Estrategias metodológicas basadas en el uso de materiales naturales para fomentar aprendizajes significativos en niños de 4 a 5 años

Abstract

The excessive use of technological and artificial resources in early childhood education has limited children's curiosity, exploration, and interest, reducing opportunities to build meaningful learning through direct interaction with their environment. Faced with this reality, it was determined that it was important to design methodological strategies that restore the value of natural materials as pedagogical tools that promote observation, manipulation, and exploration. The research was conducted with 4- to 5-year-old children in Early Childhood II at an educational institution located in the southern part of the city of Guayaquil, with the aim of determining the impact of the use of these materials on the construction of meaningful learning. The proposal, entitled “Methodological strategies based on the used of natural materials to promote meaningful learning,” integrates activities that combine sensory exploration, artistic expression, and the construction of mathematical knowledge through elements such as stones, leaves, seeds, and branches, which were organized into playful and innovative experiences. These tactics aim to promote active and experiential learning, in which children are integrated as the main actors in their educational process, fostering cognitive, socio-emotional, and ecological skills. The research was based on the theoretical contributions of Ausubel, Montessori, Dewey, and Vygotsky, who emphasize the importance of linking acquired knowledge with new experiences through play, social interaction, and contact with nature. Using a qualitative descriptive-correlational approach, interviews, observations, and anecdotal records were used to examine the relevance of the proposal and its impact on children's motivation. The results showed that the implementation of these strategies encouraged curiosity, attention, and active participation among children, enhancing skills such as classification, seriation, shape recognition, creativity, and artistic expression. In addition, collaboration and environmental awareness were promoted. The methodological proposal presented constitutes an innovative and contextualized alternative that contributes to the comprehensive development of children, aligning with Ecuador's early childhood education curriculum and consolidating authentic and meaningful educational experiences.