Diagnostics of the current level of sensory development of children of primary preschool age

Maria Montessori believed that a child's intelligence and knowledge of the world always originate in the senses. Any thought is always preceded by a process of collecting information. This means that the more subtly all the analyzers work, the more chances a person has to solve the problem facing him.

In his book “The Absorbent Mind of the Child,” M. Montessori says that sensory development allows you to open up a whole new world for the baby, making more things and their properties visible, as if someone suddenly turned on the light in a dark room.

It is important to understand that what adults consider obvious, a child has yet to learn: a small stone is lighter than a large stone, but at the same time heavier than a feather, glass is smooth and cold to the touch, and an autumn leaf is warm and rough. A child's absorbent mind is wired for learning, but it is important to place the child in the right environment where he can put his natural curiosity to use.

For more information about Maria Montessori's approach, watch our webinar for parents:

History of Sensory Education in Montessori

Maria Montessori was not the first teacher to draw attention to the importance of developing children's senses. When developing her approach, she relied heavily on the work of the French physician and teacher Edouard Seguin, who at one time worked with children with special needs and created his own system of exercises for developing children’s perceptions and teaching them everyday skills. Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi in their works also paid attention to the role of the development of sensory organs in children's learning.

Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout movement and contemporary of Maria Montessori, said that to gain knowledge about the world, children need real experience of interacting with objects. This statement formed the basis of his theory of active learning. He highly valued Maria Montessori's pedagogical approach, noting that if teachers stop commanding and begin to more delicately reinforce a young child's natural need for new experiences, teachers can create a much more solid basis for subsequent learning and development. In his opinion, the idea of ​​education as hard and exhausting work is hopelessly outdated.

Maria Montessori herself began her career working with special needs children who were deprived of adequate sensory stimulation: they had almost no toys, and their whole life was reduced to a series of basic caregiving activities. She was able to clearly prove that changing the living conditions of children significantly changes the level of their abilities. Today, the influence of the environment on a child’s development has been proven at the neurophysiological level. We recommend reading John Medin's book, Rules for Your Child's Brain Development, to become more familiar with this topic.

Maria Montessori created a system of sensory education based on many years of experience observing children and studying the works of outstanding teachers and doctors. Although she was not the first to discover the need for sensory experiences in child development, she was certainly the first educator who was able to draw public attention to this fact.

Diagnostics of the current level of sensory development of children of primary preschool age

 The sensory development of a child is the development of his perception and the formation of ideas about the properties of objects: their color, shape, position in space, size, as well as taste, smell, etc. Sensory development at a young age is considered by many researchers to be the best for improving the functions of the senses. , accumulation of ideas about the world around him. Knowledge begins with the perception of phenomena and objects in the surrounding world. Therefore, it can be argued that sensory development is the foundation of the general intellectual development of children of primary preschool age.

The main task of sensory development of young children in preschool educational institutions is to develop the ability to perceive objects and phenomena, to highlight their inherent external properties that determine how to act with them.

Diagnosis of sensory development involves identifying the level of development of practical orientation to size, shape, color, the level of development of the holistic image of an object, orientation in space.

The basis for this diagnostic for identifying and assessing the sensory development of children of primary preschool age were the following methods: E. A. Strebeleva, L. A. Venger, M. I. Zemtsova.

During the examination, tasks are presented to the child immediately for independent completion, after the task is explained. The experimenter asks the child to group the toys; open the nesting doll and assemble it; put together a whole picture from parts, put together a flower by naming the colors and identify objects using tactile examination. Moreover, all tasks should be accompanied by natural gestures and commentary on actions.

If a child finds it difficult to complete a task on his own, the adult demonstrates the appropriate action and then asks the child to repeat it. If the preschooler cannot cope in this case, then the method of joint actions is used. For example, a teacher assembles a matryoshka doll with the hands of a child; folds a cut picture. Following this, the child is asked to act independently.

For all tasks the following is recorded:

 Desire to cooperate with an adult; understanding the task; the ability to detect the error of one’s actions; interest in the final result;

 Method of completing the task (failure to complete, after joint actions, after demonstration, independently);

 Result: exact match to the adult model, failure, inexact match.

When starting to examine a child of primary preschool age, the experimenter needs to establish emotional contact and trusting relationships, as well as pay attention to the general condition of the child and only after that offer him to complete the following tasks:

1. Grouping of toys (L. A. Wenger’s method). The task is aimed at identifying the level of development of shape perception, the ability to use geometric standards (samples) in determining the general shape of specific objects, i.e., grouping by shape.

Equipment: three boxes (without top lids, size of each wall 20 x 20 cm) of the same color with standard samples depicted on them (size 4x4 cm). On the first (on the front wall) there is a square, on the second - a triangle, on the third - a circle. A set of 24 items in a bag: 8 - similar to a square (cube, box, square button, etc.), 8 - similar to a triangle (cone, herringbone, mold, etc.), 8 - similar to a circle (coin, medal, hemisphere, etc.) (Table 4).

Set of items

Conducting the examination: boxes are placed on the table in front of the child. The teacher draws the child’s attention to the standard model: “Look, here is a figure like this (square), and here is this one (circle).” Then he takes an object (any) out of the bag and says: “What figure does it look like: this (showing a triangle), this (showing a circle) or this (showing a square)?” After the child points to one of the standards, the adult says: “Now throw it into this box.” Then he takes out the next object (of a different shape), and the whole procedure is repeated. Subsequently, the adult gives the child the opportunity to arrange the toys himself, asking him: “Now put all the toys in your boxes, look carefully.”

Training: if the child does not continue to complete the task independently, the adult sequentially gives the toys and asks the child to put them in the correct box. If the child lowers it, but does not focus on the model, then the adult again draws his attention to the standard model, correlating the toy with it.

Assessing the child’s actions: understanding and accepting the task; methods of implementation - the ability to work according to a model; purposefulness of actions; learning ability; attitude towards the result; result.

1 point - the child does not understand and does not accept the task; does not function adequately in learning conditions.

2 points - the child acts without being guided by a standard model; after training, continues to lower toys without taking into account the basic principle.

