Emotional-volitional sphere of a preschooler: features of formation. Characteristic features of activities and games for preschoolers

The emotional-volitional sphere of a person is understood as features related to the feelings and emotions that arise in his soul. It is necessary to pay attention to its development in the early period of personality development, namely in preschool age. What important task should parents and teachers solve? The development of the child’s emotional-volitional sphere lies in his learning to manage emotions and switch attention. At the same time, it is important that the preschooler learns to do everything correctly and through his “I don’t want to.” This will develop his willpower, self-discipline, and also prepare him for learning in primary school.

Improving the emotional-volitional sphere of a preschooler is a rather difficult task. Its solution will require from educators and parents a lot of patience, attention and love for the baby, understanding his needs and capabilities. Educational games are of great help in this case. Their use allows you to direct the energy of a preschooler in the right direction. For example, relieve emotional and muscle tension or vent aggression.

Main components

The emotional-volitional sphere of a preschooler includes the following elements:

1. Emotions. They represent the simplest reactions that appear in a child when he interacts with the world around him. There is a conditional classification of emotions. They are divided into positive (joy and delight), negative (fear, anger), and neutral (surprise).
2. Feelings. This component of the sphere under consideration is more complex. It includes various emotions that an individual exhibits in relation to specific events, objects or people.
3. Mood. It is a more stable emotional state, depending on many factors. These include: state of health and tone of the nervous system, social environment and activities, family situation, etc. Moods are classified according to their duration. It can be changeable or stable, stable or not. Such factors are determined by a person’s character, his temperament, as well as some other characteristics. Mood has a serious impact on people's activities, stimulating or frustrating them.
4. Will. This component reflects a person’s ability to consciously regulate their activities and achieve their goals. It is worth noting that in younger schoolchildren this component is already quite well developed.

Features of the emotional sphere of a preschooler

Emotions are a special class of mental processes and states associated with instincts, needs and motives. Emotions, as specific subjective experiences, sometimes very vividly color what a person feels and imagines. Emotions are constant companions of a person. Emotions influence a person's thoughts and activities.

Emotions help us perceive reality in a certain way and react to it. The way the emotional sphere of a preschool child is developed affects the little person’s understanding of the world and successful interaction with it. Many children have problems in emotional development, namely, they do not know how to respond to the feelings and states of others, and react inadequately to many things. Today, a child’s best friends are a TV and a computer, a smartphone and a tablet, and his favorite activities are watching cartoons and computer games. As a result of this lifestyle, children communicate less with both adults and peers; Preschoolers are not attentive and insensitive to others, they do not know how to control and show emotions appropriately. But communication significantly enriches life, making it bright, filled with emotions and impressions. The preschool period is a fairly short period of human life. Therefore, it is important to lay good personality foundations at this time. Equally important is the emotional development of the child, which has its own special characteristics.

The problem of our time is that many children have problems in emotional development, namely, they do not know how to respond to the feelings and states of others, and react inadequately to many things.

Emotions are characterized by three components: the sensation of emotion experienced or recognized in the psyche; processes occurring in the nervous, endocrine, respiratory, digestive and other systems of the body; observable expressive complexes of emotions, including on the face. Emotions are distinguished from other types of emotional processes: affects, feelings and moods. Emotions, like many other mental phenomena, are understood differently by different authors, so the above definition can be considered neither accurate nor generally accepted. In modern science, there are four directions in determining the connection between emotions and feelings: the presentation of feelings and emotions as identical; the relationship of feelings to one of the types of emotions; consideration of feeling as a generic concept of various emotions; the idea of ​​feelings and emotions as different processes.

The following types of emotions are distinguished: negative; positive; neutral; unconventional; static; dynamic.

Positive emotions include: pleasure, delight, joy, confidence, sympathy, love, tenderness, bliss.

Negative emotions include: gloating, revenge, grief, anxiety, melancholy, fear, despair, anger.

Neutral ones can be called: curiosity, amazement, indifference.

Emotions are understood as time-extended processes of internal regulation of the activity of a person or animal, reflecting the meaning (meaning for the process of his life) that existing or possible situations in his life have. In humans, emotions give rise to experiences of pleasure, displeasure, fear, timidity, and the like, which play the role of orienting subjective signals. A way to assess the presence of subjective experiences (since they are subjective) in animals by scientific methods has not yet been found. In this context, it is important to understand that emotion itself can, but does not have to, give rise to such an experience, and comes down precisely to the process of internal regulation of activity.

Emotions have evolved evolutionarily from the simplest innate emotional processes, reduced to organic, motor and secretory changes, to much more complex processes that have lost their instinctive basis, having a clear connection to the situation as a whole, that is, expressing a personal evaluative attitude to existing or possible situations, to one’s own participation in them. The primary vital (survival) emotions inherited by man include fear, rage, pain and similar emotions.

