A importância da brincadeira para o desenvolvimento da criança na educação infantil: sobre o olhar do coordenador pedagógico

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the conceptions of pedagogical coordination regarding play in Early Childhood Education, as well as to understand how these conceptions guide teaching practices and contribute to ensuring children’s right to play. The research is based on authors such as Brougère (1998), Fernandes (2004), and Haddad (2013), who understand play as a language of childhood and as a cultural and social practice essential to human development. Methodologically, this is a qualitative and descriptive study conducted with a pedagogical coordinator working at a Municipal Center for Early Childhood Education (CMEI) in Maceió, Alagoas. Data were collected through a semi-structured interview, and the responses were analyzed based on thematic categories developed a posteriori. The results showed that the coordinator understands play as a constitutive element of childhood and recognizes its importance for children’s cognitive, social, and cultural development. The study also identified an appreciation of the teacher’s role as an intentional mediator who organizes spaces and materials in ways that foster meaningful and playful experiences. However, challenges related to teacher education, the discontinuity of public policies, and the fragility of the identity of Early Childhood Education were also identified. It is concluded that pedagogical coordination plays a fundamental role in consolidating practices that ensure play as a structuring axis of Early Childhood Education, highlighting the need for investment in continuing teacher education and in policies that support the quality of pedagogical work.