Initiation to Science in Early Childhood Education

a bibliographical study

Abstract

Before starting school, children are already curious about the elements that surround in experiences with people around them and, from an early age, they can get involved with the elements of the physical and natural world. However, some mistaken assumptions interfere with the introduction of Natural Sciences in Early Childhood Education, arguing that children are unable to learn such abstract elements. The contributions of Cultural-Historical Theory present a possible way of overcoming these assumptions, as well as signaling possibilities for engaging young children in forming the basis for scientific thinking. To characterize the pedagogical actions carried out with children in Early Childhood Education, this research gathered 17 scientific articles published in specific databases, which were organized and discussed using the Content Analysis technique, in two thematic axes: 1) Pedagogical actions with children and 2) Teacher training. This text presents 10 articles included in thematic axis 1 relating to pedagogical actions with children. The analysis carried out shows the importance of proposals aimed at Science in the context of Early Childhood Education, based on the assumptions of the Historical-Cultural Theory. Understanding the theory can guide teacher’s thinking and actions in organizing spaces, times, materials and human relationships in early childhood schools, as well as proposing educational situations capable of providing learning conditions that guide children's development to their maximum potential from the very beginning of their lives.