The child learns well what he is interested in on his own initiative and does it himself. This is facilitated by search activity, which is one of the main and natural manifestations of the child’s psyche. Preschoolers think, reason and transform what they have in their arsenal of experience. It is important to create conditions for them so that their experience expands, and new knowledge is passed through and firmly assimilated. The cognitive and research activities of children are rich in such opportunities.
Cognitive and research activity as a natural need of a child
Have you noticed how your child looks with interest at a piece of wood floating in a rain stream or how he is sincerely surprised by the frosty patterns on the winter windows? And numerous questions in the process of watching birds or milk running onto the stove: “Why?”, “Where from?”, “Why?”, “How?”. This behavior of a child is natural and only confirms that he, due to his age, is a researcher. Genetically predetermined search activity creates conditions for the child’s mental development to initially follow the path of self-development.
It should be noted that children are in special conditions: they are bombarded with information every day, and their knowledge is extremely limited.
What is important for a child’s development is not the amount of knowledge transferred to him, but how he appropriates it. This is why the exploratory nature of reflection and action is so important.
The preschooler observes, reasons, and his own discoveries arise. It is this kind of experience that is firmly assimilated by the child, and he subsequently uses it when faced with a familiar situation.
Younger preschoolers show the simplest cognitive activity. By interacting with objects, observing what is happening, asking questions, they assimilate primary information. This is their – and very valuable – way of understanding the world.
Every year the interests of children deepen. Older preschoolers are no longer just interested, but are trying to get to the bottom of the truth. Their activity is aimed at finding a solution, testing experimentally the properties of objects, and unraveling natural phenomena. Actually, the formation of cognitive and research activities is taking place.
The adult’s task is to stimulate the child’s natural search activity and develop his research abilities.
Cognitive and research activitiesmaterial
REFERENCE No. 1 ON THE RESULTS OF THE THEMATIC CONTROL
“Cognitive and research activity as a direction for the development of cognitive activity in children of early and preschool age”
Based on the Regulations on official (intra-garden) control, annual plan, order No. 43/1-O dated January 24, 2017. in the period from 02/13/2017 until 02/17/2017 at the MADOU "Kindergarten No. 6" a thematic control was carried out on the topic "Cognitive and research activities as a direction for the development of cognitive activity of children of early and preschool age" in order to analyze the conditions created in a preschool educational organization for the development of cognitive activity of children of early and preschool age.
Thematic control was carried out on the following questions:
- Contents of a developing subject-spatial environment in groups for organizing cognitive and research activities of children;
- Assessment of a teacher’s professional skills in organizing children’s experimentation;
- Interaction with the family to develop the cognitive and research activities of pupils.
A working group consisting of:
- O.V. Moshnina, Deputy Head of Internal Affairs;
- I.G. Polezhaeva, senior teacher;
- M.A.Kirillova, senior teacher
- T.V. Hasanova, senior teacher.
As a result of the control, the following results were obtained:
- Contents of a developing subject-spatial environment in groups for organizing cognitive and research activities of children
On this issue, an analysis of the developing subject-spatial environment for organizing the cognitive and research activities of children, the presence and content of experimentation centers and cognitive centers was carried out.
An analysis of the content of the developing subject-spatial environment in groups for organizing the cognitive and research activities of children showed:
In all groups, experimentation centers are organized, which have a designation, name, and rules of activity in it. The centers have enough equipment for organizing and conducting experiments (funnels, test tubes, pipettes, containers of various sizes and shapes, sieve, tubes, plates, balloons, tweezers, spatulas, containers, molds, etc.), there are materials to familiarize yourself with their properties (loose, solid, liquid). There are instruments (magnifying glasses, watches, scales, compass, microscope), natural and waste materials (stones, cones, foam rubber, polystyrene foam, acorns, kinder surprises, fabrics, threads, various types of paper, seeds, etc.).
In groups No. 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 there are diagrams, algorithms, and technological maps for organizing joint and independent educational and research activities.
All groups have files of experiences and experiments.
In the centers of cognitive development, the name and rules of behavior in it are indicated.
All groups have educational literature in accordance with the age characteristics of children, visual material for viewing, observation, and examination.
There are materials that help children develop their ability to model - weather calendars, maps, diagrams, mnemonic tables.
The materials were selected taking into account the regional component in all groups.
Child-parent research projects are available in groups No. 3,5,6,7,8.
Equipment, benefits and materials comply with age, hygiene and safety requirements.
RECOMMENDED:
- Teachers Voloshchenko L.A., Abrosimova A.Yu. (group No. 1), Malyarova A.V. (group No. 4), Gasselbach S.A., Eldova E.V. (group No. 9), Volodkina A.P., Sorokina T.N. (group No. 10) organize research project activities with students and their families, use parent-child projects in the educational process, and place them in children’s activity centers.
- Assessment of a teacher’s professional skills in organizing children’s experimentation
On this issue, a review of the organization of children's experimentation by group teachers was organized.
Educators Simanovich N.N. (group No. 6), Vasilyeva E.A. (group No. 8), Gasselbach S.A. (group No. 9) optimal conditions were created for organizing children's experimentation (the research topic corresponds to the age characteristics of children, a sufficient amount of equipment, safety precautions are provided). The teacher knows the methodology for organizing experimentation. But in activities with children, conditions have not been created for the formulation of goals and for children to put forward assumptions and hypotheses. During the activity, there is step-by-step instruction, which does not give children the opportunity to use their existing cognitive skills, methods of activity, and search actions.
Educators Glushkova T.N. (group No. 2), Samoilova E.V. (group No. 3), Malyarova A.V. (group No. 4) the necessary conditions have been created for organizing children's experimentation. Children are active, the teacher provides non-directive assistance as needed. During the organization of children's experimentation, the age and individual characteristics of the pupils and their interests are taken into account. The teacher knows and follows the methodology for organizing this activity.