3 points - the child puts down toys, not always focusing on the model; after training, matches the shape of toys with the model.

4 points - the child puts down toys taking into account the pattern; interested in the end result.

1. Disassemble and fold a four-part matryoshka doll (methodology by E. A. Strebeleva). The task is aimed at testing the level of development of size orientation.

Equipment: four-piece matryoshka doll.

Conducting an examination: the experimenter shows the child a matryoshka doll and asks him to see what is there, that is, to take it apart. After examining all the nesting dolls, the child is asked to collect them all into one: “Collect all the nesting dolls to make one.” In case of difficulties, training is provided.

Training: the teacher shows the child how to put together first a two-part, and then a three-part and four-part matryoshka doll, and then asks him to complete the task independently.

Assessing the child’s actions: understanding and accepting the task; methods of execution; learning ability; attitude towards the results of their activities.

1 point - the child does not accept the task, does not strive to complete it; after training does not switch to adequate methods of action.

2 points - the child understands the task, strives to act with the nesting doll, but when completing the task does not take into account the size of the parts of the nesting doll, i.e. chaotic actions are noted; acts adequately during the learning process, and after learning does not switch to an independent method of action; indifferent to the results of his activities.

3 points - the child accepts and understands the task, completes it using the method of enumerating options; After training, he switches to an independent method of completing the task; interested in the end result.

4 points - the child understands and accepts the task; folds a matryoshka doll using practical fitting and trial method; interested in the end result.

1. Fold a cut picture (of three parts), (methodology by E. A. Strebeleva)

The task is aimed at identifying the level of development of the holistic perception of the subject image in the picture.

Equipment: two identical object pictures, one of which is cut into three parts (rooster or dress).

Visual material.

Conducting the examination: the experimenter shows the child three parts of a cut picture and asks: “Make a whole picture.”

Training: if the child cannot correctly connect the parts of the picture, the adult shows the whole picture and asks to make the same one from the parts. If after this the child cannot cope with the task, the experimenter himself superimposes part of the cut picture onto the whole one and asks him to superimpose another, after which he invites the child to complete the task independently.

Assessing the child’s actions: accepting the task; methods of execution; learning ability; attitude towards the result; result.

1 point - the child does not understand the task; even under training conditions it acts inadequately.

2 points - the child accepts the task, but does not understand that the parts need to be combined into a whole; puts parts one on top of another; under training conditions he often acts adequately, but after training he does not proceed to independently complete the task; indifferent to the final result.

3 points - the child accepts and understands the task; tries to connect parts into a whole picture, but cannot do it on his own; after training he copes with the task; interested in the results of his activities.

4 points - the child accepts and understands the task; independently copes with the task, using the method of targeted tests or practical trying on.

1. Collect a flower (4 colors)

The task is aimed at the ability to arrange colors in accordance with the pattern and for children to name exactly these colors.

Equipment: Cards showing a stem with a core, multi-colored petals (red, blue, yellow, green).

Visual material.

Conducting an examination: give the child petals of different colors and show how to place the petals around the center of the flower in a pattern. Ask to collect all the petals, naming the colors.

Training: in cases where a child cannot fold a flower correctly, an adult shows how to do it and asks to name each petal.

Assessing the child’s actions: accepting the task; methods of execution; learning ability; attitude towards the result; result.

1 point - the child does not accept the task; acts inadequately even under training conditions.

2 points - the child accepts the task, but does not understand that the parts need to be combined into a whole; puts parts one on top of another; under training conditions he often acts adequately, but after training he does not proceed to independently complete the task; indifferent to the final result.

3 points - the child accepts and understands the task; tries to assemble a flower according to a pattern, but cannot independently name the colors of the petals; after training he copes with the task; interested in the results of his activities.

4 points - the child accepts and understands the task; independently copes with the task, names all the colors correctly.

1. “What does the object feel like,” “What is it made of?” (adapted version of M. I. Zemtsova’s technique)

The task is aimed at testing the level of development of skills in tactile examination of objects.

Equipment: vegetables: potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers; fruits: apple, pear, orange; toys: wooden nesting doll, soft bear, plastic cube, newsprint, sandpaper, etc., flannel glasses.

Conducting an examination: an adult shows the child objects laid out on the table, the child puts on flannel glasses, the adult asks to identify, name and describe the object by touch.

Training: an adult puts on flannel glasses and shows how to examine and describe an object, and asks the child to do the same. If after this the child does not continue to complete the task independently, the adult gives the objects one by one and asks the child to describe them, asking the questions “What shape?” What does the object feel like? etc.".

Assessing the child’s actions: accepting and understanding the task; methods of execution; learning ability; attitude towards the results of their activities.

1 point - the child does not understand the task and does not strive to complete it; after training does not switch to adequate methods of action.

2 points - the child accepts the task, strives to examine objects, but after training does not move on to an independent method of action; indifferent to the results of his activities.

3 points - the child accepts and understands the task, completes it using the method of enumerating options; After training, he switches to an independent method of completing the task; interested in the end result.

4 points - the child accepts and understands the task; tactilely examines objects by sampling or practical trying on; interested in the end result.

In connection with the study, the levels of sensory development of each of the children are revealed:

 high level – completed tasks independently or after showing them to adults with a score of 20–15 points;

 average level – number of points scored 15–10;

 sufficient level – number of points 10–5;

 initial level – number of points 5–0.

The pedagogical process should be based on a diagnostic basis. This diagnostic presents tasks for identifying and assessing the level of sensory development of children of primary preschool age, which most fully shows the level of development of practical orientation to shape and size; the ability to highlight color as a feature of an object; level of development of a holistic image of an object, orientation in space. Thus, the teacher can determine the level of sensory development of the child, taking into account the educational program.

This type of diagnosis assumes that a sufficient amount of diagnostic information should be obtained with minimal effort. The results of such diagnostics reflect the real picture of the child’s sensory development and, therefore, can increase the effectiveness of the educational process.

Consequently, this diagnosis of the sensory development of children of primary preschool age, when included in preschool education, will help teachers and parents of the child to correctly build pedagogical communication with him and help the preschooler to develop intellectually.

