PEDAGOGIES OF PLAY: CHILDREN'S PLAY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION BETWEEN CULTURAL NORMS AND POSSIBILITIES FOR TRANSGRESSION

Abstract

This article presents the results of a research study conducted with children in early childhood education that investigated children's conceptions of gender through play. Based on the understanding that play carries historically and culturally constructed meanings, the research considers play a cultural pedagogy capable of (re)producing and teaching ways of being and acting for boys and girls from the early school years. The research, approved by the Research Ethics Committee, used a qualitative approach with the active participation of the children, using participant observation and pedagogical workshops to collect data. The analysis was based on the technique of Nuclei of Meaning. The results reveal that toys and games in early childhood education function as cultural pedagogies that reinforce sexist and misogynistic practices, but they also show that children can transgress these socially established norms, opening up space for new ways of understanding and experiencing issues of gender and sexuality from childhood.