Educator Kornilova E.Yu. (group No. 7) children's experimentation is organized in accordance with the age characteristics of children. The teacher creates optimal conditions for the implementation of all its stages, for the practical use by children of their existing cognitive skills, methods of activity, and search actions.
Educators Sorokina T.N. (group No. 10), Palenkova S.M. (group No. 5), Voloshchenko L.A. (group No. 1) conditions have not been created for organizing children's experimentation; the methodology for organizing children's experimentation is not followed.
RECOMMENDED:
- Teachers Vasilyeva E.A. (group No. 8), Simanovich N.N. (group No. 6), Gasselbach S.A. (group No. 9) when organizing children's experimentation, create conditions for children to independently formulate goals and put forward assumptions, hypotheses, and the practical use of their existing skills and methods of activity.
- Senior teacher Kirillova M.A., Deputy Head of Educational Institutions Moshnina O.V. organize methodological support for teachers Sorokina T.N. (group No. 10), Palenkova S.M. (group No. 5), Voloshchenko L.A. (group No. 1) through individual consultation with these teachers, viewing the organization of children's experimentation by these teachers, subsequent analysis of the professional skills of educators in organizing children's experimentation.
- Interaction with the family to develop the cognitive and research activities of pupils
On this issue, an analysis of long-term plans for interaction with the family was carried out, and interviews were conducted with teachers.
As a result, it was revealed:
In the senior compensatory group for children with severe speech impairments No. 1 “Cornflower” for parents there is a printed consultation “Experiments for children and parents aged 5-7 years”, which is not included in the plan; in terms of interaction with the families of pupils, for the 2016-2017 school year, a group parent meeting was planned and held (02/09/2017) in the form of a workshop seminar “Development of children’s cognitive activity through experimental work”; a written consultation “Experiments in Pictures” is also planned (February), but is not presented in a visual corner.
In the junior group of general developmental orientation No. 2 “Bell”, printed information for parents “How to encourage a child to engage in cognitive and research activities at home” is available for parents; In terms of interaction with the families of pupils, a group parent meeting in the form of a round table with elements of play and productive activity “Cognitive and research activity is the foundation of a child’s mental development” is planned for the 2016-2017 school year (02/27/2017).
In the middle compensatory group for children with severe speech impairments No. 3 “Violet”, a parent meeting in the form of a workshop “Let’s experiment at home or help me find out for myself” is planned and will be held according to plan (02/28/2017), also in In accordance with the plan, a written consultation “Experiments in Pictures” is located in the information corner.
In the general developmental secondary group No. 4 “Dandelion”, a printed consultation “Entertaining experiments for kids” is available for parents; In terms of interaction with the families of pupils, a group parent meeting in the form of a workshop “Development of cognitive and research activities in preschoolers in kindergarten and at home” and the design of a mobile folder “Experimenting while playing” are planned for the 2016-2017 school year (February 2017). "
In the general development group preparatory to school No. 5 “Pansies”, a parent meeting is planned and will be held (02/20/2017) in the form of a business game “Learn, play, discover.” No visual information on this topic is planned, but in the information corner for parents there is a written consultation “Experiments for Children” and a sliding folder “Children’s Experimentation: Senior Preschool Age”.
In the general developmental preparatory group No. 6 “Chamomile” for parents, a printed consultation “Organizing children’s experimentation at home” has been posted; in terms of interaction with the families of students, a group parent meeting is planned for the 2016-2017 school year (02/20/2017) in the form of a business game “Learn, play, discover.”
In the secondary group of general developmental orientation No. 7 “Forget-me-not”, a parent meeting is planned and will be held (02/21/2017) in the form of a workshop seminar “Development of cognitive and research activities in preschoolers in kindergarten and at home”, visual material - written consultation “The Role of the Family in the development of cognitive activity of preschoolers" (January), the sliding folder "Entertaining experiments in the kitchen" (February) is presented in accordance with the plan.
In the general developmental group preparatory to school No. 8 “Tulip” is planned and will be held (02/28/2017) in the form of a round table “Development of children’s cognitive interests”, a sliding folder “Children’s cognitive initiative” (February) is presented to parents in the information corner .
In the senior general development group No. 9 “Daisy” there is a written consultation for parents “Experiment with your children at home” (not included in the plan). In terms of interaction with the families of pupils, a group parent meeting in the form of a master class “Development of cognitive activity of children of senior preschool age through experimental activities” is planned for the 2016-2017 school year (02/27/2017).
In the senior group of general developmental orientation No. 10 “Rosochka”, a parent meeting is planned and will be held (02/27/2017) in the form of a pedagogical laboratory “Development of cognitive activity of children in experimental activities”, a written consultation “Development of cognitive and research activities in preschoolers in kindergarten and at home” (February) is presented in accordance with the plan.
Thus:
- in all groups, parent meetings are planned and held in accordance with the plan within the framework of the topic “Cognitive and research activities as a direction for the development of cognitive activity of children of early and preschool age”;
- In all groups, visual information on this topic is posted, however, in group No. 1 (teachers Voloschenko L.A., Abrosimova A.Yu.), a written consultation is presented in the information corner, which does not correspond to what was planned; in groups No. 5 (teachers Palenkova S.M., Bryukhanova L.A.), No. 9 (teachers Gasselbach S.A., Eldova E.V.) visual materials on this topic are not included in the plan, but are presented in the information corner .
RECOMMENDED:
- Teachers Voloshchenko L.A., Abrosimova A.Yu. (group No. 1) present visual information to the information corner for parents in accordance with the plan (written consultation “Experiments in pictures”).
