BRINCANDO COM ELEMENTOS: A LUDICIDADE DO MUNDO NATURAL

The study addresses the relationship between childhood, playfulness and nature, aiming to understand how pedagogical practices grounded in natural elements can foster children’s integral development in Early Childhood Education. The research aims to analyze educational actions that articulate play, sensory exploration of the environment and the organization of outdoor spaces as learning contexts. This is a qualitative literature review composed of twelve works published between 2022 and 2025, selected from indexed databases and analyzed through thematic categories related to childhood pedagogy, play and natural environments. The analysis verifies that pedagogical experiences mediated by nature enhance children’s autonomy, creativity, engagement and emotional well-being, while strengthening socio-environmental bonds and promoting more meaningful learning. The results show that such practices depend on teachers’ intentionality, continuing education and the reorganization of school spaces and routines. The study concludes that integrating nature and playfulness into the curriculum contributes to a more sensitive and humanized Early Childhood Education and highlights the need for public policies that support the naturalization of school environments and encourage practices centered on children’s protagonism.