Literature:

1. Wenger L.A., Pilyugina. E.G., Wenger N.B. Raising a child’s sensory culture. - M. Education, 1988, P. 144.
2. Zemtsova, M. I. Ways to compensate for blindness in the process of cognitive and labor activity [Text] / M. I. Zemtsova. - M.: Iz-vo APN RSFSR, 1956. - 420 p.
3. Mukhina V.S. Child psychology. - M.: LLC April Press, ZAO Publishing House EKSMO-Press, 1999. - 352 p.
4. Poddyakov.N. N. Sensory education of a child in the process of constructive activity // Theory and practice of sensory education in kindergarten, - M. Education, 2001. - 456 p.
5. Psychological and pedagogical diagnostics of the development of children of early and preschool age: method, manual: with appendix. Album “At a glance. material for examining children”/ [E. A. Strebeleva, G. A. Mishina, Yu. A. Razenkova and others]; edited by E. A. Strebeleva. — 2nd ed., revised. and additional - M.: Education, 2004. - 164 p.

Rules for organizing sensory education according to Montessori

Maria Montessori noticed that at a certain age, children's behavior and motivation are very similar. For example, in the first three years a child is especially sensitive to order. This childish “pedantry” is necessary for the child to create a stable image of this world. It can also be used to develop a child’s natural need for knowledge by creating tasks that are exciting for a certain age, which would help the child master the most important qualities of objects: color, size, shape, material.

As Maria Montessori herself admitted, the work of creating the sets was not easy: it was necessary to create material that would demonstrate properties in isolation, have pedagogical value, and at the same time be attractive to the child. This is how a set of Montessori sensory material appeared.

The main objectives of Montessori sensory exercises

• Teach the baby to perceive, compare and classify sensory experiences of different modalities,
• Expand the child’s sensory experience, teach him to notice even small differences, develop the child’s senses as much as possible,
• Teach your child to use his own memory: “I remember what yellow is, and I can always imagine it in my head,”
• Teach to critically evaluate any information and develop the habit of striving for maximum accuracy when gaining knowledge about the world,
• Create a basis for the emergence of abstract thinking and imagination.

Let us explain with an example how sensory and abstract thinking are connected:

Let's say you've never seen an okapi. Now your task is to imagine this animal by description: it is a bay horse with the legs of a zebra and the head of a giraffe. Happened? If so, congratulations, your sensory development is on point, because for this exercise you need to have an understanding of the colors of horses, the coloring of a zebra and the body structure of a giraffe.

Any abstract idea is essentially a clever interweaving of various information from our real experience. That is why a child’s intelligence begins in early childhood and the ability to exercise all the senses over and over again.

What can you find in the sensory development area of ​​the Montessori center?

Visual information

• Shapes: sets of geometric shapes, as well as more complex shapes (for example, animal figures or plant leaves)
• Volumetric figures: Pink Tower, Brown staircase, Red barbells, Montessori weight cylinders
• Colors: sets of basic colors, card index of shades

Tactile information

• Texture: palpable board, rough tablets, baskets with rags
• Temperature: heat jugs, heat plates
• Weight: weighing cylinders and plates

Stereognostics

• Sorting small items, magic bag

Audio information

• Volume: sound boxes, musical accompaniment of classes
• Height: bells, sound cylinders, musical instruments

Taste and smell

• Taste bottles, conversations during meals
• Jars with scents

In addition to exercises with isolated sensory qualities, in a Montessori space you can always find sets that combine several qualities, such as color and shape:

• Binomial cube
• Trinomial cube
• Constructive triangles
• Montessori squares
• Cylinders without handle

The study of sciences according to M. Montessori also begins with sensory education. Acquaintance with the basic qualities of objects of the natural and cultural world prepares the child for studying social sciences, biology, physics, chemistry and even mathematics:

• Sets of leaves of different plants
• Thematic puzzles
• Maps and globe
• Flags
• Sets with natural materials
• Reproductions of artists and nature photographs

“The role of sensory culture in the mental development of a child”

Article: “The role of sensory culture in the mental development of a child”

Prepared by: teacher Shinkar L.G.

The sensory development of a child is the development of his perception, that is, the formation of ideas about the external properties of objects: their shape, color, size, position in space, as well as smell, taste, etc.

Sensory education, aimed at ensuring full sensory development, is one of the main aspects of preschool education. The importance of sensory development in early and preschool childhood is difficult to overestimate. It is this age that is most favorable for improving the functioning of the senses and accumulating ideas about the world around us.

Sensory development, on the one hand, forms the foundation of the child’s overall mental development, on the other hand, it has independent significance, since full perception is necessary for the successful development of the child in kindergarten, at school, and for many types of work.

Knowledge begins with the perception of objects and phenomena of the surrounding world. All other forms of cognition - memorization, thinking, imagination - are built on the basis of images of perception and are the result of their processing.

Therefore, normal mental development is impossible without relying on full perception.

In kindergarten, a child learns drawing, modeling, design, gets acquainted with natural phenomena, and begins to master the basics of mathematics and literacy. Mastering knowledge and skills in all these areas requires constant attention to the external properties of objects, their accounting and use.

So, in order to obtain in a drawing a resemblance to the depicted object, the child must quite accurately grasp the features of its shape and color. Design requires research into the shape of an object (sample)

, its buildings. The child finds out the relationships between parts in space and correlates the properties of the sample with the properties of the available material. Without constant orientation in the external properties of objects, it is impossible to obtain clear ideas about the phenomena of living and inanimate nature, in particular about their seasonal changes.

The formation of elementary mathematical concepts involves familiarity with geometric shapes and their varieties, comparison of objects by size. When mastering literacy, a huge role is played by phonemic hearing - accurate differentiation of speech sounds - and visual perception of the outline of letters. A child's readiness for school largely depends on his sensory development. Studies conducted by Soviet psychologists have shown that a significant part of the difficulties that children encounter during primary education (especially in 1st grade)

, is associated with insufficient accuracy and flexibility of perception. As a result, distortions arise in the writing of letters, in the construction of drawings, and inaccuracies in the manufacture of crafts during manual labor lessons. It happens that a child cannot reproduce movement patterns during physical education classes. But the point is not only that a low level of sensory development sharply reduces the child’s ability to successfully learn.