- Teachers Palenkova S.M., Bryukhanova L.A. (group No. 5), Gasselbach S.A., Eldova E.V. (group No. 9) make adjustments to the plan of interaction with the family; When planning activities to interact with the family, take into account the annual goals that the team sets for itself for the school year.
Deputy Head for Internal Affairs: O.V. Moshnina
02/20/2017
Types of cognitive and research activities in preschool age
A child of preschool age comprehends the world around him only in those ways that are available to him due to limited experience. He can ask questions about the new and incomprehensible, he can reason and even come up with unexpected hypotheses. Can experimentally check what will happen if...
All of the listed methods of children's activity perform a search and research function. Thanks to them, the preschooler discovers a lot of new things, gradually broadens his horizons and forms his own picture of the world.
Asking questions
Children's thoughts usually begin with a question. Asking an adult about what interested or surprised is the simplest and most accessible type of cognitive research activity for a preschooler.
In preschool age, almost all children’s questions are cognitive in nature and are aimed at understanding the essence of phenomena, processes, and patterns. A child may wonder why a cat has soft fur and a hedgehog has sharp spines, why a bicycle doesn’t fall while moving, how light “gets” into a light bulb, etc.
Heuristic questions (leading to discoveries) arise in children because they are faced with a certain problem, intellectual complexity, or practical task. For example, after hearing thunder, a preschooler shoots out questions, trying to understand how and why the roar is formed, where the source of such powerful sounds is located.
When asking questions, the child shows great persistence in finding an answer and demands detailed and reasoned explanations from adults.
Reasoning
For many preschoolers, answers to exciting questions push them to further reasoning. New knowledge must take its place in the child’s perception of the world, and for this there is not enough understanding of how it is connected with everything that the child already knows.
An inquisitive preschooler begins to think based on facts and images already known to him. “Birds fly south, but how will they find their way back? There are no roads in the sky like there are on earth,” the child is puzzled. Next, he builds a chain of inferences and draws the conclusion that the bird leader is guided by some signals.
In preschool age, reasoning is characterized by figurativeness and reliance on facts that are understandable to the child.
Experimentation
Children's experimentation is a type of cognitive research activity that allows one to discover implicit properties, transform objects, and experience objects in a new quality. Children are especially attracted to the fact that they can make tests, test their hypotheses, make as many mistakes as they want and repeat experiments.
Experiments hold children's attention and encourage them to independently search for reasons why the properties of an object or phenomenon appear in this particular way.
While observing the experiment, the child expresses his guesses. The bolder and more actively he voices different assumptions, the faster he gets to the right conclusion.
Cognitive and research activities of preschool children in the context of the introduction of the Federal State Educational Standard for Education
It is known that preschool childhood is a unique time for the development of a child’s abilities. One of the most important abilities is the ability to cognition. The development of cognitive activity has been considered in various works by teachers and psychologists. Y. A. Komensky, K. D. Ushinsky, D. Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau defined cognitive activity as the natural desire of preschool children to learn. A.K. Markova, V.P. Lozovaya, Zh.N Telnova, G.I. Shchukina and others studied the characteristics of cognitive activity and ways of activating it in preschool children.
The basic principles of preschool education in accordance with the Federal State Educational Standard for Preschool Education are the formation of cognitive interests and cognitive actions of the child in various types of activities. In addition, the standard is aimed at developing the intellectual qualities of preschoolers. According to it, the program should ensure the development of the personality of preschool children in various types of activities.
Federal State Educational Standards for Advanced Education pays special attention to cognitive and research activities (studying objects of the surrounding world and experimenting with them). Typical activities for the implementation of this area of work are:
– organization of solving cognitive problems;
– the use of experimentation in working with children;
– use of design.
The cognitive and research activities of a preschooler are based on curiosity, the desire for discovery, and the thirst for knowledge. Experimental activities in preschool educational institutions make it possible to satisfy these needs and thereby advance the development of the preschooler forward, develop his personal, physical and intellectual qualities.
In accordance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard, kindergarten teachers are recommended to organize daily situations that provoke the cognitive activity of pupils. One of the forms of such influence is experimental research activities in preschool educational institutions.
Experimental research activities in kindergarten are effective activities aimed at developing the cognitive activity of preschoolers.
The content of the research involves the formation of the following ideas.
- About the world of animals and plants: how animals live in winter and summer; vegetables, fruits, etc.; conditions necessary for their growth and development (light, moisture, heat).
- About materials: clay, paper, fabric, wood, metal, plastic.
- About a person: my assistants are eyes, nose, ears, mouth.
- About natural phenomena: seasons, weather phenomena, objects of living and inanimate nature - water, ice, snow, etc.
- About the objective world: dishes, furniture, toys, shoes, transport.
- About geometric standards : circle, rectangle, prism, rhombus.
In the process of experimentation, the child’s memory is enriched, his thought processes are activated, as the need constantly arises to perform operations of analysis and synthesis, comparison, classification and generalization. The need to give an account of what is seen, to form discovered patterns and conclusions stimulates the development of speech. The consequence is not only the child’s familiarization with new facts, but also the accumulation of a fund of mental techniques and operations that are considered as mental skills.
At what age is it supposed to start experimenting in kindergarten?
From the second early age group (2–3 years), children begin to take part in joint experimental activities with the teacher. For now, they represent the simplest studies that help kids examine objects, noting their color, size or shape.
In the younger group (3–4 years), cognitive and research activities become more complicated. Together with the teacher, children learn to conduct experiments using sensory standards as an example. Thanks to experiments, they become clear about the previously hidden properties of the objects being studied.
Experimentation in the middle group (4–5 years old) is aimed at developing in children the ability to independently obtain information about a new object. All senses are actively used for experiments.
Using experimentation in the older group (5–6 years old), it is necessary to encourage children to independently carry out experimental actions and identify the hidden properties of phenomena and objects.
