El juego en el desarrollo integral en la primera infancia: una revisión documental

Abstract

The research entitled “Play in Integral Development in Early Childhood: A Documentary Review” aimed to analyze the impact of play on the integral development of children aged 0 to 5 years, according to studies published during the last seven years in the main Latin American countries: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Peru. The objective was to develop pedagogical recommendations based on play and the findings of the review. The study is grounded in recent and updated scientific literature and establishes as specific objectives: identifying the impact of play on cognitive, emotional, physical, and social development in early childhood; examining the ways in which play has been incorporated, transformed, or excluded from pedagogical and caregiving practices in early childhood contexts; and developing pedagogical recommendations based on play and the review findings, to serve as a guide for professional practice aimed at integral development in childhood care settings. The methodology was qualitative and focused on the documentary review of 30 academic documents, including theses, research articles, and book chapters. The analysis of these documents was carried out through a categorization matrix and the coding of the identified sources. This study seeks to demonstrate that play is a fundamental tool in learning and has a significant impact on children’s development, encouraging professionals to incorporate it into their daily practices. The findings revealed that play contributes to processes of autonomy, learning, emotional development, neurological development, meaningful learning, and mediation. In addition, the study highlights the important role of families, educational agents, caregivers, and others in making play a more enriching experience for children’s development.