Children’s right to participate in all matters and decisions affecting them has gained recognition in society. Its promotion is recommended from an early age – namely, in early childhood education settings – and it is described as benefiting children, adults and the community in general. Given the complex and polysemic meaning of participation, different conceptualizations, models and perspectives have emerged. In this article, the authors provide a theoretical overview, describing relevant models, concepts and contributions from distinct perspectives and fields of knowledge – sociological, educational, developmental and sociocultural – as well as contributions from social policy. This overview is particularly relevant to inform research and practice about children’s participation in early childhood education.

儿童享有参与影响到他们的所有事项和决定的权利，已获得社会的认可。建议从很小的时候开始推广，即在幼儿教育环境中推广，并被描述为有益于儿童，成年人和整个社区。考虑到参与的复杂性和多义性，出现了不同的概念，模型和观点。在本文中，作者提供了理论概述，从不同的角度和知识领域（社会学，教育，发展和社会文化）描述了相关的模型，概念和贡献，以及社会政策的贡献。此概述特别有助于为有关儿童参与幼儿教育的研究和实践提供信息。