Engaging Young Children in Water Literacy: A Study Using the Mosaic Approach

Water has long been a focal point of considerable interest in the sustainability agenda. International calls and local and global policy initiatives underscore the importance of social and economic aspects of water and its sustainability for human and other living and non-living species. Education for sustainable development has been regarded as a remedy to raise ecological awareness and manage water resources effectively. More recently, there has also been an upsurge in interest in incorporating the concept of ‘water literacy’ into sustainability dialogue, aiming for more informed and meaningful knowledge construction regarding water and its vital role in both ecological and human systems. This research is thus essential to contribute to grasping young children’s interactions with water and to find out their implications for sustainable water practices embedded in early childhood education for the sustainability agenda. It aims to explore how young children’s multiple ways of expression, representation, and action reflect their emerging water literacy in dialogue with adults within the context of early childhood education and care (ECEC). Adopting the Mosaic Approach, which promotes participatory research with children, the findings offer fresh perspectives by involving 22 children’s viewpoints gathered through multi-method data collection in May 2025. Thematic analysis illuminated three connected themes: (a) children’s expressions of care and responsibility for water; (b) biosocial coexistence; (c) eco-pedagogical dispositions. The findings have significant implications for recognizing children’s ecological ontologies of water and conceptualizing sustainable pedagogies based on children’s interactions with water and broader environmental concepts, ultimately leading to emergent water literacy.