O protagonismo infantil e a escuta ativa: reflexões sobre a intencionalidade pedagógica na educação infantil

This article aims to reflect on children's agency and active listening as fundamental principles of pedagogical practice that recognizes children as rights-bearing individuals, active participants in their learning processes, and producers of culture. The discussion considers the importance of teacher intentionality in organizing experiences that respect children's interests, needs, expressions, and individual characteristics. This is a qualitative study based on bibliographic and documentary research, grounded in the National Curriculum Guidelines for Early Childhood Education (DCNEI), the Brazilian National Common Core Curriculum (BNCC), and theoretical contributions concerning contemporary conceptions of childhood. The study discusses the need to move beyond practices that are excessively adult-directed, without disregarding teachers' responsibility for mediating learning processes. It emphasizes that active listening constitutes an ethical and pedagogical stance that extends beyond verbal communication to encompass gestures, play, expressions, movements, and other forms of children's expression. The article concludes that children's agency is realized when they are provided with meaningful opportunities for participation, inquiry, expression, and knowledge construction within educational environments organized with sensitivity, planning, and pedagogical intentionality.