Emotions allow a person to evaluate everything that happens around and inside him. The “language of emotions” is the same for all living beings on our planet; a dog, not speaking human language, perfectly understands what is happening to a person, simply by observing him, “reading” his emotions. A person from the other end of the earth, having a different upbringing, a different culture and worldview, is able to understand a person’s state without words by “reading” his emotions. Some hypersensitive people are able to read emotions from a distance, even time is not a hindrance to them. The “reading technique” is given to all living beings from the moment of birth; a child who has not yet received “processing by society”, without any life experience, is capable of “reading” emotions from the first days of life (however, even in the womb). It is impossible to thoroughly study how this process occurs, since much is still unknown to humans; there are no such instruments and concepts capable of giving clear answers.

K. Izard identified the following basic emotions

Interest (as an emotion) is a positive emotional state that promotes the development of skills and abilities and the acquisition of knowledge.

Joy is a positive emotional state associated with the ability to sufficiently fully satisfy an actual need, the probability of which until this moment was small or, in any case, uncertain.

Surprise is an emotional reaction to sudden circumstances that does not have a clearly defined positive or negative sign. Surprise inhibits all previous emotions, directing attention to the object that caused it, and can turn into interest.

Suffering is a negative emotional state associated with received reliable or apparent information about the impossibility of satisfying the most important needs of life, which until that moment seemed more or less probable, most often occurs in the form of emotional stress.

Anger is an emotional state, negative in sign, usually occurring in the form of affect and caused by the sudden emergence of a serious obstacle to the satisfaction of a need that is extremely important for the subject.

Disgust is a negative emotional state caused by objects (objects, people, circumstances), contact with which (physical interaction, communication in communication, etc.) comes into sharp conflict with the ideological, moral or aesthetic principles and attitudes of the subject. Disgust, when combined with anger, can motivate aggressive behavior in interpersonal relationships, where attack is motivated by anger and disgust by the desire to get rid of someone or something.

Contempt is a negative emotional state that arises in interpersonal relationships and is generated by a mismatch in the life positions, views and behavior of the subject with the life positions, views and behavior of the object of feeling. The latter are presented to the subject as base, not corresponding to accepted moral standards and aesthetic criteria.

Fear is a negative emotional state that appears when a subject receives information about a possible threat to his well-being in life, about a real or imagined danger. In contrast to the emotion of suffering, caused by direct blocking of the most important needs, a person, experiencing the emotion of fear, has only a probabilistic forecast of possible trouble and acts on the basis of this (often an insufficiently reliable or exaggerated forecast).

Shame is a negative state, expressed in the awareness of the inconsistency of one’s own thoughts, actions and appearance not only with the expectations of others, but also with one’s own ideas about appropriate behavior and appearance.

Thus, emotions are subjective human reactions to the influence of external and internal stimuli, reflecting in the form of experiences their personal significance for the subject and manifesting themselves in the form of pleasure or displeasure.

The nature of the experience (pleasure or displeasure) determines the sign of emotions - positive and negative. From the point of view of influence on human activity, emotions are divided into sthenic and asthenic. Stenic emotions stimulate activity, increase a person’s energy and tension, and encourage him to act and speak. The catchphrase: “ready to move mountains.” And, conversely, sometimes experiences are characterized by a kind of stiffness, passivity, then they talk about asthenic emotions. Therefore, depending on the situation and individual characteristics, emotions can influence behavior differently. Thus, grief can cause apathy and inactivity in a weak person, while a strong person doubles his energy, finding solace in work and creativity. Modality is the main qualitative characteristic of emotions, which determines their type according to the specificity and special coloring of experiences.

Peculiarities

The characteristics of the emotional-volitional sphere of a preschooler allow us to judge that the personality traits related to it have progressive development in childhood. And this happens thanks to the activities of a little person. At the same time, the regulation of all areas of a child’s exploration of the world around him is influenced by emotional processes, the ontogenesis of which is closely related to the mental development of the baby. And all this is impossible without cognitive activity, self-awareness and the connection of motivation and needs.

The content of the emotional-volitional sphere of a preschooler, as well as its age-related dynamics, is determined by changes in the child’s reaction to objects in the surrounding world as he grows up. Based on this, the following stages are distinguished:

1. The period from birth to 1 year. Signs of normal development of the emotional-volitional sphere of a child are considered to be recognition of parents, as well as the ability to distinguish loved ones and show a reaction to their presence, voice and facial expressions.
2. Period from one year to 3 years. This is the time when the formation of a minimum level of self-confidence and independence occurs. Intervention in the development of the emotional-volitional sphere of the child from adults is required only when it is clear that the child doubts his abilities, his speech is poorly developed and there are disturbances in the skills of the motor sphere.
3. Period from 3 to 5 years. The emotional-volitional sphere of the personality of a preschooler at this age finds its manifestation in an active desire to understand the world around him, in a vivid imagination, as well as in imitation of the actions and behavior of adults. Correction for children of this age is required only if the child is constantly depressed, has lethargy and lacks initiative.
4. Period from 5 to 7 years. This is the time when, thanks to the formation of the emotional-volitional sphere of a preschooler, he develops a pronounced desire to achieve his goal and a sense of duty. At the same time, cognitive and communication skills develop quite quickly.

