BETWEEN TOUCH AND LISTENING: CONTRIBUTIONS OF PLAYFUL PRACTICES TO LITERACY

Abstract

This article derives from a professional master's dissertation and analyzes the contribution of two sensory- and orality-based playful practices to the literacy process of children in the 2nd grade of Elementary School. This is a qualitative, intervention-based study grounded in narrative inquiry, with data produced through participant observation and a field diary in a class of 15 students at a state public school in Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Results were organized into two narratives built from the researcher's field diary and analyzed in light of the psychogenesis of written language and studies on playfulness. Findings indicated that playful pedagogical mediation, anchored in tactile exploration and attentive listening, fostered advances in phonological awareness, syllabic segmentation, and communicative self-confidence among students, albeit at heterogeneous paces. It is concluded that pedagogical intentionality in conducting sensory- and orality-based play constitutes a structuring element for literacy progress, reinforcing the relevance of these practices as a replicable didactic strategy even in school contexts with limited technological infrastructure.