Astronomy in early childhood: a didactic proposal based on play and art

Abstract

This study proposes an inclusive didactic strategy based on centralizing play to integrate contents of the solar system in the second transition level of preschool education, initially in kindergartens in the city of Antofagasta, Chile. From a pragmatic paradigm, using a mixed approach, we worked with three public and private kindergartens, focused on children. Data collection included semi-structured interviews with educational teams (preschool educators and education assistants), appreciation scales, as well as observations and field notes during the activity sessions applied to around 50 children at the preschool level. Although the research is still in development, the preliminary results show an evident gap on the part of the educational teams in the disciplinary knowledge associated with astronomical phenomena, the use of traditional methodologies and a lack of specific content in the curricula related to astronomy. This highlights the need for innovative teaching strategies and specialized training to adequately address this type of content in the classroom and underlines the importance of multidisciplinary teams addressing complex educational problems.