As the child progresses through the preschool period, the content of his emotions gradually changes. They transform and new feelings appear. This is due to changes concerning the structure and content of the little person’s activities. Children become more actively acquainted with nature and music, and develop their aesthetic emotions. Thanks to this, they have the ability to feel, experience and perceive the beauty that is in our lives and in works of art.

Games and activities for the development of the emotional-volitional sphere of a preschooler develop in them curiosity and surprise, the ability to doubt or confidence in their actions and intentions, as well as the ability to experience joy from a correctly solved task. All this leads to the improvement of children's cognitive skills. At the same time, moral emotions develop. They play a significant role in shaping the child’s active position and in his personal development.

MAGAZINE Preschooler.RF

Preschool childhood is a very short period in a person’s life, only the first seven years. But they have lasting significance. During this period, development is more rapid and rapid than ever. From a completely helpless being who can do nothing, the baby turns into a relatively independent, active person. All aspects of the child’s psyche receive a certain development, thereby laying the foundation for further growth. One of the main directions of mental development in preschool age is the formation of the foundations of personality.

The emotional life of a preschooler becomes more complicated: the content of emotions is enriched, higher feelings are formed. A small child does not know how to control emotions. His feelings arise quickly and disappear just as quickly. With the development of the emotional sphere in a preschooler, feelings become more rational and subordinate to thinking. But this happens when the child learns moral standards and correlates his actions with them.

The development of the emotional sphere is facilitated by all types of child activities and communication with adults and peers.

A preschooler learns to understand not only his own feelings, but also the experiences of other people. He begins to distinguish emotional states by their external manifestation, through facial expressions and pantomime. A child can empathize, sympathize with a literary character, act out, convey various emotional states in a role-playing game.

Emotion as a process is the activity of evaluating information entering the brain about the external and internal world. Emotion evaluates reality and communicates its assessment to the body in the language of experiences. Emotions are difficult to regulate by will; they are difficult to evoke at will. [3]

The emotional process has three main components:

The first is emotional arousal, which determines mobilization shifts in the body. In all cases, when an event that is significant for an individual occurs, and such an event is stated in the form of an emotional process, there is an increase in excitability, speed and intensity of mental, motor and vegetative processes. In some cases, under the influence of such events, excitability may, on the contrary, decrease.

The second component is the sign of emotion: a positive emotion occurs when an event is assessed as positive, a negative emotion - when it is assessed as negative. A positive emotion encourages actions to support a positive event, a negative emotion encourages actions aimed at eliminating contact with a negative event.

The third component is the degree of emotion control. It is necessary to distinguish between two states of strong emotional arousal: affects (fear, anger, joy), in which orientation and control are still preserved, and extreme excitement (panic, horror, rage, ecstasy, complete despair), when orientation and control are practically impossible. [5]

Emotional arousal can also take the form of emotional tension, which occurs in all cases where there is a strong tendency towards certain actions. But this tendency is blocked (for example, in situations that cause fear, but exclude flight, cause anger, but make it impossible to express it, excite desires, but prevent their implementation, cause joy, but require maintaining seriousness, etc.).

A negative emotion disorganizes the activity that leads to its occurrence, but it organizes actions aimed at reducing or eliminating harmful effects.

Another source of emotional processes are anticipations: signals of pain, severe and prolonged deprivation, causing fear; signals of possible need dissatisfaction, causing anger; signals of satisfaction of needs that cause hope; signals that anticipate an uncertain, new event, causing curiosity.

The adult helps the child create the necessary positive image of a future event.

The physical and speech development of a child is accompanied by changes in the emotional sphere. His views on the world and relationships with others change. A child's ability to recognize and control their emotions increases as does their understanding of behavior, for example in areas where adults' opinions about what constitutes “bad” and “good” behavior are important. [1] Adults need to have a good idea of ​​what to expect from children, otherwise incorrect assessments will appear that do not take into account the age characteristics of the child. The ideal attitude of an adult towards a child is a gradual adjustment to the emotional development and formation of the child’s personality.

By the age of three, a child’s emotional development reaches such a level that he can behave in an exemplary manner. Just because children are capable of so-called “good” behavior does not mean that it will always be that way.

Children often display dissatisfaction in the form of tears, hysterics and screaming. Although tantrums are not as common for older people as for younger ones, their sense of self and desire for independence are strong. If a four-year-old child argues using speech, there is no need for him to become hysterical. But if the adult does not answer the child’s question: “Why should I?” - then a breakdown may occur. If a four-year-old child is very tired or has had a stressful day, his behavior will be more likely to resemble that of a younger child. This is a signal to the adult that at the moment the child has too much to bear. He needs affection, comfort and the opportunity to act for a while as if he were younger.

A preschooler's feelings are involuntary. They flare up quickly, are brightly expressed and quickly fade away. Stormy fun often gives way to tears.