No less important is the importance of a high level of such sensory development for human activity in general, especially for creative activity. The most important place among the abilities that ensure the success of a musician, artist, architect, writer, designer is occupied by sensory abilities, which make it possible to capture and convey with particular depth, clarity and accuracy the subtlest nuances of shape, color, sound and other external properties of objects and phenomena. And the origins of sensory abilities lie in the general level of sensory development achieved in the early periods of childhood.

The importance of a child’s sensory development for his future life confronts the theory and practice of preschool education with the task of developing and using the most effective means and methods of sensory education in kindergarten. The main direction of sensory education should be to equip the child with sensory culture. A child’s sensory culture is the result of his assimilation of sensory standards created by humanity (generally accepted ideas about color, shape and other properties of things)

.

In life, a child encounters a variety of shapes, colors and other properties of objects, in particular toys and household items. He also gets acquainted with works of art - music, painting, sculpture. And of course, every child, even without targeted upbringing, perceives all this in one way or another. But if assimilation occurs spontaneously, without the reasonable pedagogical guidance of adults, it often turns out to be superficial and incomplete. This is where sensory education comes to the rescue - a consistent, systematic introduction of the child to the sensory culture of humanity.

At each age, sensory education has its own tasks, and a certain element of sensory culture is formed.

In the first year of life, this is the enrichment of the child with impressions.

In the second or third year of life, children must learn to identify color, shape and size as special characteristics of objects, accumulate ideas about the main varieties of color and shape and the relationship between two objects in size.

Starting from the fourth year of life, children form sensory standards - generally accepted examples of the external properties of objects and use them as “units of measurement”

when assessing the properties of substances. Stable ideas about colors, geometric shapes and size relationships between several objects, fixed in speech. Later, they should be introduced to shades of color, to variations of geometric shapes, and to the relationships in size that arise between the elements of a series consisting of a larger number of objects. Simultaneously with the formation of standards, it is necessary to teach children how to examine objects: grouping them by color and shape around standard samples, sequential inspection and description of the shape, and performing increasingly complex visual actions.

Finally, a special task is the need to develop analytical perception in children: the ability to understand color combinations, dissect the shape of objects, and isolate individual dimensions of size.

A child develops from early childhood through “social inheritance”

, which, unlike biological inheritance, does not involve the exercise of innate abilities, but the acquisition of new ones through the assimilation of social experience. The success of mental, physical, aesthetic education largely depends on the level of sensory development of children, i.e. depends on how perfectly the child hears, sees, and touches his surroundings.

Montessori Sensory Development Ideas at Home

Despite the fact that Montessori centers use specialized kits for the development of children, it is not difficult to create a game that enriches a child’s sensory experience.

• Animal competitions. Discuss with your child how different animals move and try to organize a competition: draw a start and finish line and ask them to run sideways like a crab, hobble like a bear, or jump like a hare.
• Modeling. Kinetic sand, salt dough, plasticine and clay perfectly develop a child's tactile sensitivity. You don’t have to try to create a masterpiece right away: just learn how to roll balls, flatten them into pancakes, stretch them into sausages, squeeze them and watch how the material seeps through your fingers

• Draw with crayons on the pavement and play hopscotch. Like the previous exercise, this trains not only the senses, but also the child’s coordination.
• Game of silence. Is it just not interesting to remain silent anymore? Invite your child to remember 5 different sounds that he heard during a minute of silence (car horn, bird sounds, people talking, a dropped pencil, etc.)
• Treasure hunt. Draw a list of objects that your child should find during your next walk (a long rough pine cone, a red leaf, a yellow leaf, a dry branch, etc.). Don't forget to take a pen with you to cross out what you find.
• Drawing with stamps, fingers, brushes and even cotton swabs. It is difficult to overestimate the impact of free creative activities on a child’s development.
• Guess the smell. Place items with different scents in opaque boxes: your favorite shampoo, orange peel, a little vanilla, dried cloves, fried cutlet. Organize a competition for the keenest sense of smell.
• Experiment with musical instruments: xylophone, glucophone, kalimba, drum, tambourine, shaker, pipe. It is not necessary to immediately enroll in a music school to introduce your child to music.
• Guess the product by taste. Blindfold your child and ask him to guess what's for lunch today.
• Let your child walk barefoot more often, because there is a whole world under his feet: sand, lawn, stream, pebbles.

MAGAZINE Preschooler.RF

1. 1. Diagnosis of the level of sensory development in young children

In order to verify the assumptions made on the basis of the MB preschool educational institution “Kindergarten No. 6 “Romashka” of a combined type in the city of Mezhdurechensk in the period from January 2021. until May 2021, a pilot study was organized and conducted. Pupils of the junior group, 10 children of early preschool age who regularly attend the junior group, took part in the experiment. The experimental group included 4 boys and 6 girls (Appendix 1).

The ascertaining experiment was organized in January 2020.

We defined the goal of the ascertaining stage of the experiment as identifying the level of sensory development in young children.

The objectives of the ascertaining experiment were:

• determine diagnostic tools for diagnosing sensory representations in children
• organize and conduct diagnostics of sensory ideas regarding children’s perception of color, shape, size
• study and summarize the data obtained.

In order to determine the diagnostic tools of the experiment, we identified the criteria for the sensory development of children of primary preschool age, proposed by L.A. Wenger:

• knowledge of sensory color standards
• knowledge of sensory standards of form
• knowledge of sensory standards of size.

In accordance with these criteria, we developed indicators of sensory development, which are presented in Table 1.

Table 1 - Criteria for assessing sensory development in young children.

№

In accordance with the criteria, we have identified the following diagnostic methods (Table 2, Appendix 2).

Table 2 - Diagnostic methods for determining the level of sensory development of young children

Let us consider the results of the first ascertaining experiment using the “Diagnostic Lotto “Color”” technique by T.E. Vasilyeva (Appendix 2).