In the school preparatory group (6-7 years old), cognitive and research activities are improved. Not only independent work is encouraged, but also the choice of the optimal way to carry it out.
Preschoolers in the group should have free access to a special area - experimentation corner , in which the following are located:
- experiment kits with picture instructions;
- toys for research - balls, cubes, small objects made of different materials;
- various natural materials - sand, water, clay, shell, wool;
- measuring instruments - scales, measuring containers, hourglasses, rulers;
- tools - pipettes, spatulas, measuring spoons, toothpicks, transparent and colored glasses;
- another rich object environment - a mirror, a magnifying glass, salt, magnets;
- writing utensils for recording results.
In the experimental activity corner the following should be highlighted:
- senior preschool age;
- didactic component;
- equipment component;
- stimulating component;
— diagrams, tables, models with algorithms for performing experiments;
— a series of paintings depicting natural communities;
— educational books, atlases;
— thematic albums;
- collections;
— mini-museum (themes vary, for example, “There are different watches:”, “Stone products”;
— materials are divided into sections: “Sand, clay, water”, “Sound”, “Magnets”, “Paper”, “Light”, “Glass”, “Rubber”;
— natural material: stones, shells, saw cuts and leaves of trees, moss, seeds, different types of soil, etc.;
- recycled material: wire, pieces of leather, fur, fabric, plastic, wood, cork, etc.;
— technical materials: nuts, paper clips, bolts, nails, cogs, screws, construction parts, etc.;
— different types of paper: plain, cardboard, sandpaper, copy paper, etc.;
— dyes: food and non-food (gouache, watercolors, etc.);
— medical materials: pipettes with rounded ends, flasks, wooden sticks, measuring spoons, rubber bulbs, syringes without needles;
- other materials: mirrors, balloons, butter, flour, salt, sugar, colored and transparent glass, candles, etc.;
- sieve, funnels;
- halves of soap dishes, ice trays;
— parting assistants: magnifying glass, hourglass, microscopes, magnifying glasses;
- oilcloth aprons, sleeves, rubber gloves, rags;
— mini-stand “What I want to know about tomorrow”;
— personal notebooks for children to record the results of experiments;
— hint cards (permitting and prohibiting signs) “What is possible, what is not”;
- characters endowed with certain traits (“Pochemuchka”) on whose behalf a problematic situation is modeled.
In senior preschool, conducting experiments should become the norm; they should be considered not as entertainment, but as a way to familiarize children with the world around them and the most effective way to develop thought processes. Experiments and experiences make it possible to combine all types of activities and all aspects of education, develop observation and inquisitiveness of the mind, develop the desire to understand the world, all cognitive abilities, the ability to invent, use non-standard solutions in difficult situations, and create a creative personality.
Some important tips:
1. It is better to conduct experiments in the morning, when the child is full of strength and energy.
2. It is important for us not only to teach, but also to interest the child, to make him want to gain knowledge and do new experiments himself.
3. Explain to your child that you cannot taste unknown substances, no matter how beautiful and appetizing they look.
4. Don’t just show your child an interesting experience, but also explain in a language he understands why this happens.
5. Do not ignore your child’s questions - look for answers to them in books, reference books, and the Internet.
6. Where there is no danger, give the child more independence.
7. Invite your child to show his favorite experiments to his friends.
8. And most importantly: rejoice in your child’s successes, praise him and encourage his desire to learn. Only positive emotions can instill a love for new knowledge.
I offer some of the most interesting experiences and experiments that can be very interesting for children!
1. "Vanishing Chalk"
For a spectacular experience, we will need a small piece of chalk. Dip chalk into a glass of vinegar and see what happens. The chalk in the glass will begin to hiss, bubble, decrease in size and soon disappear completely.
Chalk is limestone; when it comes into contact with acetic acid, it turns into other substances, one of which is carbon dioxide, which is rapidly released in the form of bubbles.
2. “Magic Magnet”
1. Take a glass of water.
2. Place a wooden cube and paper clips in it.
3. Place a magnet against the wall of the glass: the magnet attracts only metal objects, even through glass and water.
3. “Tricks with magnets”
Task: identify objects that interact with a magnet.
Materials: magnets, a goose cut out of foam plastic with a metal rod inserted into its beak; a bowl of water, a jar of jam, a jar of mustard; a wooden stick, on one end of which a magnet is attached and covered with cotton wool on top, and on the other - only cotton wool at the end; animal figurines on cardboard stands; a shoe box with one side cut off; paper clips; a magnet attached with tape to a pencil; a glass of water, small metal rods or a needle.
The magician shows the children pictures of animals and asks: “Can my animals move on their own?” (No.) The magician replaces these animals with pictures with paper clips attached to their bottom edges. Places the figures on the box and moves the magnet inside the box. Why did the animals start moving? Children look at the figures and see that there are paper clips attached to the stands. Children try to control animals. A magician “accidentally” drops a needle into a glass of water. How to get it without getting your hands wet? (Bring the magnet to the glass.) Children use a magnet to independently remove various objects from the water.
Drawing with magnets
Materials for the experiment: 2 disposable plates, paints of different colors, magnetic balls, magnets.
Children are asked to pour a little paint into a plate and move the balls with a magnet under the plate.
4. Making soap bubbles . Objective: to introduce children to the method of making soap bubbles, to the properties of liquid soap: it can stretch and form a film.
Materials: liquid soap, pieces of soap, a loop with a wire handle, cups, water, spoons, trays.
5. Mysterious pictures Task: show children that surrounding objects change color if you look at them through colored glasses.
Materials: colored glasses, worksheets, colored pencils. Children sketch “mysterious pictures” on a worksheet.
6. Magic glass . Objectives: introduce children to observation instruments - microscope, magnifying glass, telescope, telescope, binoculars; explain why a person needs them.