The whole life of a child of early and preschool age is subject to his feelings. He still cannot control his experiences. Therefore, children are much more susceptible to mood swings than adults. They are easy to amuse, but even easier to upset or offend, since they have almost no self-knowledge and do not know how to control themselves. That is why they are able to experience a whole range of feelings and emotions in an unusually short period of time. A child who is rolling on the floor laughing may suddenly burst into tears or despair, and a minute later, with still wet eyes, laugh contagiously again. This kind of behavior in children is completely normal.

Plus, they have good days and bad days. A child can be calm and thoughtful today or capricious and whining, and the next day he can be lively and cheerful. Sometimes we can explain his bad mood by fatigue, disappointments in kindergarten, malaise, jealousy of his younger brother, etc. In other words, his long-term bad mood is caused by an anxious state due to some specific circumstance, and although we try our best to help the child get rid of it, it often happens that the baby’s feelings cause complete bewilderment.

If the bad mood does not last long - for example, for several days - and does not cross any boundaries, there is no need to worry. But if a child is in a depressed mood for a very long time or sudden and unexpected changes occur, a consultation with a psychologist is needed.

But in most cases, it is better not to attach too much importance to the child’s mood changes, which will allow him to independently gain emotional stability.

A child’s mood largely depends on relationships with adults and peers.

If adults are attentive to the child and respect him as an individual, then he experiences emotional well-being. The child’s positive qualities and friendly attitude towards other people are revealed and reinforced.

If adults bring grief to a child, then he acutely experiences a feeling of dissatisfaction, transferring, in turn, a negative attitude to the people around him and his toys.

With the development of the emotional sphere of a preschooler, the subjective attitude is gradually separated from the object of experience. [4]

The development of a child’s emotions and feelings is associated with certain social situations. A disruption to the usual situation (a change in the child’s routine or way of life) can lead to the appearance of affective reactions, as well as fear. Failure to satisfy (suppress) new needs in a child during a crisis period can cause a state of frustration. Frustration manifests itself as aggression (anger, rage, desire to attack the enemy) or depression (passive state).

When a child begins to draw himself in difficult situations or simply draws terrible dreams, this is a signal of a dysfunctional emotional state.

Emotions and feelings are formed in the process of a child’s communication with peers.

Certain aspects of the psyche of children at different age stages are unequally sensitive to the conditions of upbringing. The younger the child and the greater his helplessness, the more significant his dependence on the conditions in which he is brought up is revealed.

With insufficient emotional contacts, there may be a delay in emotional development, which can last a lifetime.

Relationships with other people and their actions are the most important source of a preschooler’s feelings: joy, tenderness, sympathy, anger and other experiences.

The feelings that arise in a child in relation to other people are easily transferred to the characters of fiction - fairy tales, stories. Experiences can also arise in relation to animals, toys, and plants.

In a family, a child has the opportunity to experience a whole range of experiences. Friendly relationships are very important.

Improper communication in the family can lead to:

• to one-sided attachment, often to the mother. At the same time, the need to communicate with peers weakens
• to jealousy when a second child appears in the family, if the first child feels deprived
• to fear when adults express despair at the slightest reason that threatens the child. And in an unusual situation, anxiety may arise. Fear can be instilled in a child. For example, fear of the dark. If a child is afraid of the dark, then the darkness itself will frighten him. [2]

An adult needs to help identify and understand the child’s own states and experiences. As a rule, preschoolers, especially those growing up with a lack of personal communication, do not notice their moods, feelings, and experiences. An adult can highlight these experiences for the child and prompt them.

Depending on the current situation, any qualitatively diverse feelings and emotions (love, hatred, joy, anger) can be positive, negative, or indicative.

In general, children have an optimistic attitude towards life situations. They are characterized by a cheerful, cheerful mood.

Education through emotional influence is a very delicate process. The main task is not to suppress and eradicate emotions, but to channel them appropriately. True feelings - experiences - are the fruit of life. They do not lend themselves to arbitrary formation, but arise, live and die depending on the relationship to the environment that changes during a person’s activity. It is impossible, and not necessary, to completely protect a child from negative experiences. Their occurrence in children’s activities can also play a positive role, encouraging them to overcome them.

Emotions and feelings are difficult to regulate by will. It is useful for adults to remember this when faced with unwanted or unexpected children's emotions. It is better not to evaluate the child’s feelings in such acute situations - this will only lead to misunderstanding or negativism. You cannot demand that a child not experience what he experiences and feels; You can only limit the form of manifestation of his negative emotions. [3]

If you begin to develop the emotional sphere in childhood, develop and train the ability to foresee, take responsibility and manage your actions, then in adulthood you can achieve greater agreement and perfection in managing yourself.

Bibliography

1. Averin V.A. Psychology of children and adolescents / M.: Pedagogika, 2004. – 25 p.
2. Belkina V.N. Psychology of early and preschool childhood / M.: Academy 2006. – 18 p.
3. Zakharov A.I. Psychotherapy for children and adolescents / M.: Linka-Press, 2007. – 20 p.
4. Dubrovina I.V. Practical psychology of education / M.: Pedagogika, 2008. -12 p.
5. Zenkovsky V.V. Psychology of childhood. Ekaterinburg, 2011. -87 p.