In the process of using the “Color” technique, we gave children cards of primary colors (white, black, red, blue, green, yellow), as well as additional colors (orange, purple) and shades (gray, pink, blue). Then we showed cards with objects of different colors depicted on them, and asked which of the children had this or that object (red car, green cucumber, yellow ball, etc.). The child covered his pictures on the map.

The diagnostic results were recorded based on the following indicators of development levels:

- high level: the child acts independently, without any help, by the end of the game he covers all the objects on the lotto card (3 points);

- average level: the child acts with the help of an adult or at the promptings of other children. By the end of the game, 1-2 objects of those colors remain uncovered, the names of which he still unsurely knows and confuses (2 points);

- low level: the child does not complete tasks or covers only 2-3 objects on the lotto card of those colors whose names are familiar to him (1 point).

As a result of the diagnostics “Diagnostic Lotto “Color” T.E. Vasilyeva, we obtained the results presented in Table 3.

Table 3 - Results of the ascertaining experiment studying the level of color perception (method “Diagnostic Lotto “Color”” by T.E. Vasilyeva)

Quantitative processing of the research results showed that in the experimental group 2 children had a 20% high level, since these children were able to independently close all the cards in accordance with the color; the average level was found in 4 children - 40%, these children partially coped with the task and made two or three mistakes; 4 children were identified with a low level – 40%.

We also carried out a qualitative processing of the research results. Two children (20%) showed a high level, which indicates that these children know the names of both primary and additional colors and shades, and are able to independently correlate a color with a sample. These are: Alexander R. and Dmitry R.V. Five children - 50% showed an average level of knowledge of color standards, as they confuse the names of additional colors and shades, and cannot always independently correlate the color with the sample Three children - 30%, who confuse primary colors , don't know the shades. He showed little desire to complete tasks independently, asked for help, or relied on the opinions of other children.

The results of the study using the “Diagnostic Lotto “Color”” method by T.E. Vasilyeva as an indicator of the level of knowledge of color standards for young children are presented in Figure 1.

Figure 1 - Results of diagnosing the level of color perception of young children (method “Diagnostic Lotto “Color”” by T.E. Vasilyeva)

To identify the level of formation of shape perception, we used the diagnostic game “Let's Build Houses for Figures.” During the experiment, we showed the children geometric shapes (circle, square, triangle and rectangle) and asked them to build houses of the same shape from sticks and threads.

We assessed the level of formation of form perception in accordance with the following levels:

– high level: the child correctly names all the geometric shapes, independently builds houses for all the shapes (3 points);

– average level: the child does not firmly know the names of the figures, but names them with the help of the teacher; acts with the help of an adult who helps to see the difference in houses for different figures. It is allowed to demonstrate the method of building houses (2 points);

– low level: (1 point).

Quantitative processing of the study results showed that in the experimental group, 1 child had a high level of formation of shape perception - 10%; average level – 5 children – 50%; low level – 4 children – 40% (Appendix 2, Table 4).

Table 4 - Results of assessing the level of formation of shape perception (Diagnostic game “Let's build houses for figures” by N.V. Serebryakova)

1 person (10%) from the experimental group showed high results, which indicates that the child has formed an idea of ​​the standards of form, he can independently reproduce figures according to a given shape. 5 people (50%) have an insufficiently formed idea of ​​the form. These children coped with the tasks with the help of the teacher, did not always distinguish one figure from another, but at the same time showed interest and desire to cope with the task. It is worth noting that 4 people (40%) do not know the standards of the form, since they do not know the names of the figures, and cannot reproduce the shown figure even with the help of an adult. In addition, they demonstrate low interest: they played with chopsticks, laid out whatever they found. When faced with difficulties, they did not accept the help of an adult, often had conflicts, and more often showed negative rather than positive emotions.

The results of the study of the level of development of shape perception in the experimental group are presented in Figure 2.

Figure 2 - Results of assessing the level of perception of shape in young children (Diagnostic game “Let’s build houses for figures”

N.V. Serebryakova)

To identify the level of formation of the perception of size, we used the diagnostic game “Let’s Feed the Bears” by N.V. Serebryakova. During the experiment, we offered children a picture depicting 5 bears of different sizes standing in height, as well as 5 bowls of different sizes and 5 spoons of decreasing size. We offered each child to help the bears and find the right size bowl and spoon for them. While observing the children's activities, we recorded how the child laid out bowls and spoons. It was important to determine how to complete the task: by measuring, by eye, at random.

Assessment of the level of development of the formation of size perception was carried out in accordance with the following levels:

– high level: the child accurately completes tasks and, if necessary, uses the method of measuring objects to check; correlates three series of quantities well with each other, completes tasks accurately (3 points);

– average level: the child does not always use the method of measuring, makes 2-3 mistakes when arranging objects, but after the teacher’s questions he is able to correct them independently; correlates three series of quantities well with each other, completes tasks accurately (2 points);

– low level: the child lays out bowls and spoons at random, plays with them, lays out bowls and spoons without correlating their size with the size of the bears, as well as the size of the bowls and spoons with each other; the teacher's leading questions do not lead to success (1 point).

The results obtained are presented in Table 5 and Appendix 2.

Table 5 - Results of assessing the level of formation of size perception (Diagnostic game “Let’s feed the bears” by N.V. Serebryakova)

Analysis of the diagnostic results showed that a high level in the experimental group was detected in 1 person (10%): Alexander R. An average level was detected in 4 people (40%). A low level was found in 5 children (50%).

We also carried out high-quality processing. In the experimental group, half of the children showed a low level. During the experiment, children with this level laid out bowls and spoons at random, played with them, and did not at all correlate their size with the size of the bears, or the size of the bowls and spoons with each other. Leading questions from an adult, as a rule, did not lead to successful completion of the task. The average level of perception of size (40%) was shown by children who could not always use the method of measuring; in the process of arranging objects they made 2-3 mistakes. It is worth noting that after the teacher’s leading questions, they were often able to correct them on their own. Only one child (Alexander R.) completed all the tasks absolutely accurately, and when necessary, he used the method of measuring objects to check. Observation showed that he correlates three series of quantities well with each other, which allows him to complete tasks accurately.

