PLAYING AND LEARNING: THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Abstract

This article aimed to analyze the role of playfulness as an intentional pedagogical strategy in the context of Early Childhood Education, investigating its implications for the child's integral development. The theme was based on the recognition of play as an essential element of childhood, with a formative function that goes beyond the field of entertainment, being capable of mobilizing cognitive, affective, social and motor learning. The research, of a bibliographic nature, was based on the analysis of recent scientific productions, extracted from academic repositories such as Scielo and Google Scholar, focusing on authors who discuss the relationship between playfulness, teaching planning and childhood education. Based on the theoretical systematization, it was found that, although the educational discourse recognizes the relevance of playfulness, its implementation faces obstacles such as curricular rigidity, the absence of intentional planning and the lack of continuing education. It was also identified that planned play, when sensitively mediated by the educator, favors the development of language, autonomy and the capacity for cooperation, in addition to functioning as a mechanism for the symbolic elaboration of experiences. The analyses indicated that playfulness should be understood as a language specific to childhood and, therefore, needs to be incorporated into the political-pedagogical project of institutions. It was concluded, therefore, that the valorization of playfulness requires investment in teacher training and the review of school practices that still disregard the specificities of child development.