Materials: magnifying glasses, microscopes, various small objects, small seeds of fruits, vegetables, leaves of trees, plants, tree bark; binoculars, pictures of a spyglass, telescope.
7. Experiments with water and salt
Freeze the water, slightly tinted with paint, and inside there are figurines of sea creatures. Purpose: to defrost and help the inhabitants free themselves from ice. Sprinkle salt and the ice melts.
8. Experiments with sand. Why is an hourglass called an hourglass?
Goal: to identify the properties of sand and clay.
Materials: containers with dry sand and clay. Transparent cups; planks; magnifying glass; sieve; hourglass.
Conducting the experiment:
- Take cups, fill one cup with clay, the other with sand.
— Look at clay and sand through a magnifying glass, compare how they differ? (Sand consists of small grains of sand, clay consists of lumps.)
- Take sand in your hands and rub it. Take the clay and grind it. Let's explain what's happening. (Sand pours out of hand, clay kneads.)
- Pour sand on one side of the board, clay on the other side of the board. Compare clay and sand slides. (A hill made of sand is smooth, a hill made of clay is uneven.) Why (Grains of sand are smooth and hard; lumps of clay are uneven and soft.)
- Take sand, clay and sift through a sieve one by one. Compare how grains of sand and clay lumps pass through a sieve. (Grains of sand pass easily and quickly, lumps of clay pass poorly and slowly.)
To summarize:
The main property of sand is flowability.
The main property of clay is friability.
Why? Sand consists of small grains of sand. They are hard, round, and do not stick to each other. The sand is pouring down. Clay consists of clay particles. They are soft, uneven, stick to each other. Clay doesn't flow
Conclusion: only sand is suitable for an hourglass, which is why this clock is called an hourglass
The project method also has wide opportunities for educational and research activities. This is a special technology of integrated learning, the meaning of which is the independent activity of children - research, cognitive, productive, during which the child learns about the world around him and translates new knowledge into real products.
Children love to share news, and so the problem arises: how to satisfy the desires of all children. The topic of the project should be proposed by the children themselves, based on their interests and needs. In junior and middle groups, you need to guide children to choose a project topic. Choosing a topic and children's interests begins with the “three questions model”:
- What do you know?
- What do you want to know?
- What should be done in order to find out?
The specific result of the work can be a drawing, an application, a written fairy tale, a performance, a concert, etc. During the implementation of the project, children develop independence, activity, responsibility, a sense of trust in each other, and most importantly, an interest in knowledge.
As part of educational and research activities, you can propose the projects “Water Sorceress”, “Products that are healthy and not so healthy”, “Scented soap”, “Vegetable garden on the windowsill”.
For example, during the project “Products that are healthy and not so good,” children explore the harmful effects of Coca-Cola and chips on the human body. After all, information obtained with one’s own hands is remembered by the child firmly and for a long time. Through entertaining experiments, children satisfy their natural curiosity and cognitive activity.
During the “Scented Soap” project, children, through experiments, confirm the hypothesis that the properties of soap directly depend on its composition. Children, together with their parents, will be able to make soap with different compositions at home.
I consider close interaction with parents and their involvement in joint activities to be an integral part of the work on developing children’s cognitive activity. For this purpose, consultations, holidays and entertainment, involving parents in the implementation of joint child-parent projects, etc. Parents and students should be involved in creating a cognitive and developmental environment in the group, replenishing them with the necessary materials.
In the parent’s corner, you can create a permanent section in “Let’s Experiment!”, in which educators offer parents various forms of conducting experiments and experiments together with their children. For parents, you can create a card index of elementary experiences and experiments that can be done at home. For example, “Colored Ice” (ice can be seen not only in winter, but also at any other time of the year if water is frozen in the refrigerator). The result of this work can be interesting stories from children and parents about how they together made soap and paper at home, grew crystals, dyed fabric, and made colored pieces of ice.
It is necessary to develop booklets and instructions for parents: “What not to do and what to do to maintain children’s interest in experimenting,” “How to help a little researcher,” “Entertaining experiments in the kitchen.”
Childhood years are the most important and how they will pass depends on the parents and on us, teachers. It is very important to reveal to parents in a timely manner the developmental aspects of each child and recommend appropriate parenting techniques. Analyzing all of the above, we can conclude that specially organized research activities allow our students to obtain information about the objects or phenomena being studied, and the teacher to make the learning process as effective as possible and more fully satisfy the natural curiosity of preschoolers, developing their cognitive activity.
In conclusion, I would like to quote the words of K. E. Timiryazev: “People who have learned... observations and experiments acquire the ability to pose questions themselves and receive factual answers to them at a higher mental and moral level in comparison with those who have not gone through such a school.”
Bibliography:
- Babina N.V. 500 how and why for children. – M.: TC Sfera, 2012. – 96 p.
- Dybina O. V. What happened before...: Games-traveling into the past of objects. - M.: TC Sfera, 2011. - 160 p.
- Ivanova A.I. Living ecology. Environmental education program for preschoolers. – M.: TC Sfera, 2009. – 80 p.
- Kuznetsova A. E. The best educational games for children from 3 to 7 years old. – M.: LLC ID RIPOL CLASSIC, LLC publishing house Dom.XXI century, 2010. – 189 p.
- Marudova E.V. Familiarization of preschoolers with the world around them. Experimentation. – St. Petersburg: OOO publishing house Detstvo-press, 2013. – 128 p.
- Khabarova T.V. Pedagogical technologies in preschool education. – St. Petersburg: OOO publishing house Detstvo-press, 2012. – 80 p.
- Khabarova T.V., Shafigullina N.V. Planning lessons on ecology and pedagogical diagnostics of environmental education of preschoolers. – St. Petersburg: OOO publishing house Detstvo-press, 2010. – 128 p.
