Não é uma caixa! transformações dos sentidos atribuídos a uma caixa de papelão

Abstract

This article argues that play is an activity that produces subjectivities, meanings, narratives, and, therefore, human consciousness in historically and culturally situated conditions. From the historical-cultural theory and ethnography in education, we argue that play is an act of creating possibilities, both for participation in the social group and for the production of meanings for what happens in collective life, through the analysis of creation meanings for a cardboard box in the event “Não é uma caixa!” [“Not a box!”]. We conclude that play creates contradictions between the perceptive, narrative, and imaginary fields, expanding the possibilities of action, language, and social relations, which drives the cultural development of children.