Mapeamento da Produção Académica sobre os Jogos e Brincadeiras no Ensino da Matemática na Educação Infantil

This article presents a mapping of academic research on the use of games and play in the teaching of mathematics in Early Childhood Education. Linked to the Research and Teaching Group xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, the study acknowledges that the teaching of mathematics, historically shaped by traditional practices, still faces challenges in becoming meaningful from the earliest stages of schooling. Based on a qualitative approach with a state-of-knowledge methodological design, the research analyzed 11 academic papers available on Google Scholar, published between 2018 and 2023. The results reveal that although there is theoretical recognition of the potential of games and play as didactic resources in mathematics education, there are still gaps in their effective implementation and integration with the Early Childhood curriculum. Additionally, there is a tendency to generalize the concept of “playfulness” and a lack of studies focused specifically on early childhood (ages 0–5), highlighting the need for a deeper dialogue between play, curriculum, and teacher training.