Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss how kindergarten, as a learning arena equal to a university college, creates learning spaces that engage or intervene in the professional learning of student teachers in early childhood education. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is based on narratives from students in work-based education. Findings: The paper addresses the complexity of education by outlining how the concept of learning is applied in earlier research on work-based learning (WBL). Research limitations/implications: This earlier understanding is complemented this with two theoretical lenses (sociocultural and sociomaterial thinking) to analyse a constructed narrative from the students. Originality/value: The two theoretical positions open up to examine knowledge development and potentially enrich the picture of learning spaces in experiential WBL, going beyond the student as an individual learner.