From The Prescribed Curriculum to the Lived Curriculum: Teachers’ Meanings and Practices for the Development of Life Skills in Early Childhood

Abstract

The development of life skills in early childhood constitutes a relevant component of comprehensive development and socio-emotional well-being; however, their effective integration into pedagogical practices depends on the meanings, knowledge, and contextual conditions through which teachers interpret and implement these competencies. The aim of this study was to understand teachers’ perceptions and pedagogical practices regarding the development of life skills in early childhood in public educational institutions in Coronel Oviedo, Paraguay, during 2026. A qualitative study was conducted within an interpretive paradigm using a phenomenological-hermeneutic design. The participants were 25 teachers and 3 school administrators from three public educational institutions. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and documentary analysis of institutional and pedagogical documents, specifically the Institutional Educational Project, Annual Operational Plan, and Classroom Plan. Data analysis involved open, axial, and selective coding, thematic analysis, and triangulation across sources and techniques. The findings were organized into three categories: contribution to socio-emotional well-being; pedagogical strategies for the development of life skills; and challenges and opportunities for implementation. The results indicate that teachers primarily associate life skills with emotional self-regulation, autonomy, communication, empathy, and social coexistence. Play, daily routines, dialogue, storytelling, and group activities emerged as the main pedagogical strategies. Nevertheless, a tension was identified between the positive value attributed to these competencies and their limited curricular systematization, together with challenges related to instructional time, teacher training, group size, and irregular family participation. The study concludes that the educational context provides a favorable pedagogical foundation, but greater intentionality, systematic planning, and professional support are required to consolidate life skills as a transversal dimension of the lived curriculum in early childhood education.