The present study examined representational and non-representational activities in which children in a Head Start classroom participated. This was an investigation from the perspective of cultural-historical activity theory of how components (e.g. artifacts and division of labour) of classroom activities vary across and within types of activities. Participants included a class of 21 ethnically diverse 4- and 5-year-olds and two teachers. Data collection involved naturalistic observations of classroom members participating in indoor play, outdoor play, and notational activities (e.g. reading and drawing) over 8 days. Who was involved, artifact use, and artifact-related actions varied by activity. Furthermore, who was involved, actions, and division of labour were strongly linked in second-by-second analyses. The present study contributes research which situates children's development within daily activities.