Showing feelings

The main changes in the emotional-volitional sphere of a preschooler occur in connection with a change in the hierarchy of motives and the emergence of new needs and interests. In children of this age, there is a gradual loss of impulsiveness of feelings, which become deeper in their semantic content. However, children still cannot fully control their emotions. This is due to organic human needs, such as thirst, hunger, etc.

In addition, the role of emotions in the activities of a preschooler is also subject to change. And if at earlier stages of ontogenesis the main guideline for a little person was the assessment of adults, now he is able to experience joy based on his own anticipation of a positive result and the good mood of those around him.

Gradually, the preschooler masters the expression of emotions in their expressive forms. That is, facial expressions and intonations become available to him. Mastering such expressive means allows the child to deeply understand the experiences of other people.

When studying the emotional-volitional sphere of a preschooler, it becomes clear that speech has an important influence on its development. At the same time, there is an intellectualization of processes associated with knowledge of the surrounding world.

At about 4-5 years old, children begin to develop a sense of duty. The basis of its formation is the child’s moral awareness of the requirements that are presented to him as an individual. This leads to the fact that preschoolers begin to correlate their actions with similar actions of surrounding adults and peers. The sense of duty is most clearly demonstrated by children aged 6-7 years.

Thanks to the intensive development of curiosity, preschoolers more often begin to show surprise and joy in learning new things. Aesthetic feelings also receive further development. This happens thanks to the child’s activities in the creative and artistic direction.

Rules of emotional education

Emotional education of a child does not require large physical and time expenditures. You just need to follow some rules.

1. Voluntariness of expression. Teach your child to show his emotions, name them, and understand his feelings. This is especially important for young children who need to let out everything that has accumulated inside. Discuss his feelings with your child, giving him the opportunity to cope with the emotions that arise on his own.

2. The power of expression. Older children should learn to control their emotions: laugh quietly, collect their thoughts, restrain anger, cope with excitement. Teach your children simple self-control skills and monitor your own behavior.

3. Empathy. Children should not be indifferent. If your child does not worry about cartoon characters or other people, then he needs to be taught empathy. Ask him how he feels, whether he feels sorry for the hero, whether the child wanted to help. Discuss life situations with your child. Offer to describe the feelings and sensations of the participants in the events. Think about how you can show your concern towards another person: congratulate, express sympathy, help in something. Free your children from envy and gloating from childhood, this will make them happy

Factors of emotional development

There are certain key moments due to which the formation of the sensory-volitional sphere of the child occurs. Among them:

1. Preschoolers' mastery of social forms that promote the expression of emotions. This factor allows you to form a sense of duty, becoming a starting point for the further development of the moral, intellectual and aesthetic qualities of a little person.
2. Speech development. Thanks to verbal communication, children's emotions become increasingly conscious.
3. General condition of the child. For a preschooler, emotions are an indicator of his physical and mental well-being.

Volitional processes

To develop independence in preschool children, it is necessary to master goal setting, planning and control. And this is possible with the formation of volitional action.

Such work begins with mastering goal setting. It presupposes the child’s ability to set a specific goal for his activities. In its elementary manifestations, such activity can be observed even in infancy. It is expressed in the fact that the child begins to reach out to the toy that attracted his attention, and if it is out of his field of vision, then he will certainly begin to search for it.

At about the age of two, children develop independence. They begin to strive towards the goal. However, they succeed only with the help of adults.

The goal-setting of preschoolers is developed through proactive, independent goal setting. Moreover, their content gradually changes in the process of personality formation. Thus, in early preschool age, goals are related only to one’s own interests. They are also set based on the child’s immediate desires. Older preschoolers strive for what is important not only for them, but also for other people.

Motives for activity

In preschool age, the identification of what determines the child’s behavior occurs. This is the leading motive that subordinates all others. This happens when communicating with adults. As a result of the emerging social situation, certain actions of the child acquire a rather complex meaning.

From about three years of age, children's behavior is increasingly subject to the influence of motives. They are reinforced, come into conflict or replace each other. After this age, intensive formation of voluntary movements occurs. And mastering them perfectly becomes the main goal of a preschooler’s activity. Gradually the movements begin to become manageable. The child begins to control them thanks to the sensorimotor image.

At 3-4 years old, children increasingly begin to use games to solve cognitive problems. They have a significant impact on the development of the emotional-volitional sphere of preschoolers. The most effective incentives for this are the motives of recovery and reward. At the age of 4, children begin to identify the object of their activity and realize the purpose of transforming a specific object. At the age of 4-5, a significant part of preschoolers become characterized by moral motives. Children control their own behavior through vision control.

At 5-6 years old, preschoolers acquire some techniques that allow them not to be distracted. By the age of five, children begin to realize that various components of activity are mutually dependent.

