Infância e território: o espaço da educação infantil como lugar de pertencimento e imaginação

Abstract

This work addresses the relationship between childhood and the school territory, understanding the school as a space of belonging, creation, and imagination for children. The study had as its general objective to understand how children construct belonging and imaginaries in the school territory, and as specific objectives, to identify teachers' perceptions about the use of spaces by children and to analyze how belonging and imagination manifest in the school context. The research was based on the concepts of territoriality, lived space, and imagination. The study is characterized as having a qualitative approach, based on observations in an Early Childhood Education institution and through the application of a questionnaire with the pedagogical team. The results show that the school space, when intentionally organized, contributes to the development of a sense of belonging, imagination, and children's interactions. It is concluded that valuing children's experiences and organizing educational spaces are fundamental to promoting meaningful learning in Early Childhood Education, strengthening the bonds that children establish with these spaces.