Exploring the sense of home among preschool children with migrant background through photovoice

Despite growing migration worldwide, relatively little is known about how very young migrant children experience and construct a sense of home during the preschool years through qualitative research. This study aimed to explore migrant preschoolers' sense of home using the Photovoice methodology. Fourteen children attending kindergartens in Thessaloniki, Greece, participated. The main themes were: “Home as a material and symbolic place”, which is distinguished into two subthemes: (a) physical spaces and objects linked to home, (b) activities: feeling at home in school. The second, “The emotional experience of the sense of home,” encompassed (a) pleasant emotional states such as joy, feeling safe and relaxed, (b) dysphoric emotional states, and (c) sense of autonomy. Family was interwoven across both themes, highlighting its central role in identity. Finally, this study highlights the importance of meaningful school–family collaboration and the incorporation of culturally relevant home experiences into classroom practices.