This study analyzes articles on the topic Game in Childhood Education, in the journal Pro-Positions, from 1990 to 2003. Leisure activity is important in childhood. It is one of the ways children get in touch with reality. Six articles were analyzed, according to the following criteria: publication date, authors, institutional affiliation, and objective of the study, theoretic and methodological approaches, and conclusions of the studies. Analyses indicate that the frequency of the studies has increased considerably since 1994. The authors are women, teachers and students, linked to a post-graduation course in public universities in the South and Southeast Regions of Brazil. The work investigated relationships among game and development, play, and culture. The study was oriented by psychogenetic, socio-cultural approaches or by analytical philosophy involving theoretical or empirical studies. The articles highlight the importance of deepening the studies on this moment of education, in which maternal and educational functions are confusing, bringing together the potential of leisure activity to the needs of the child.
Early childhood education; Games; Tricks