Upon reaching the age of six, the child’s activities become generalized. He develops voluntary actions, which can be judged by the initiative and activity of the preschooler.

By the age of 6-7, children are already more adequate in their attitude towards their achievements. At the same time, they see and evaluate the successes of their peers.

In older preschoolers, voluntariness begins to be observed in mental processes. This concerns their internal mental characteristics such as thinking and memory, imagination, speech and perception.

Preschool age is the period of introduction to the world of universal human values, this is the time of establishing the first relationships with people. An important role in the development of a child’s personality is played by the process of learning to know oneself, express one’s emotions, and understand the emotional state of one’s interlocutor. Children's knowledge of themselves, understanding of the emotional state and actions of other people forms empathy in the child. A young child (up to three years old) is practically unable to show empathy towards other people. But gradually, in preschool age, we can observe the first manifestations of empathy.

The ability to empathize develops when conditions are met and at the same time are stages of the development of empathy:

• gaining your own positive experience;
• awareness of one's own emotions and feelings;
• awareness of what the other person supposedly feels.

Empathy is one of the conditions for effective communication with people around you. The ability to put oneself in the place of another helps to better understand a communication partner, identify individual character traits and their manifestation, expressed in actions and actions. Children learn to be tolerant of other people's shortcomings, learn empathy, and conflict-free communication.

Today there is no doubt that almost all Russian children require some kind of psychological support. This is accompanied by a number of unfavorable factors: economic and political instability; large flow of information; uncontrolled process of using modern gadgets. Which leads to a lack of full-fledged communication. In the age of technological progress, people communicate less and less with each other, preferring watching television programs and virtual communication. Often, parents work ten hours a day, in pursuit of money to pay off loans, and plan their vacation, giving preference to TV and smartphones rather than communication and spending time together with their children. Parents more often care about the physical and intellectual development of the child, and emotional and personal development seems to them not so important, which leads to disruption of communication with peers and adults.

Scientific research by S.I. Semenaka, I.Yu. Kulagina, V.S. Mukhina, V.N. Myasishcheva, D.B. Elkonin in the field of education and development of children showed that many emotional and personal difficulties that children face are largely due to the characteristics of family upbringing.

Emotions are the first manifestation of the psyche in ontogenesis, the basis of psychological health, the foundation of motivation and creative activity. Connecting with the development of the will, emotional characteristics highlight the individuality and uniqueness of the individual. With the help of emotions and feelings, the child signals to adults about his well-being, desires, and needs.

Observing children in kindergarten, you can notice how role-playing games have faded and the number of anxious, emotionally unbalanced children has increased. In this connection, it is important to begin work on the development of the emotional and personal sphere precisely in preschool age, so that in the future children grow up as psychologically healthy individuals who can fully communicate and correctly express their emotions.

At the present stage, preschool education is the first stage of lifelong education, which is reflected in the Federal State Educational Standard (FSES).

One of the main principles of the Federal State Educational Standard is the personal developmental and humanistic nature of interaction between adults: parents (legal representatives), teachers and other employees of the educational organization and children. The federal state educational standards state that the preschool education program should be aimed at creating conditions for the child’s development that open up opportunities for his positive socialization, his personal development, the development of initiative and creativity based on cooperation with adults and peers and age-appropriate activities; to create a developing educational environment, which is a system of conditions for the socialization and individualization of children (clause 2.4.).

Based on the principles and conditions of education according to the Federal State Educational Standard, one of the main tasks of a preschool educational organization is the emotional and personal development of children, and includes the formation of adequate behavior, skills to manage negative emotions, a conscious attitude to the norms of social behavior, and the ability to constructively build relationships with others.

Having studied the features of the development of the emotional and personal sphere of preschoolers in ontogenesis, the following positive point can be noted: in a kindergarten, children have a unique opportunity to complete their image, the structure of their “I”. A child can strengthen or acquire the positive qualities of this image, based on the assessments of others, interactions with peers and other adults, successes and failures in activities and communication.

Self-awareness manifests itself in desires, the desire for self-knowledge, and activity. The emotional-affective sphere, recorded in memory and reflected in speech, is the basis for the awareness and development of the “I-concept” of the child’s personality. Self-awareness, self-expression, self-esteem, self-realization are based on conscious and meaningful emotional-expressive activity organized by an adult.

The preschool period is one of the periods of formation of the hierarchy of motives and primary ethical standards. The activity of an individual is regulated by subordinate motives and ethical norms and rules. It is during preschool age that voluntary behavior arises and develops in children. Arbitrariness - the presence of not only a goal, but also means and ways of achieving it - is an important psychological support for the development of a child’s personality.

The emotional sphere is an important component in the development of children. The emotions of preschool children are situational and unstable. The child is not yet capable of long-term sympathy and care for others, even very beloved people.

