"Fique quieto, menino"? Uma proposta de trabalho para crianças em constante movimento

Abstract

This qualitative and collaborative research emerged from the problem identified in many preschool institutions, where there is a prioritization of academic content over playing, a high number of paper-based activities, and overly strict discipline. Often, children's voices are silenced, confining them increasingly to stationary desks and chairs within the classroom. The objective of this study was to understand how play, bodily expressions, and children's movement manifest in a preschool setting and their relationships with the processes of knowledge. The research was conducted in a preschool in the municipality of Belo Horizonte, with a class of 4-year-old children and their teacher. For this, the different times and school spaces were considered and the analysis of the pedagogical proposal developed by the teacher of the class, considering the expressions of the children and their choices regarding play and movements, seeking to identify processes of building autonomy. Participant observation was chosen as an instrument of initial data collection, semi-structured interview for the teacher and on-the-go interview for children. The data revealed the times when the activities happened destined to play in the class, the places where they took place, in addition to highlighting that both the concept and the play space were distinct for the teacher and the children, also revealing a considerable time of stay in the classroom. The initial results were shared with the teacher and with her three activities were created and some suggestions for expanding the children's knowledge, which showed that adopting games and the possibilities of broad movements, experiments with the body, use of unstructured materials, can give new meaning to spaces, bringing richness to pedagogical work. The interventions carried out in collaboration with the teacher make up the educational resource.