- Chernyakova V.N. Environmental work in preschool educational institutions. Toolkit. M.: TC Sfera, 2010. – 144 p.
- I go for a walk: Walking with children on a day off. A guide for parents. M.: Publishing House Karapuz, 2002. – 72 p.
Methods and means of implementing research activities
The level of development of older preschoolers allows them to express themselves in any of the considered types of cognitive and research activities. Gifted children are especially active in this direction. But every child can be stirred up, a spark of curiosity can be ignited in him and pushed towards a deeper comprehension of the surrounding reality.
There are two main forms of cognitive and research activity:
- The child is the source of activity. He sets a goal himself and strives to achieve it, satisfying his curiosity.
- The research process is organized by an adult, awakening interest and motivating knowledge. A preschooler learns to act.
Each of these forms is aimed at solving a single task: to help the child understand a problematic issue, firmly assimilate new knowledge and gain new experience.
Methods and techniques for organizing research activities of preschoolers vary from conversations to carrying out small projects to obtain a specific result. They are widely used in preschool educational institutions. Also perfect for home use.
Developmental conversations
When it comes to developmental conversations, the dialogue should motivate the child not only to receive ready-made information, but also to the desire to reflect, analyze and draw conclusions.
For example, a preschooler became interested in why hail suddenly fell in the middle of summer. There is no need to rush with explanations. Explain what each hailstone is, why drops of water freeze, and what happened in the atmosphere the day before. The child thinks, builds a logical chain and formulates his assumption. Some correction may be required, but the young researcher will already be able to draw a conclusion.
Or a child has heard a new word and wonders what it means. Let your son or daughter think about it, and only at the end comment and formulate the child’s thought more clearly.
Organization of observations
You can observe with your child living nature (animals, insects, plants), inanimate nature (seasonal changes and natural phenomena) and social life. When organizing observations, it is necessary to determine:
- observation location (park, meadow, pond, urban environment);
- object of observation (plant, animal, inanimate object).
If necessary, prepare and take with you special instruments (magnifying glass, thermometer, etc.) or items (bird food, brushes, etc.).
Summer weather conditions contribute to the cognitive and research activities of preschool children. The organization of observations at this time of year is aimed both at strengthening the child’s health and at creating conditions in which he could prove himself as an inquisitive researcher of the world around him.
You can organize observation at home. For example, growing onions. Game motivation works well: let’s set up a garden bed on the windowsill.
The child, with the help of an adult, pours water into cups, “plants” bulbs in them and places them on the windowsill. Joint observation of the bulbs is carried out for several days. You can keep an “Observation Sheet” and record changes using sketches. When the onion arrows are long enough, you can cut them off and crumble them into your child’s soup. He will be happy to try vitamins from his own garden.
Experiences and Experiments
In order for transformations in the world around them not only to be noticed by the child, but also to become an impetus for the development of his thinking, the preschooler must, while performing the task, be in the position of not a spectator, but a researcher. Therefore, it is so important that adults organize and conduct experiments and experiments together with the child.
The most interesting experiments are experiments with objects. The well-known experiment “Drowning or not drowning” will require simple equipment: a bowl of water, several objects from different materials (a feather, a nail, a plastic ball, a clothespin, a bead, a piece of paper, etc.).
During the experiment, the child must distribute objects according to the criterion “drowning or not drowning”:
- Sinks immediately;
- Sinks after getting wet;
- Doesn't sink.
The preschooler independently checks the “buoyancy” of each object. A preliminary inspection and tactile examination of objects will indicate what qualities of objects affect the result of interaction with water.
Involvement in projects
In modern kindergartens, the method of project activities is widely used. Basically, three types of projects are addressed:
- research (study of certain phenomena);
- creative (creating a creative product);
- normative (joint creation of a set of rules).
The organization of project-based cognitive and research activities allows children to be included in a common cause and create a joint creative product.
You can just as easily organize a project at home for your children or for a child and his friends.
For example, get excited about creating a general drawing on a large sheet of paper. And at the same time, you can jointly prepare unusual, magical paints (based on flour, salt and gouache). It is convenient to apply such paints onto the sheet directly by hand, which is extremely attractive to children.
Organization of cognitive and research activities of children of senior preschool age
Organization of cognitive and research activities of children of senior preschool age
Senior teacher
MBDOU d/s No. 7, Alagir
Tabolova Z.M.
The development of a preschool child largely depends on the variety of activities that he masters in the process of partnership with an adult. These are gaming activities, cognitive-research, productive activities, communicative activities, perception of fiction, and work activities.
Of course, a child learns about the world in the process of any of his activities. But it is precisely in cognitive and research activities that a preschooler gets the opportunity to directly satisfy his inherent curiosity.
Cognitive-research activity is a form of child activity aimed at learning the properties and connections of objects and phenomena, mastering methods of cognition, contributing to the formation of a holistic picture of the world.
“Modern education no longer requires a simple fragmented inclusion of research teaching methods in educational practice, but targeted work on the development of research abilities, specially organized training of children in research skills. The main feature of research teaching is to intensify the educational work of children, giving it a research, creative character, and, thus, transfer to students the initiative in organizing their cognitive activity” (A.I. Savenkov).
Cognitive and research activities of children in kindergarten are specially organized activities that allow the child, under the guidance of a teacher or independently, to obtain information and master ideas about a particular subject, object, physical or natural phenomenon. In the context of the Federal State Educational Standard of preschool education, cognitive development involves the development of children's interests, curiosity and cognitive motivation; formation of cognitive actions; development of imagination and creative activity, the formation of primary ideas about oneself, other people, objects of the surrounding world, the properties and relationships of objects of the surrounding world, organization of activities in the form of partnership activities with an adult, where children have the opportunity to demonstrate their own cognitive activity.