Throughout preschool childhood, the child’s emotions acquire depth and stability. In older preschoolers, one can already observe genuine concern for loved ones, altruistic actions aimed at protecting them from anxiety and grief. One of the main directions of development of emotions in preschool age is an increase in their “reasonableness”, associated with the mental development of the child. The child begins to explore the world around him, become familiar with the consequences of his actions, and understand what is good and what is bad. “Reasonableness” also extends to feelings associated with the child’s own behavior. Already at the age of one year, praise is available to the child, and this pleases him, and the reproach of an adult upsets him.

External manifestations of emotions also change significantly in preschool childhood. The child gradually masters the ability to restrain violent, harsh expressions of feelings to a certain extent. Unlike a two-year-old child, a five- to six-year-old preschooler can hold back tears, hide fear, etc. As they grow older, preschoolers are able to assimilate the “language of emotions” accepted in society. They can use various forms of their expression using glances, facial expressions, gestures, postures, movements, voice intonations, and notice the subtlest shades of experiences. In preschool age, pronounced constitutional and facial changes occur in the child’s face, which is associated with the growth of the facial skull, transformation of the jaws and changes in the structure of the cheeks. During this period, the child more fully masters facial expressions and bodily expression. Communication with adults and peers teaches the child to master facial expressions through his identification with the emotions of those with whom he communicates. By the age of five, some consciously controlled expressions are formed, for example, a demonstratively “honest” facial expression with an open gaze directed into the eyes of an adult, when in reality the child is hiding something. However, in general, the facial reactions of a child under six years of age are very spontaneous and his face is readable like an open book.

The need for recognition in preschool age is expressed in the child’s desire to establish his moral qualities. The child tries to anticipate the reaction of other people to his action, while he wants people to be grateful to him and recognize his good deeds. Having arisen in the process of communication with adults, the need for recognition is subsequently transferred to relationships with peers. Since play is the leading activity in preschool age, aspirations are primarily worked out in the game itself and in real relationships regarding the game. In the game, the need for recognition manifests itself in two ways: on the one hand, the child wants to “be like everyone else,” and on the other, “to be the best.” Children are guided by the achievements and behaviors of their peers.

Mastering the social space, the conditions of human development and existence, which are determined by the values ​​and meanings of his rights and responsibilities, accumulating certain knowledge about them, the child does not realize their significance for a long time. The behavior of a preschooler changes depending on situations in which one or another motive governs. The subordination of motives is the most important new formation in the development of the personality of a child of senior preschool age. The hierarchy of motives gives a certain direction to the child’s entire behavior; it becomes possible to evaluate not only certain actions, but also behavior in general.

From all of the above, it is clear how important it is to develop the emotional and personal sphere in the preschool period. On the one hand, this directly affects the development of empathy, which leads to the formation of adequate self-esteem in the child and the development of emotional voluntariness, on the other hand, the child acquires constructive ways to manage his own behavior, which largely determines the degree of readiness of the child for learning and favorable adaptation to school .

Development of the emotional-volitional sphere

Incorrect communication with a child can lead to the following:

1. One-sided attachment of the baby to the mother. This process often leads to a limitation of the child’s need to communicate with his peers.
2. Expression of dissatisfaction by parents with or without reason. This contributes to the child’s constant feeling of fear and anxiety.

In the psyche of a preschooler, it is possible to undergo irreversible processes that are triggered due to the imposition of their emotions by parents. In such cases, children stop noticing their own feelings. For example, sometimes various events occurring in the life of a little person do not evoke any emotions in him. However, constant questions from adults about whether he liked something, whether he was offended by certain actions of his peers or the adults around him, lead to the fact that the child has to notice such situations and somehow react to them. You shouldn't do this.

In order to develop the emotional-volitional sphere of children, parents and teachers need to conduct games, music classes, drawing lessons, etc. for preschoolers. In the process of such specially organized activities, children learn the ability to experience those feelings that arise due to perception.

The active development of the emotional-volitional sphere is facilitated by the use of two techniques. This is sand therapy, as well as fairy tale therapy. Let's take a closer look at them.

Diagnosis of the emotional sphere of preschool children

Both the institution’s psychologists and the parents themselves can study the level of development of the emotional sphere.

• Amen's anxiety test. The child is offered several pictures where the outline depicts children at different moments: in class, in a game, during a conversation with the teacher. The child must imagine the face of the children in the picture: happy or sad, and answer why he thinks so. If the baby notices negative manifestations in most of the pictures, then we can talk about increased emotional anxiety of the subject.
• Luscher color test. The child uses color to show his attitude to the situation being described.
• Drawing tests. Diagnostics takes place in two stages: drawing and discussion. A theme for the drawing is given, for example, “I’m in class,” “The road to kindergarten.” There is no time limit for illustration. The specialist records all the events that happen while the child is working: how often he paused, what he erased from the drawing, the little artist’s comments. After finishing the work, the presenter is interested in what the child drew, who he depicted next to him, what emotions the characters in the picture experience and why.

