Abstract

OLIVEIRA, Kleber de  and  MENANDRO, Paulo Rogério Meira. Play culture and use of objects and materials in children's play activities at a Guarani village in Aracruz - state of Espírito Santo. Rev. bras. crescimento desenvolv. hum. [online]. 2008, vol.18, n.2, pp. 179-188. ISSN 0104-1282.

The materials and objects used as a support to children's recreational activities are important references to understand the symbolic dialogue between children and their social group (thus, they are directly related to the socio-cultural reality around them), and to better understand children's play culture. This article aims at examining the play culture of a group of children of the Guarani ethnic group in a specific situation - a village near urban nuclei that is undergoing a situation of territorial dispute -, based on the analysis of materials and objects used as a support to the play activity. In the study, 34 children from the same village were observed during 20 days. In this period, 100 sessions of systematic observation were carried out, and notes were registered in a field diary. The data were categorized by type of material / object used as a support to the play activity, and by toy groups regarding the gender of the participants: groups of boys, groups of girls, mixed groups. The results showed significant similarities and differences with respect to research conducted with other ethnic groups in other regions of Brazil, and confirm the importance of supporting objects in recreational activities. Contrary to what is exposed in classic ethnographic research, the group of surveyed children has a rich play culture, with the use of diverse objects and materials, including industrialized and handicraft toys.

Keywords : South American Indians; Games and toys; Child development.

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