The results of assessing the level of formation of size perception in the experimental group are presented in Figure 3.

Figure 3 - Results of assessing the level of formation of size perception (Diagnostic game “Let’s feed the bears” by N.V. Serebryakova)

The first ascertaining experiment showed that the majority of children show an average and low level of development of sensory perception. The children of the study group showed the highest results regarding the “Color Perception” criterion - 20% of the subjects showed a high level of development. Regarding the criteria of “Perception of shape” and “Perception of size”, only one child (10%) showed a high level of development. It is worth noting the high percentage of children with a low level: 40% regarding the criteria of “Color perception” and

“Perception of shape” and 50% relative to the criterion “Perception of size”.

As part of the ascertaining experiment, the work of teachers of the junior group in organizing activities for the sensory development of children of early preschool age was studied. Classes, as well as independent activities of children in their free time, individual work with children were planned by teachers taking into account age characteristics. It is worth noting that classes directly related to sensory development are conducted sporadically; there is no systematic work in this direction.

We also had a conversation with the teachers. We were interested in how the play activity of the author's fairy tale is used as a means of sensory development for children of early preschool age, and whether there is a program that is directly aimed at the sensory development of children. As a result of the conversation, we found out that work aimed at sensory development does not have software, that is, there is no specially organized systematic work in this direction.

Having conducted a study of the level of sensory development of children of early preschool age, we found that the level of perception of color, shape, and size is not sufficiently developed. A high level of individuality development in the group we studied was found only in 10-20% of children, average and low – in 40-50%. The study showed that teachers in their work on sensory development mainly use standard methods and techniques, and are little focused on targeted work within the framework of a specially developed program for the sensory development of each child. The results of the ascertaining experiment served as the basis for conducting a formative experiment. Based on this, we decided to develop a sensory education program for young children aimed at increasing the level of perception of sensory standards.

LIST OF SOURCES USED

1. Bashaeva, T.V. Development of perception in children - shape, color, sound [Text] / T.V. Bashaeva. – Yaroslavl: Academy of Development, 1999.
2. Wenger, L.A., Pilyugina, E.G. Raising a child’s sensory culture [Text] / L.A. Wenger, E.G. Pilyugin. - Moscow, Education, 2008. –144 p.
3. Education and development of young children. Materials of the interregional scientific and practical conference on December 13-14, 2006. [Text] / N. Novgorod, LLC Printing House “Povolzhye”, 2006. – 282 p.
4. Nurturing a child’s sensory culture from birth to 6 years. Book for a kindergarten teacher [Text] / ed. L.A. Wenger, E.G. Pilyugin. – M.: Education, 1989. – 144 p.
5. Vygotsky, L.S. Collected works: in 6 volumes. T2. Problems of general psychology. [Text] / L.S. Vygotsky. - M.: Pedagogy, 1982 - 256 p.
6. Grigorieva, G.G., Kochetova, N.P., Gruba, G.V. "Playing with the kids." Games and exercises for young children. [Text] / G.G. Grigorieva, N.P. Kochetova, G.V. Rude. – Moscow, Education, 2003. – 80 p.
7. Demina, E.S. Development and education of young children in preschool educational institutions (educational and methodological manual). [Text] / E.S. Demina. - Moscow, TU Sfera, 2005, - 192 p.

conclusions

The development of a child begins with the development of his senses. In the 21st century, this is not just the opinion of teachers, but a scientifically proven fact. At an early age, it is very important for a child to learn as much as possible about the world around him using all his senses, which is why no computer can replace a child’s real experience of being in a different environment (forest, park, store, kitchen, etc.). Try to introduce your baby to a variety of objects, and think about how to organize a sensory development area for him, if the ideas of Maria Montessori are close to you.

Sensory development, on the one hand, forms the foundation of the general mental development of the child, on the other hand, it has independent significance, since full perception is necessary for the successful education of the child in kindergarten, at school and for many types of work. Knowledge begins with the perception of objects and phenomena of the surrounding world. In kindergarten, a child learns: drawing, modeling, design, gets acquainted with natural phenomena, and begins to master the basics of mathematics and literacy. Mastering knowledge and skills in all these areas requires constant attention to the external properties of objects, their accounting and use. A child's readiness for school largely depends on his sensory development. In life, a child encounters a variety of shapes, colors and other properties of objects, in particular toys and household items. Get acquainted with a work of art - music, painting, sculpture. The child’s assimilation occurs spontaneously, without the reasonable pedagogical guidance of adults. It often turns out to be superficial and incomplete. This is where sensory education comes to the rescue - a consistent, systematic introduction of the child to the sensory culture of humanity. Of great importance in sensory education is the formation in children of ideas about sensory standards - generally accepted examples of the external properties of objects. The 7 colors of the spectrum and their shades of lightness and saturation are used as sensory color standards; geometric shapes are used as shape standards; values ​​are the metric system of measures. There are different types of standards in auditory perception (these are phonemes of the native language, pitch relations, and in gustatory and olfactory perception. At each age, sensory education has its own tasks. A certain element of sensory culture is formed. The main tasks in the sensory education of children from birth can be identified up to 6 years old.

Simultaneously with the formation of standards, it is necessary to teach children the method of examining objects, grouping them by color and shape around samples of standards, sequential inspection and description of the form, and performing increasingly complex visual actions. Finally, a special task is the need to develop analytical perception in children: the ability to understand color combinations, dissect the shape of objects, and isolate individual dimensions of size. Based on these tasks, a system of didactic games and exercises has been developed. Games for sensory development are associated with determining the properties of different objects. A good simulator for mastering magnitude is a conical pyramid. Show your child how to figure it out, emphasizing that the rings are strung depending on their size. Then let your child do these steps himself. And in case of an error, explain why this particular ring is out of place.

Original source https://www.odnoklassniki.ru/mamaipapa

Formation of sensory standards in younger preschoolers through didactic games

 The world enters human consciousness only through the door of the external sense organs. If it is closed, then he cannot enter it, cannot enter into communication with it. The world then does not exist for consciousness.