Fairy tale therapy

The history of this method has quite deep roots. However, until the research of R. Gardner and V. Propp was carried out, fairy tales for children were considered nothing more than fun. Today it is already known for certain that with the help of such fantastic and quite interesting stories, the process of personality integration, expanding the consciousness of a little person and developing his creative abilities is very active. At the same time, a line of interaction between the child and the outside world is formed.

If fairy tales for preschoolers are chosen correctly, they can cause great emotional resonance. Moreover, their plots will be addressed not only to the consciousness, but also to the subconscious of the child.

Fairy tales are especially relevant for preschoolers if children have deviations in the emotional sphere. Indeed, in this case it is necessary to create the most effective situation for communication.

Fairy tales help develop the emotional-volitional sphere of the child due to their performance of the following functions:

• psychological preparation for difficult situations;
• trying on different roles, as well as evaluating actions and performance results;
• forming conclusions, as well as transferring them to real life.

Fairytale therapy is used in the form of various methods. It could be:

1. Fairy tale-metaphor. Images and plots of fantastic and unusual stories help to stimulate free associations in the child's mind. In the future, all of them should be discussed and corrected by adults.
2. Drawing heroes and plots of fairy tales. When using this method, associations arise not in verbal, but in graphic form.

Fairy tales help preschoolers develop an understanding of what is good and what is bad in life. Based on the actions and deeds of the characters, the child makes his verdict on one or another line of behavior.

The fairy tale can also be used when playing games for preschoolers. In this case, the child develops facial expressions and intonations.

The effectiveness of fairy tales for the development of the emotional-volitional sphere of a preschooler is explained by the fact that these stories lack direct moral teaching and edification. In addition, the events described are always logical and dictated by the cause-and-effect relationships existing in the surrounding world.

Sand therapy

This method of activating the child’s emotional-volitional sphere is simple, accessible, convenient and diverse. What are its advantages? Sand therapy is effective because it allows preschoolers to build their own individual world. At the same time, the child feels himself in the role of a creator who sets the rules of the game.

The usual sprinkling of sand allows babies to calm down and relieve tension. When sculpting figures, they develop fine motor skills, awaken imagination and stimulate interest.

Thanks to the use of sand therapy, specialists can identify psychological trauma in a child and eliminate them. This method is most actively used when working with those children who have developmental delays and verbal deficits.

Emotional intellect

The international abbreviation for this term is EQ. It is understood as the ability of children to recognize their own emotions and connect them with actions and desires. With low EQ values, we can talk about low social and communicative development of preschool children. Such kids have contradictory behavior. They lack extensive contact with peers and are unable to express their own needs. In addition, such preschoolers differ from other children in their aggressive behavior and constant presence of fear.

The following games contribute to the development of emotional intelligence in preschool children:

1. "Satisfied elephant." This game is played using pictures depicting animal faces. The teacher needs to show a certain emotion in the drawing. After this, he asks the children to find the animal that experiences a similar feeling.
2. "How are you?". This game allows the teacher to determine the emotions and mood of children who exhibit affective behavior. To do this, you will need to invite the child to choose a card with the image of the emotion that most accurately indicates his mood (at the moment, yesterday, an hour ago, etc.).
3. "Pictograms". In order to play this game, the presenter will need to prepare cut and whole sets of cards. Mix the first one so that the child can then assemble the whole image according to the pattern.

Music games

This type of activity also contributes to the effective development of the child’s emotional-volitional sphere. Let's consider what its features are.

Musical games for preschoolers help them get into the role of characters and images, while conveying the feelings associated with them. The main instrument in this case is the child himself. During musical games for preschoolers, children use their voice, body, reproduce various sounds, expressive movements and gestures.

When activating the emotional-volitional sphere using this method, it is important for the teacher to go from the simplest to the most complex. To achieve this, in the initial lessons only individual emotional and play components are used. And only later do children begin to independently reproduce the image.

The types and forms of musical games can be very different. These include plastic improvisations, dialogues accompanied by melodies, dramatic performances, and so on.

One of these musical games is called “Call by Name”. The purpose of its implementation is to develop a friendly attitude among children towards their peers. The child is asked to throw a ball to a peer or pass a toy, while at the same time affectionately calling him by name. The baby is given some time to choose the one to whom the actions will be directed. Moderate music should be played in the background. At the end of the melody, the preschooler will have to make a choice.

Correction of the emotional sphere of preschool children

• Games to eliminate emotional stress. During such exercises, the preschooler learns to show his feelings using words and gestures. For example, in a game, the teacher invites participants to hug their friend and pat him on the shoulder or head. Or, dancing in a circle, children try to show a sad bear or a happy squirrel with their movements.
• Psycho-gymnastics. Exercises that alternately cause tension and relaxation will help relax muscles and relieve nervous excitement.
• Music therapy. Classical music puts the baby in a positive mood and neutralizes depression.
• Games to imitate the mood.
• Massage points on the palms, face, crown, under the kneecap.

The full and correct development of the emotional sphere is extremely important for the formation of the personality of a preschooler. After all, it affects the cognitive processes and motivation of the child’s behavior.

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