts among four-year-old children. Such interventions are not direct instructions for conflict resolution but indirect suggestions to the children (e.g. humor, physical contact & playing). In particular, we focused on peer interactions between children and teachers and analyzed these by an interpretive perspective based on the observational data from the kindergartens. The main findings are as follows: 1) such interventions during peer conflicts function to break the ice, so that children are encouraged to look back on their conflicts and recognize their errors; 2) such interventions after peer conflicts function to change the situation, so that the interventions contribute to children having continued peer interaction after the conflict.
