DAY CARE TEACHERS’ PERCEPTION OF THEIR PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICES IN RELATION TO BABIES’ FREE PLAY
play; babies, teachers; daycare.
Games and play are structuring activities for child development. Through playing, children express themselves and make representations of their daily lives. It is also through playing that children take on an important role in building their identity. Despite being a much studied topic, there are still gaps regarding teaching practices in daycare centers and the possibilities that education in collective environments for babies can provide for child development. This research will have the general objective of analyzing the pedagogical practices of daycare teachers during daily games in the school environment. And, as specific objectives: to investigate how daycare teachers organize play spaces and times, what toys and materials they offer and use, how they interfere in situations of conflict and crying, how they promote the continuity of play and the sharing of play among babies. This research seeks, through a qualitative approach, to carry out observations that will be video recorded and later transcribed, of free play situations in a daycare class, with children between two and three years old. The records will be analyzed using the content analysis technique. The study is intended to support training projects for professionals who work in daycare centers.