O lúdico e o brincar na educação infantil: um estudo em uma escola da rede municipal de tabatinga-am

Abstract

This article analyzes how symbolic play, mediated by the imaginative use of objects, contributes to the cognitive and social development of early childhood education students at a municipal school in Tabatinga, Amazonas. This qualitative study employed participant observation with a group of 25 children aged four to five. Data were gathered during a play activity known as "Little Market" and documented via field notes and photographs. The data were organized and analyzed using both descriptive and interpretive methods, based on categories such as the enactment of social roles, the collective establishment of rules, peer interaction, and the symbolic transformation of objects. The study draws on the work of Vygotsky, Elkonin, Mukhina, Piaget, Kishimoto, and Brougère, as well as regulatory frameworks for early childhood education—specifically the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC). The results indicate that play fosters imagination, language skills, autonomy, socialization, and the appropriation of elements from everyday culture. The study concludes that play should not be viewed as a secondary or merely recreational activity, but rather as a pedagogical practice that structures the child's holistic development.