B. Preyerladshikh

Key words: child, sensory development, sensory education, sensory experience, preschool age, standard.

When working with preschool children, the issue of developing a sensory culture is one of the important and priority ones, since sensory development is one of the main aspects of preschool education.

The level of sensory perception and sensory development in general in modern children is somewhat different from the level it was, for example, 10–20 years ago. The reality is that the child has more and more means that allow him to get acquainted with phenomena and objects not in their natural form, but through photographs, drawings, cartoons, computer games, which, of course, does not satisfy the needs for sensory knowledge of objects. At an early age, it is necessary to give the child the opportunity to gain as varied and rewarding sensory experiences as possible.

The problem of sensory education in modern pedagogy has been quite well studied and is in demand. This issue was dealt with by such prominent representatives of preschool pedagogy as J. Komensky, F. Frebel, M. Montessori, O. Decroli, E. I. Tikheyeva and others. A whole system of sensory education was developed by Soviet scientific teachers and psychologists - A. V. Zaporozhets , A. P. Usova, N. P. Sakulina, L. A. Wenger, N. N. Poddyakov.

The word “sensory” comes from the Latin word “sensus” - “feeling”, “sensation”, “perception”, “ability to sense”.

Sensory development is the development in a child of the processes of perception and ideas about objects and phenomena of the surrounding world. Sensory development serves as the basis for knowledge of the world, the first stage of which is sensory experience. Therefore, the main thing at a young age is to enrich the sensory experience necessary for a full perception of the world around us. First of all, it is a replenishment of ideas about the properties of objects: color, shape, size of surrounding objects, position in space. [2, p.10]

The basis of knowledge of the surrounding reality is sensation and perception. The future emergence of such more independent processes as memory, imagination, and thinking depends on the level of their development. In preschool age, the development of sensations and perceptions occurs very intensively. At the same time, correct ideas about objects are more easily formed in the process of their direct perception, both visual, auditory and tactile, in the process of various kinds of actions with these objects. [5, p.4].

Sensory development serves as the basis for the successful implementation of various types of education: mental, aesthetic, physical and even moral, i.e., the development of the child’s personality as a whole. [6 p.3]. The basis of all subsequent mental development, as well as success in school, will depend on how completely a child is cognitively developed. Sensory development is the key to successful mastery of any practical activity, the formation of abilities, and the child’s readiness for school.

For this to take place fully, targeted sensory education is necessary. Sensory education is a targeted pedagogical influence that ensures the formation of sensory experience and the improvement of sensory processes: sensations, perceptions, ideas. [5, p.11]

Preschool age is the period of initial acquaintance with the surrounding reality; At the same time, at this time the child’s cognitive powers and abilities are intensively developing. The child learns about the world, as well as natural phenomena and events in social life that are observable. But knowledge gained through observation and not supported by sensory experience is unclear, indistinct and fragile. Without enriching sensory experience, children often develop superficial ideas. [5, p.12]

Of course, every child, even without targeted upbringing, one way or another perceives the surrounding reality. But if assimilation occurs spontaneously, without the reasonable pedagogical guidance of adults, it often turns out to be incomplete. But sensations and perceptions can be developed and improved, especially during preschool childhood. Therefore, it is important to consistently and systematically include sensory education in all moments of a child’s life, and therefore in the regime moments of a preschool educational institution.

So, one of the main tasks of sensory education of preschoolers is mastering the ability to identify the properties of objects: color, shape, size. These properties should act for children as permanent signs of objects by which objects are recognized and which are important for performing various actions with them. This is the basis for all further work on the development of children's perception.

Starting from the age of three, the main place in the sensory education of children is occupied by familiarization with generally accepted sensory standards and ways of using them. Sensory standards in preschool age are generally accepted examples of each type of properties and relationships of objects developed by humanity. Mastering these skills occurs gradually, starting from a very early age. A common point for all types of sensory standards is that children should first become familiar with the basic patterns, and later with their varieties. When getting acquainted with sensory standards, special attention is also paid to mastering the correct use of the names of the properties of objects.

Sensory standards in the field of color perception are chromatic “color” colors of the spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet) and achromatic colors - white, gray, black. Full mastery of the system of color standards means familiarity with all color tones, with all shades, with differences in lightness and color saturation, as well as mastering the idea of ​​the sequence of color tones in the spectrum and the possibility of obtaining colors by mixing others. In early preschool age (the fourth year of life), acquaintance with color standards begins with the formation in children of ideas about chromatic colors, white and black colors, and with the assimilation of their names. First, children develop the ability to group objects that differ in shape, size, purpose, but have the same color. Next, the ability to group objects that have the same color, but presented in different shades, is formed. After this, the transition to highlighting and indicating shades is carried out.

Geometric shapes serve as standards of form. At the initial stage of mastering sensory standards, it is necessary to introduce children to only a few geometric figures that reflect in a generalized form the most characteristic forms of real objects. These shapes are square, rectangle, circle, oval, triangle and polygon. The child must be able to separate geometric shapes from other objects, giving them the meaning of samples. This is done by matching each figure with a number of objects of similar shape. Objects (or their images) are grouped around corresponding figures. Then the transition is made to the use of represented samples, to the verbal designation of the shape of objects (round, square, etc.) Finally, the child, having mastered the sensory standards of shape, must be able to analyze objects in the surrounding world that have a more complex shape: first identify the general outlines, shape the main part, the shape and arrangement of smaller secondary parts, and, finally, individual additional parts. At all stages of mastering actions to examine the shape of objects, it is advisable to use the technique of children tracing the outline of an object and its parts. This helps to compare the traced form with the learned standards.

Standards of magnitude are of a special nature, since magnitude is a relative property, and its precise determination occurs using conventional measures. The determination of size, therefore, occurs on the basis of the place that an object occupies in a series of similar homogeneous objects. The standards here are ideas about the relationships in size between objects, denoted by the words “big”, “small”, “largest”. The complication of ideas about the relationships of objects in magnitude consists of a gradual transition from mastering the relationships between two or three objects to mastering the relationships of many objects, forming a series of decreasing or increasing values. For example, by the age of three, a child should be able to select by eye the larger (or smaller) object out of two, then choose an object according to the pattern, when out of two objects you need to choose by eye the one that is equal to the third. The task is even more difficult when you need to use an eye to select two objects by eye, which in their total size are equal to the third (eye “addition”). At the initial stage of acquaintance with magnitude, when it is necessary to move from applying comparable objects to each other to an eye-measuring action, it is advisable to introduce children to the use of the simplest measure. For example, when a child, choosing an object as a sample, measures it with a strip of paper or a cord, and then examines and selects other objects using this measure.

