CHILDREN’S PROTAGONISM IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: CONTRIBUTIONS OF HISTORICAL-CULTURAL THEORY TO THE ORGANIZATION OF THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

This article presents reflections on the contributions of the Historical-Cultural Theory regarding the opportunity for children's protagonism development in the educational environment of Early Childhood Education. The theory emphasizes the importance of social interactions and the environment in knowledge construction, understanding children as active participants in the process of acquiring and expressing knowledge. Based on this understanding, the conducted studies involved gathering, reading, and critically analyzing recent scientific articles on the topic. The examination of these materials enabled the identification of pedagogical practices developed based on this theory, highlighting strategies that promote children's effective participation in daily school life. Thus, it is concluded that the principles of the Historical-Cultural Theory can support both the planning and implementation of educational contexts that foster children's autonomy, encourage collective knowledge construction, and strengthen the role of children as protagonists in the learning processes during the early years of life.