Processos criativos na educação infantil: experiências pedagógicas com elementos da natureza na EMEI Profª Izildinha M. Macedo do Amaral em Uberlândia/MG

Abstract

This study investigates creative processes in early childhood education, emphasizing the pedagogical experiences developed at EMEI Profª Izildinha M. Macedo do Amaral, located in Uberlândia/MG. The research arises from a critical reflection on the standardization of artistic activities offered to children, which are often restricted to copies or superficial variations. In contrast to this approach, which limits creativity and individual expression, the study proposes valuing pedagogical practices that promote children's autonomy and integral development. The research is based on contributions from theorists such as Paulo Freire, John Dewey, Fayga Ostrower, Anna Marie Holm, Richard Louv, Jorge Larrosa, Léa Tiriba, and Gandhy Piorski, whose theories advocate the importance of pedagogical practices that stimulate students' authentic creation and expression. The study explores the use of natural elements4such as leaves, branches, and stones4as expressive materials to stimulate children's creativity and sensory exploration. In this regard, the relevance of the school environment and direct contact with nature is highlighted, recognizing them as facilitating factors in the creative process. The action research, conducted throughout 2023 and 2024 with children from the first and second years of early childhood education, aimed to promote pedagogical experiences that allowed creative expression without imposing predefined aesthetic models, encouraging the exploration of the natural environment as part of the learning process. The analysis of activities revealed that by using natural materials, children broadened their perspectives on the world and developed more meaningful forms of expression. Furthermore, the study sought to understand the role of the teacher as a mediator in this creative process, emphasizing their essential function in guiding, supporting, and stimulating children's creative freedom without directing or standardizing their productions.