Abstract:

This paper explores how culturally responsive pedagogies enhance young children's holistic development within the Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector. Traditionally, ECD practices relied heavily on developmental psychology theories that assume universal stages of growth to be cognitive and behavioral stages, while often overlooking the cultural contexts that shape children’s development, learning, and identity. This is despite that ECD is defined as the period from birth to eight years, where each child develops holistically with cultural practices perceived as important in influencing children’s identity and belonging. However, the cultural practices embedded in children’s daily live are frequently marginalized, despite their essential role in fostering belonging, identity formation, and sócio-emotional competence. This desk-review-based systematic literature review adopts a sociocultural lens rooted in the work of Lev Vygotsky (1978), who emphasized that learning is inherently social and culturally situated. Vygotsky’s theory posits that children construct knowledge through meaningful interactions with caregivers, elders, peers, and their broader environment. Through a structured and systematic review of current research, this paper critically analyzes how culturally relevant pedagogical approaches such as storytelling, ritual practices, indigenous games, and multilingual engagement can be integrated into ECD programmes to augment children’s holistic development. By analyzing literature, this paper contributes to the discourse of inclusive and contextually relevant education, which advocates for culturally sustaining pedagogies that honor children lived realities. In addition, this paper calls for rethinking dominant developmental models and advancing policies and training that equip ECD practitioners to embrace cultural diversity to support children’s holistic development. Hence, it argues for a reimagined ECD framework that validates and incorporates local knowledge systems and community practices to nurture children across diverse contexts.

Keywords:

Child Identity and Belonging, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, Diversity, Early Childhood Care and Education, Early Childhood Development, Early Childhood Learning, Holistic Child Development, Inclusion, Policy.