During cognitive and research activities, students become familiar with various ways of knowing, which allows them to stimulate interest in independent study of the world.
It is recommended to include the following types of activities in the system of cognitive and research interaction in kindergarten:
- observations (research work on the site, getting to know the habits of pets in a corner of nature, etc.);
- conducting experiments (seed germination, turning water into steam or ice, properties of a magnet, properties of soil and minerals, etc.);
- collective solution of problem situations, entertaining puzzles;
- watching cartoons or videos with educational content followed by discussion;
- work with visual thematic materials (examination of illustrations, photographs, albums, drawings, diagrams);
- design of thematic exhibitions;
- collecting collections (for example, collections of unusual toys, collections of postcards, plants, etc.);
- acting out fantasy journeys across countries and continents, during which preschoolers learn about the traditions of different nationalities, differences in climate and way of living;
- search and research projects (“Water is life”, “Unusual properties of a magnet”, “The history of my family”, “Where do books come from”, “What is in your name...”, “Earth is our common home”, “New Year’s story” toys”, “These amazing stones”).
The main advantage of research activity is that it gives children real ideas about the various aspects of the object being studied, about its relationships with other objects and with the environment. The need to give an account of what was seen, to formulate discovered patterns and conclusions stimulates the development of children's speech. It is impossible not to note the positive impact of the study on the emotional sphere of the child and on the development of his creative abilities.
The cognitive-research activity of a preschooler in its natural form manifests itself in the form of so-called children's experimentation with objects and in the form of verbal exploration of questions asked to an adult (why, why, how?).
And the task of teachers is not to suppress children’s emotions and curiosity, but to rely on them, to saturate the lives of children with various events that are significant to them. The more diverse and intense the research activity, the more new information the child receives, the faster and more fully he develops.
Satisfying his curiosity in the process of active cognitive and research activity, the child, on the one hand, expands his ideas about the world, on the other hand, masters the fundamental cultural forms of ordering experience: cause-and-effect, generic, spatial and temporal relationships that allow linking individual ideas into a holistic picture of the world.
Consequently, the more varied and intense the research activity, the more new information the child receives, the faster and more fully he develops.
The teacher uses a variety of techniques to increase the child’s activity in cognitive and research activities:
- provides interest in the upcoming activity through motivation, imagery, emotionality, significance and the need for everyone to participate in the activity;
- stimulates the child’s exploratory behavior while searching for a way to do it (“How?”, “What will you learn from this?”);
- discusses with children possible options for searching, predicting the course and result (“If so, then...”, “What will change if...”);
- helps to draw up an algorithm, clarify rules and restrictions (schemes, signs);
- uses techniques for developing creative imagination and creative pedagogy.
Children of senior preschool age actively strive to learn as much as possible about the world around them. And experimental activities are capable of mobilizing the strength of preschool children in the knowledge of reality, in the independent disclosure of its connections, relationships, and patterns. This has a positive effect on speech development, the ability to construct complex sentences, and draw conclusions.
Through cognitive and research activities, preschoolers have the opportunity to directly satisfy their inherent curiosity and organize their ideas about the world. Education should contain elements of independent research activity, it should be “problematic” and built as an independent creative search, and the use of research teaching methods in the classroom will help the teacher captivate, interest, and awaken a thirst for knowledge in every child.
You cannot blame your child for failures or spoiled material. It’s important to figure out why it didn’t work out. It is important to listen to the child and hear his thoughts and opinions.
Some children are characterized by laziness of thought: they do not want to think. It is for this reason that they often refuse to complete a task with the words: “I don’t know, I don’t know how.” At the same time, with the participation of adults, they are quite capable of doing what is offered to them. Don't give them ready-made answers, and help them find ways to act. It is better to encourage children to explore. Entertaining tasks, riddles, feasible puzzles, educational games and exercises are useful for its development.
Algorithm of actions for carrying out research activities (according to A.I. Savenkov):
1. Identifying a problem that can be investigated and that would like to be resolved. The main quality of any researcher is to be able to find something unusual in the ordinary, to see complexities and contradictions where everything seems familiar, clear and simple to others.
2. Selecting a research topic. Research is a process of selfless search for the unknown, new knowledge.
3. Determining the purpose of the research (finding the answer to the question of why the research is being conducted). Approximate formulations of research objectives usually begin with the words: identify, study, determine...
4. Determination of research objectives (main steps of the research direction).
5. Proposition of a hypothesis (assumption, guess, unproven logically and not confirmed by experience). A hypothesis is an attempt to predict events. It is important to learn to develop hypotheses according to the principle “the more, the better” (hypotheses make it possible to see a problem in a different light, to look at the situation from a different perspective).
6. Drawing up a preliminary research plan. In order to create a research plan, we need to answer the question: “How can we learn something new about what we are researching?”
7. Conduct an experiment (experience), observation, test hypotheses, draw conclusions.
8. Indicate possible ways to further study the problem. For a true creator, the completion of one work is not just the end of research, it is the beginning of the next one.
The content of experimental activities is built from four blocks of the pedagogical process:
1. Directly organized activities with children (planned events).
2. Joint activities with children (observations, work, artistic creativity).
3. Independent activity of children (work in an experimental corner).
4. Joint work with parents (participation in various research projects).
During the experiment:
- children get real ideas about the various aspects of the object being studied, about its relationships with other objects and with the environment;
- the child’s memory is enriched, his thought processes are activated, as the need constantly arises to perform operations of analysis and synthesis, comparison and classification;
— the child’s speech develops, since the preschooler needs to give an account of what he saw, draw conclusions and generalizations.
One of the effective methods of cognitive-research teaching of preschoolers is the project method.
