PLAYING, FEELING, AND CONNECTING: THE POWER OF CHILDHOOD BETWEEN PLAYFULNESS AND TECHNOLOGY

Abstract

The intersection between traditional playfulness and digital tools redefines childhood experiences, promoting affective and cognitive connections that shape children's integral development. This article examines how play, mediated by technologies, enhances emotional expression and social interaction in early educational contexts, highlighting tensions between spontaneous play and virtual mediations. The general objective is to analyze the potential of childhood when the act of playing intertwines with technological elements, while the specific ones include identifying pedagogical practices that foster this integration and evaluating impacts on child well-being. The approach adopted prioritizes bibliographic research, as per Lakatos and Marconi (2017)'s guidelines, which emphasize systematizing sources to build robust arguments, complemented by Minayo (2015)'s reflections on methodological creativity guiding the critical selection of interdisciplinary perspectives. The analysis reveals that, although technologies expand sensory horizons, they demand sensitive pedagogical interventions to preserve the essence of play as a space of affective freedom. Santos (2025a) and Cadore (2025) illustrate how gamification and digital interactions enrich the playful, provided they are anchored in principles of emotional inclusion. Thus, the text argues that contemporary childhood gains strength by balancing the tangible and the virtual, fostering connections that nurture autonomy and empathy from an early age.