Ludicidade e arte no ensino fundamental: brincadeiras de aprendizagem entre o sertão e as terras mineiras

Abstract

This research, conducted with first-grade students from the Municipal School Inspetora França Abadia Machado Santana, takes a journey through territories where playing, learning, and teaching converge to create something inspiring. Drawing on my own childhood memories, filled with backyard games, I seek to highlight how playfulness can reframe the teaching process in the early years, bridging practices from Early Childhood Education to the reality of Elementary Education. Inspired by theorists such as Huizinga (2007), Luckesi (2014; 2017), Dewey (2010) and Freire (1989; 1991; 2010), as well as contributions from Cabral (2006; 2010) and Janiaski (2020a; 2020b) on drama and playfulness as pedagogical tools, I adopt a qualitative, ethnography-based approach, focusing particularly on reflections around educational experiences and practices. I document stories, sounds, and movements that transform the classroom into a living space. After all, teaching playfully means giving wings to the imagination without losing one’s grounding in reality. Hence, the primary question of this dissertation is: how can different playful experiences reshape teaching while preserving the curiosity and sense of wonder that mark the earliest school experiences? As a result, I propose pedagogical practices that move between drama, art, and cultural narratives, creating bridges between what children live, dream, and learn. The overarching goal is simple yet essential: to ensure that play always retains its place in the learning process, so every student can discover, in a lighthearted way, the joy of learning. Keywords: Play; Elementary Education; Art Education; Playful Experiences.