Hong Kong has launched reforms to advocate child-centred pedagogies in kindergartens since 2000. This study examined the actual pedagogical interactions in eight kindergarten classrooms via videotaped observations. The teachers were surveyed before the observation and interviewed after receiving the observational report. Evidence revealed that the Hong Kong teachers used various scaffolding strategies to maintain a reciprocal interaction, and teacher-directed instruction dominated the pedagogical interactions. Most teachers had a positive attitude towards teacher–child interactions, yet traditional beliefs persisted. Teachers’ pedagogical interactions were associated with their age, years of teaching experience and educational level, but not with the age group they taught. Copyright © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.