This research seeks to reflect on the origin and path of the aesthetic principle in the National Curricular Guidelines for Early Childhood Education (DCNEI) of 2009. This document has as its guiding principles interactions and play and, as principles, ethics, aesthetics and the politics. The intention is to understand its construction, the concepts behind the aesthetic principle and the formulation of the final text that appears in the document. When approaching the aesthetic principle, it is worth reflecting on the childhoods that the document prioritizes, artistic languages, the training of early childhood education teachers, the aesthetics designed for institutions that receive such young children. To this end, we seek dialogue and reflection with references that address the themes present in this work, such as Sarmento, Larrosa, Carvalho, Duarte Junior and Vigotski. This research has a qualitative approach as its methodology, based on documentary analysis, since this research made use of two documents to present the genesis of the aesthetic principle: Subsidies for National Curricular Guidelines for Basic Education - Specific National Curricular Guidelines for Education Children and Everyday Practices in Early Childhood Education - Bases for Reflection on Curricular Guidelines, both from 2009. The methodology also includes a semi-structured interview, to guide the conversation between the two consultants who worked on planning, preparing and writing the two chosen documents for analysis. The research reaches some findings about how the aesthetic principle was conceived and how it is received among teachers, pointing out ways that can invite us to rethink the way in which teachers appropriate this principle in their pedagogical practice. From the interviews given, it was possible to glimpse an aesthetic carefully thought out for Brazilian childhoods, of which there are many, and the urgency in bringing esthesia, the education of the senses and affections to teaching among children. The research also indicates that there is a lot to explore about the aesthetic principle and its interpretation by those who work with children, pointing out that the concept of aesthetics itself can raise doubts among teachers. Thus, the research is not considered finished, but rather indicates other fruitful ways to think about aesthetics in early childhood education. One of the paths would be to think about the aesthetics for childhood and, more specifically, an aesthetic for Brazilian childhoods.