Early childhood education in the pandemic and post-pandemic: reflections on children’s unwilling

Abstract

This essay aims to awaken a sensitive and reflective look at the effects of the pandemic and post-pandemic on the social group of early childhood and its result for the pedagogical field of early childhood education. From authors of Children’s Studies, Early Childhood Education and Philosophy, some of the impacts of the pandemic crisis on education and on the lives of young Brazilian children are discussed, highlighting one of the effects potentiated by the pandemic: the children are “walled-in”, since babies. In recent years, a long period of time that girls and boys spend in closed spaces, that is, walled-in, without contact with nature, has already been problematized. This discussion is resumed in the light of the current situation, analyzing its effects to the face-to-face return of children and babies to nursery schools. In the face of need to rethink educational practices, some contributions are raised for a return to children’s schools, which is guided by the care of children of all ages and their families, with the professionals in the schools and with the planet of which we are parte of.