PLAY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: A DISCUSSION ABOUT ITS PEDAGOGICAL ROLE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/levv16n44-022Keywords:
Early Childhood Education, Joke, Teacher-Mediator, Pedagogical PracticeAbstract
Play is one of the most important activities in early childhood education, playing a central role in the integral development of children. Through play, children can explore the world around them, experience new situations, learn to deal with rules, develop creativity, and build cognitive, emotional, and social skills. In this sense, the objective of this article is to analyze the pedagogical role of play in early childhood education, discussing how it contributes to the integral development of the child. From the results, we observed a comprehensive reflection on the importance of playing in early childhood education, highlighting its pedagogical function and its impact on the integral development of the child, as well as the theoretical conceptions arising from the currents of thought of reference authors in the area, mainly Piaget (1978), Vygotsky (2007) and Brougère (1998), among others. Finally, we suggest the need for more research on play in different educational contexts with future studies that can broaden the understanding of how play can be used in different cultures, environments, and teaching methodologies; and on the impact of play on the learning of children with different profiles and needs.