Science teaching in Early Childhood Education has consolidated an important space in research
in the field of education and in teaching practices, promoting new ways of thinking about the
education of young children. In this vein, this study aimed to analyze the contributions of the
association between playfulness and the STS approach to science teaching in a class of Early
Childhood Education. The study methodology adopted a qualitative approach, such as
pedagogical intervention, which took place in a Child Education Unit in the Municipality of
Belém / PA. The intervention method adopted consisted of playful activities with a STS
approach on the school environment, theme having as subjects, 25 children, in the age group of
four to five years. The instruments used to obtain the data were photographs, field diaries, audio
recordings and drawings produced by the children during the activities. For the interpretation
of the data, Discursive Textual Analysis was used. From the analysis it was observed that STS
principles emerged in the playful activities during the learning situations promoting the
problematization of social issues by the children, in their participation in decisions regarding
the subjects covered, in the construction of attitudes and values related to care for the
environment, as well as in the promotion of interdisciplinary, contextualized and dialogical
science teaching. The association between STS Approach, Playfulness and Science Teaching
proved to be possible, showing that playfulness is a basic element to bring themes that involve
STS interactions because, considering that play represents the guiding activity in early
childhood, playful activities are essential to have an education that corroborates with their needs
and that promotes meaningful learning and positive developments for the integral development
of the child, including on approaches to diverse topics such as those involving STS relations. It
is concluded that bringing STS Education to the field of Early Childhood Education poses itself
as a great challenge, however necessary so that it can also contribute to the promotion of
children's scientific education, with a view to stimulating their criticality and the construction
of a favorable terrain for the exercise of their citizenship, taking into account the specificities
that involve this phase of human development .
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