Childhood, health, and body in an anthropological approach in early childhood education

Abstract

This article aims to present the fundamental elements of Childhood, Health, and Body in an anthropological approach, considering the young child as an active participant, a producer of meanings and cultural practices, rather than merely a passive recipient of culture. The methodology employed was qualitative and participatory, involving the formation of discussion circles and free association of words with education professionals and young children in a daycare center in the municipality of Duque de Caxias. Data analysis was based on the methodology of the Collective Subject Discourse, in dialogue with the Theory of Social Representations. It was evident that the anthropological perspective facilitated the understanding that young children always have something to say about concepts, and it is possible to comprehend them in their depth.