PLAY AND THE DIVERSITY OF CHILDHOODS IN THE TRANSITION TO ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Abstract

The article discusses the place of play and of the diversity of children's experiences in the transition from Early Childhood Education to the first year of Elementary School. It asks how the organization of pedagogical practices can recognize children's sociocultural particularities without abruptly interrupting the playful experiences that take part in their development. The objective is to analyze possibilities of pedagogical continuity in this passage, taking Cultural-Historical Theory as a reference. This is a qualitative, bibliographical, and interpretive study, developed through a thematic rereading of the syntheses of seven academic works gathered in a previous survey on school transition. The discussion brings together contributions from Vigotski, Elkonin, Leontiev, Mello, and recent research on listening to children, teacher education, and children's rights. Three cores emerge from the analysis: the permanence of play as a condition of development; the institutional ruptures associated with the change of stage; and the need for planning that considers different ways of living childhood. It is concluded that continuity does not mean repeating preschool practices, but creating intentional mediations between children's experiences and the new demands of schooling.