THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL CONCEPTIONS OF PLAY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Abstract

This article adopts a theoretical-methodological approach that seeks to understand play in Early Childhood Education from different perspectives throughout history and from the viewpoint of various authors. From a theoretical standpoint, it begins with the contributions of classic authors who have profoundly influenced the field of education and child development. From the perspective of important documents, we will analyze the RCNEI (National Curriculum Guidelines for Early Childhood Education) and the National Common Curriculum Base. Vygotsky (1984) understands play as a socially constructed activity, fundamental for the development of higher psychological functions; Wallon (2007) emphasizes the importance of movement, emotion, and playfulness as forms of expression and construction of thought in childhood; while Kishimoto (1994, 2007) understands play as language and cultural practice, integrating social, cognitive, and affective aspects of the child. Moving forward in time, the article engages with contemporary authors such as Wajskop (2018), who discusses play as a territory of autonomy and resistance for the child; Oliveira and Souza (2008), who investigate the role of play in school contexts in dialogue with the BNCC (Brazilian National Curriculum Base); and the collective work organized by Schlindwein, Laterman, and Peters (2017), which broadens the debate by considering play as an aesthetic, bodily, and relational experience in institutional contexts. Methodologically, this research is qualitative in nature, with a bibliographic approach. The authors were selected for their theoretical relevance to the field of Early Childhood Education and for the diversity of approaches they offer on play, allowing for a critical and comparative reading of the conceptions that influence pedagogical practice in contemporary times.