The use of the project method in cognitive research activities contributes to the development of the child as an independent and proactive subject of cognition. Project activity is a partnership activity between an adult and a child, which unfolds as a study of things and phenomena in the surrounding world, accessible and attractive to children, because they get the opportunity to demonstrate their own research activity, and not act as a passive listener. The knowledge acquired by children during the project becomes the property of their personal experience.
ON THE. Ryzhova identifies three main stages in an educational research project:
1st - preparatory: setting goals and objectives, determining research methods, preliminary work with teachers, children and their parents, choosing equipment and materials;
2nd - research (main): searching for answers to the questions posed in different ways;
3rd - generalizing (final): generalizing the results of the work in a variety of forms, analyzing them, consolidating the acquired knowledge, formulating conclusions and drawing up recommendations, presenting the results.
The presentation of the project results can be in any form that is interesting for children: an exhibition, a mini-museum, baby books, entertainment, a holiday, dramatization of a fairy tale, a quiz, etc.
The teacher in the kindergarten group is faced with the task of creating conditions and providing active assistance in the cognitive and research activities of children. For this purpose, experimentation corners are created in the group.
The experimentation corner includes:
1. Didactic material: diagrams, tables, models with algorithms for performing experiments; a series of paintings depicting various objects; educational books, atlases; thematic albums; collections.
2. Equipment:
- microscopes, magnifying glasses, hourglass, magnet, mirror, strainer, funnel, measuring cup;
— natural material: stones, tree leaves, moss, seeds, cones, shells, different types of soil (sand, clay), etc.;
- waste material: wire, pieces of leather, fur, fabric, plastic, wood, cork, rubber, etc.;
— different types of paper: plain, cardboard, sandpaper, copy paper, etc.;
— dyes: food and non-food (gouache, watercolors, etc.);
— medical materials: pipettes with rounded ends, flasks, test tubes, wooden sticks, measuring spoons, rubber bulbs, syringes without needles;
— other materials: balloons, butter, flour, salt, sugar, cereals, etc.;
- oilcloth aprons, rubber gloves, rags.
3. Stimulating material: a character on whose behalf a problematic situation is modeled, cue cards, mini-stands, children’s personal notebooks for recording the results of experiments.
When setting up an experimentation corner, the following requirements are taken into account:
- safety for the life and health of children;
- sufficiency (content-rich);
- accessibility of location.
The material for conducting experiments in the experimentation corner changes in accordance with the work plan.
Used Books:
- Veraksa N.E., Galimov O.R.
Cognitive and research activities of preschool children. M., 2014.
- Ryzhova N.A.
Ecological project “My Tree”. M., “Karapuz-Didactics”, Sphere shopping center, 2006.
- Solomennikova O.A.
Introduction to nature in kindergarten. M., 2015.
- Kulikovskaya I.E., Sovgir N.N.
Children's experimentation, M., 2003.
- Tugusheva G.P., Chistyakova A.E.
Experimental activities of children of middle and senior preschool age, 2007
- Savenkov A.I.
Child research as a method of teaching older preschoolers. Lectures 5-8.-M.: Pedagogical University “First of September”, 2007.
- Korotkova T.A.
Cognitive and research activities of an older preschool child in kindergarten. “Preschool education” - 2003 - No. 3.
- “Organization of experimental activities of preschool children”: Methodological recommendations / ed. Prokhorova L.N. – M.: “Arkti”, 2004.
Development of research skills in preschool children
The development of a child’s research abilities largely depends on the position of adults. After all, children themselves are not able to fully organize their activities and evaluate the results obtained.
Therefore, adults should motivate children to complete interesting tasks, stimulate non-standard and interesting solutions, and help the child evaluate the level of the proposed solutions.
At the same time, it is necessary to provide maximum opportunities for independent action and support the initiative of the preschooler.
Activation of cognitive interest
Despite the fact that children have a natural need for knowledge, their interest and search activity must be stimulated. To do this, you can use tasks to develop the skills of thinking originally, seeing problems, and reasoning from different points of view.
Exercises and tasks for this purpose are varied. Here are just a few of them:
- Write a story on behalf of Kolobok (the hero can be anyone);
- Come up with several answers to heuristic questions (Why do birds sing?);
- Exercises to develop the ability to ask questions (“Ask questions to the funny bunny in the picture to find out about him”);
- Conduct a thought experiment (“What would happen if all people became giants?”);
- Experiments with real objects in order to identify new properties (with water, paints, a ray of light, plastic, fabric);
- Games for the development of thinking (“Sequential pictures”, “Fairy tales” and others).
Encouraging child independence
Research and search activities will bring little benefit to a preschooler if he is only an observer. It is not enough that the child just performs the actions. It is important that he sets goals on his own, what he wants to check, learn, understand. And having identified a goal, he acted in accordance with it.
In order to consistently develop the child’s independence, parents need to adhere to the following rules:
- Create an environment in your home that encourages your child's independence.
- Give us the opportunity to solve small problem situations.
- Maintain interest in the activity.
- Measure your level of activity in joint activities with your child.
- Don't blame yourself for failures. Explore their reasons together.
- Praise your child for success. It is very important!
The influence of cognitive research activities on the formation of readiness for school
Involving a preschooler in cognitive and research activities gives him a good foundation for his upcoming schooling. This type of activity ensures a strong assimilation of knowledge and develops the desire to learn new things.
The child learns to formulate goals, reason logically, adhere to an algorithm in actions, control steps, and evaluate the results obtained. All of the above permeates educational activities at school.
In addition, search efforts form voluntary attention and influence the development of volitional qualities of a preschooler. The child has to repeat experiments, return to observations in order to find answers to problematic questions.
Thus, a cognitive-exploratory attitude towards the world around us comprehensively develops a preschooler and increases his readiness for learning at school.
