(De)colonial processes related to childhoods

The article discusses the adult-centric (de)coloniality on young children during play. This is an excerpt from research that sought to understand colonial and decolonial processes related to childhood, through the analysis of the children’s relations with peers and with educators, established in the outdoor spaces of a CMEI in a rural community. To achieve this objective, we opted for a qualitative approach, with ethnographic inspiration, combined with the conceptions of research methodologies with children, using participant observation as a methodological procedure. The data obtained was organized into three categories, two of which are discussed in this work: Coloniality and outdoor play and Aspects that contribute to the construction of decolonial processes. Among the results and conclusions presented are: the existence of multiple dimensions that affect, positively or negatively, decolonial processes related to childhood and playing in Early Childhood Education; the presence of colonial-adult-centric acts by educators; the occurrence of (re)production of these acts also by children; and the verification that they use decolonial strategies, while playing and producing cultures.