Abstract:
This work explores storytelling as a resilient, humanizing and transformative
pedagogical practice in Early Childhood Education, linking it to the concept of
comprehensive education. The research is based on a personal experience marked
by the influence of grandparents, whose narratives awakened a love for reading and
orality, leading to the production of children's literature and to the work of storytellers.
In the academic context, the study investigates how storytelling, rooted in cultural
traditions, can promote the integral development of children (cognitive, emotional,
social and ethical), opposing neoliberal educational models that prioritize measurable
results over human development. The methodology adopted was a systematic
literature review, analyzing academic productions between 2010 and 2023, with
emphasis on research that demonstrates the benefits of narratives in stimulating
creativity, empathy and critical thinking. The results highlight that storytelling:
Strengthens children's identity and autonomy through identification with symbolic
characters and situations; Expands the linguistic and cognitive repertoire, serving as
a tool for cultural mediation; Promotes ethical and socio-emotional values,
contributing to a more inclusive and humanized education. Furthermore, it can help
to resist a fragmented education that is instrumentalized by skills and competencies..
It is concluded that storytelling is an act of pedagogical resistance, capable of
reaffirming the role of the school as a space for critical, creative and civic education.
