Relações de Gênero e o Direito ao Brincar

Desafios para a Construção da Cidadania na Educação Infantil

Abstract

This article discusses the challenges of building citizenship and ensuring the rights to play and gender differences based on the pedagogical practices of Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers. Drawing on frameworks from Sociology of Childhood and Childhood Pedagogy, as well as authors such as Pierre Bourdieu (1992) and Michel Foucault (2005, 2010), we problematize the social, political, and pedagogical functions of ECE, as well as the symbolic violence observed in the daily routines of the institutions studied. These reflections arise from interviews, observations, and the voices of children in the context of a broader research on ECE public policies in southern Minas Gerais, Brazil. We observed schooling practices that contrast with children's rights and the principles of Early Childhood Education; disciplinary spaces and materials; and educators with inadequate initial and continuing training to address the complexity and demands of ECE, particularly regarding gender relations and the centrality of play as a core element of the curriculum. Through a story told to children, we noticed how much they wish to be heard in their desires for more play, nature, and spaces such as playgrounds. On the other hand, some remarks reveal how their experiences in ECE diminish their desires and enrichments. This highlights the need for special attention to initial and continuing teacher education, as well as public policies that truly guarantee children's rights and citizenship.