“Hands up, ma’am, this is a robbery!” Interpretive reproduction in sociodramatic role playing experienced in preschool

Based on the contributions of Childhood Social Studies, the article aims to discuss the process of interpretative reproduction emerging from a cultural routine of sociodramatic roleplaying experienced in the schoolyard by a group of preschool children. Methodologically, the study is the result of an ethnographic research with children, which uses the following data generation strategies: observation; field diary; conversation circles; photographic records; audio recordings. The research was carried out in a public Early Childhood Education school, with 24 5-year-old children, over the period of one school year. The focus of the analysis of the article is the routine of the “beauty salon robbery” roleplay, due to its constant occurrence during the children's free activity moments and the large number of participants. From the analysis of the roleplaying routines, alliances between children, the definition of roles, interpretative reproduction and the production of children's cultures in the schoolyard are highlighted. The research infers the need for children to have guaranteed free time to play, as well as support from teachers in relation to their demands in the roleplaying proposals.