This study describes the social contexts in which four-year-olds undertake practitioner-assigned cognitive/learning tasks within preschools and the different experiences these contexts provide for children. Data was collected in 34 preschool settings in South East England, using a phenomenographic mapping of activities and social groupings during learning activities. The data was subject to frequency-based analyses. Results identified distinct social pedagogic contexts wherein children interacted with practitioners or with peers; these contexts were differentiated by group size and composition, activity, type of interaction with practitioner and peers, level of cognitive challenge and genderisation of activity. The results revealed that while children engaged in cognitive/learning activities within both practitioner- and child-oriented pedagogic worlds the nature of the activities within these social contexts emphasised interactive inclusion and interactive exclusion respectively. (author abstract)