The main means of forming and developing sensory standards in children are: object-based play, didactic games and exercises. This is explained by the fact that in early preschool age the leading type of activity and the basis of a child’s development is play. During the didactic game, you can not only observe the development of certain qualities and skills, but also correct them and direct them in a more correct direction. [3, p. 15]. With the help of didactic games, children develop the ability to think independently and use acquired knowledge in various conditions, in accordance with the assigned game task. It should be noted that games and exercises must be carried out not from time to time, but in a certain system, in close connection with the general course of sensory learning and upbringing of children.

Based on this, in order to form sensory standards and increase the level of sensory development of children, I compiled a system of didactic games. I carry out work on sensory development systematically and consistently, using didactic games and exercises as the main means of sensory education, and including them in various forms of educational work.

Firstly, I drew up a long-term work plan for the development of sensory standards. The distribution of the material was carried out in a sequence that provided for gradual complication from simple to complex. For example, first children become familiar with quite tangible sensory properties - the size and shape of objects that can be examined by touching, and then with color, which is perceived through vision. The sequence is also reflected in the familiarization first with the sharply different properties of objects (round - square shape, red - blue), then with more similar features (round - oval shape, yellow-orange color). In addition, the age of the children and their level of development were taken into account.

The formation of children's ideas about color occurs in stages. At the first stage, children must navigate two contrasting colors and select homogeneous paired objects to match the sample. The following didactic games are suitable for this: “Show the same mosaic”; “Bring the same ball”; “Place it on plates” (you can use new objects each time: felt-tip pens, cubes, caps, so that the children are interested and the proposed game does not get boring); “Find a pair” (mittens, boots). It is important in the first lessons not to name the color of objects (so that children can understand such expressions as “the same” - “not the same”), and also to use the technique of placing one object close to another.

At the second stage, the formation of the ability to navigate in four contrasting colors begins: red, blue, yellow and green. This is facilitated by the selection of various objects (strips, cubes) according to the pattern. At this stage, children enjoy such didactic games as: “Tie the strings to the balls”; “Place a bouquet of flowers in a vase”; “Hide the mouse”; "Sort by color"; "Put a butterfly on a flower." If children make mistakes at first, you can help them using the “model by example” technique. To keep children interested, I use various teaching materials, alternating them throughout the lesson. At this stage, children usually develop an understanding that different objects can have the same color.

The work at the third stage consists of selecting toys, natural materials to match the word indicating the color of the object (4-6 colors). Children complete the following tasks: “Find objects that are only yellow (red, blue, etc.) in color; "The Hen and the Chicks."

To form ideas about the shape of objects, I often encourage children to look for comparisons. For example, I ask the question: “What is the shape of the ball?” I say the phrase: “The ball is round in shape, as round as an orange.” Next, I invite the children to find objects with this characteristic on their own. In this case, it is advisable to carry out such practical actions as superimposing figures, applying, turning over, tracing a contour with your fingers, and palpating. After mastering practical actions, it is easier for the child to recognize the figures that need to be known at a younger age.

To correctly determine the size, children must first develop the ability to select objects of the same size according to a model. Then tasks are selected to develop the ability to distinguish objects by size by applying and superimposing. At the same time, the names of the properties of objects of different sizes are consolidated: “large”, “small”, “short”, “long”, “narrow”, “wide”.

Games for determining magnitude use the largest number of objects prepared in advance. These are toys of different sizes: cubes, balls, boxes. Games such as “Which ball is bigger”, “Big and small dolls”, “Fruit picking”, “Pyramids”, “Find the cube (big or small)” contribute to the development of attention and thinking. Children develop ideas about the size of objects.

To develop tactile sensations, I use games such as “Handkerchief for a Doll”, “Wonderful Bag”, as well as exercises using sensory panels and tactile paths. You can offer children colored sticks, funny laces for dexterous hands, funny clothespins; games with colored plugs and twisting objects, Velcro, brushes: “Decorate the meadow”, “Dress up the Christmas tree”, “Feed the birds”, “Flowers have grown”, “Multi-colored trailers”, etc.

It should be noted that the formation of sensory culture is carried out by me, first of all, in the course of direct educational activities, in routine moments, in joint activities. It is very important to carry out individual work with children who have a low level of sensory development. In my work, I often use the environment to implement sensory education. Great opportunities are provided in the work of familiarizing children with the world around them, especially with nature. For example, during a walk you can organize observation of various objects of living and inanimate nature.

Ultimately, as a result of systematic and systematic work on sensory education of children of primary preschool age, a selected system of didactic games and exercises for preschoolers: 1) the formation and assimilation of a system of sensory standards occurs; 2) the ability to examine objects is formed: to compare, compare, establish patterns between them; 3) mastery of ways to use them in various activities occurs. The system of didactic games for the formation of sensory standards generally increases the level of sensory development and perception in children.

Literature:

1. Bashaeva T.V. Development of perception in children. Shape, color, sound. - Yaroslavl: Academy of Development, 1997;
2. Wenger L. A. Education of a child’s sensory culture from birth to 6 years” - M.: Prosveshchenie 1995;
3. Didactic games and exercises for sensory education of preschoolers. Edited by JI. A. Wenger. M.: “Enlightenment”, 1973.
4. Sensory education in kindergarten (Guidelines). Ed. N. P. Sakulina and N. N. Poddyakov. M., “Enlightenment”, 1969.
5. Theory and practice of sensory education in kindergarten. Ed. A. P. Usova and N. P. Sakulina. M., “Enlightenment”, 1965
6. Pilyugina V. A. Classes on sensory education. - M.: Education, 1983