Science teaching in early childhood education: a ludic proposal in the approach to science, technology and society (STS)

Abstract This study aimed to analyze the contributions of the relationship between ludicity and STS Approach to science teaching in Early Childhood Education. Following a qualitative approach to pedagogical intervention, ludic activities were developed concerning the topic of school environment with a kindergarten II class in the city of Belém, Pará state, Brazil. It was found that STS principles emerged, fostering a problematization of social issues by children, their participation in decisions on matters related to their daily lives, as well as the construction of attitudes and values related to the care for the environment, thus enabling interdisciplinary, contextualized, and dialogical teaching of sciences, in which ludicity is seen as a foundation element for the implementation of STS interactions. We can conclude that an STS approach contributes to children’s scientific education by stimulating criticism and their development for the exercise of citizenship, considering the specificities of this stage of human development.