The structure of the play activity of a preschool child
The main structural elements of play activity (games) of a preschool child are as follows.
Game intent is a general definition of what children plan to play.
The game concept consists of game content (plot) and role. They are the core of the entire game. Children establish the content of the game and the distribution of roles through verbal interaction.
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Depending on the game concept, games are divided into groups reflecting everyday, creative and social activities, as well as traditions and holidays.
The content of the game (plot) is what is the basis of the game itself, which determines the development and variety of game actions.
It is the content of the game that attracts children and encourages them to play actions. When choosing a game for themselves, children are primarily guided by its content. Some people like games with an adventure plot, others like everyday games, etc.
A role is a certain image that a child embodies in a game.
Based on the content of the game, the child chooses for himself the role that he likes most and which he strives to play. Role-playing helps children “try on” various social images, “penetrate” the world of adults, etc. If the content and role are close to the child “in spirit” and meet his interests and needs, then he can play this game every day.
Game rules are certain norms observed by children during gaming activities, the progress and development of the game depends on the accuracy of their implementation.
Finished works on a similar topic
Course work Theory and methodology for the development of play activity of a preschooler 420 ₽ Abstract Theory and methodology for the development of play activity of a preschooler 270 ₽ Examination Theory and methodology for the development of play activity of a preschooler 240 ₽
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The presence of content (plot) and roles in the game necessitates the establishment of certain rules that allow the game to be stable, develop and gradually become more complex. In this case, the game brings preschool children not only joy, but also contributes to their development, their acquisition of various knowledge, skills and abilities.
The rules can be established by children independently, if the game arises spontaneously, it is invented by children, or some already known game is taken as a basis. Children, setting their own rules, discuss and discuss them in advance, and only after that they begin to play. In addition, the rules can be announced to children by adults (teachers) when they are still learning to play. It should be noted that a number of games imply strict adherence to the rules, since the course of the game depends on their implementation, and in some games the rules can be changed by children independently and this will not negatively affect the game.
Game items are attributes that are used to perform game actions.
Toys or substitute objects can act as play items. Substitute objects have a special role in the development of a preschool child, which contribute to the development of the child’s imagination and thinking.
The real relationships between the participants in the game are the relationships that are established between children in real life; not only the success of the game, but also its occurrence depends on them.
If friendly relationships are established between children, then children easily and naturally engage in play activities, independently distribute roles and set rules. If there are no friendly relationships between children, then the spontaneous emergence of play between them is not possible, since there are no common interests and aspirations.
Game as a leading activity in the social and personal development of preschool children
...Let the children play while the game pleases them, attracts them and at the same time brings them enormous benefit!
E. A. Pokrovsky
Preschool age is the period when a child enters the world of social relationships through communication. And the child enters there through real and playful relationships with adults and peers. Since the leading activity in preschool age is play, the child’s socialization occurs in play activities. Parents, children, adults, i.e. those people who surround him in everyday life, participate in the formation of a child’s social experience. The task of a modern preschool institution is to ensure that pupils emerge from its walls not only with a certain stock of knowledge, skills and abilities, but also independent people with a certain set of moral qualities.
In the context of the implementation of the federal 8000 state educational standard, children are taught through play, since play is the main content of the life of a preschool child and is his activity. It activates the child’s mind and will, deeply affects his feelings, increases the vital activity of the body, and promotes physical development. Play is necessary for a child to grow up healthy, cheerful and strong. In play, a child develops as a personality, he develops those aspects of his psyche on which the success of his social practice will subsequently depend.
The preschool education standard puts forward a number of requirements for the social and personal development of its pupils. These requirements include:
- development of a child’s positive attitude towards himself and the world around him;
- creating conditions for the child to develop a positive sense of self - confidence in his abilities, that he is good, that he is loved;
- formation in the child of self-esteem, awareness of his rights and freedoms (For example, the right to have his own opinion, choose friends, toys, activities, have personal belongings, use personal time at his own discretion);
- nurturing a child’s positive attitude towards people around him - respect and tolerance for children and adults, regardless of social origin, race and nationality, language, religion, gender, age, personal and behavioral identity, respect for the self-esteem of other people, their opinions, desires, views;
- introducing children to the values of cooperation with other people: providing assistance in recognizing the need of people for each other, planning joint work, subordination and control of their desires, coordinating opinions and actions with partners in activities;
- developing in children a sense of responsibility for another person, a common cause, a given word;
- creating the child’s communicative competence - recognizing the emotional experiences and states of others, expressing one’s own experiences;
- developing social skills in children: mastering various ways to resolve conflict situations, the ability to negotiate, take turns, and establish new contacts.
The main methods of social and personal development of preschool children are:
- organization of life and play developmental situations that provide children with the opportunity to learn the experience of behavior and friendly attitude towards peers and close adults;
- performances with toys, showing children examples of correct behavior and relationships in kindergarten and in the family;
- communication and joint activities with the teacher as a means of establishing trust, enriching social ideas and interaction experience;
- observation of the actions and relationships of adults in kindergarten (For example, a cook, nanny, doctor, janitor, teacher);
- figurative imitation games, round dances, theatrical games for the development of emotional responsiveness and the joy of communicating with peers;
- reading poems, nursery rhymes, fairy tales on the themes of kindness, love for parents, caring for animals, etc.;
- examination of plot pictures, illustrations in order to enrich social ideas about people (adults and children, orientation in the immediate environment (in the preschool group and in the family);
- story games that unite children with a common plot, playful actions, and the joy of reflecting the roles of adults (doctor, salesman, hairdresser, sailor).
Through play, the child gets acquainted with the relationships of people, various professions, and tries himself in different social roles. However, watching children play, you will notice that not all children know how to play. It seems incredible, but it is true. The main obstacle to the development of independent play is improper upbringing at an early age. Not accustomed to acting independently, the child needs the help of adults when faced with the most minor difficulties. The second obstacle to the development of games is unfavorable living conditions, when the child is isolated from others.
When working with children, each teacher uses different types of games.
Types of games for child development
- outdoor games,
- role-playing games,
- Board games,
- didactic games,
- theatrical games, etc.
Outdoor games enter a child’s life very early. A growing body constantly requires active movements. All children, without exception, love to play with a ball, a jump rope, or any objects that they can adapt to the game. All outdoor games develop both the child’s physical health and his intellectual abilities. In addition to being of interest to the child, they also provide health benefits and emotional and mental release. In addition, outdoor games teach children initiative and independence, overcoming difficulties - developing reflection and will in them.
Thus, the specificity of outdoor games is that their use gives not only physical, but also emotional satisfaction. These games create great opportunities for children to show initiative and creativity, since in addition to the richness and variety of movements provided for by the rules, children have the freedom to use them in various gaming situations.
Role-playing games are an excellent training ground for preparing a child for life in society. In each game, regardless of whether the child plays alone or with other participants in the game, he performs certain roles. While playing, the child takes on a certain role and performs the actions of the hero of the game, carrying out actions inherent in this character.
In the game, it is necessary to ensure that arrogance does not appear, and the power of team roles does not appear to be excessive over secondary ones. Insubordination in a game can ruin the game. It is necessary to ensure that the role has an action. A role without action is dead; the child will leave the game if he has nothing to do. The most convincing game can become uninteresting for those guys who find themselves out of work. Interest is determined by the opportunities that are provided to the child in playing a role. Negative roles cannot be used in the game; they are acceptable only in humorous situations.
The distribution of roles is very important for a child. Playing out all sorts of roles will help children cope with difficulties. The older the child, the more carefully he monitors the fair distribution of roles, and the more purposefully he chooses roles for himself. The child, as a rule, takes on roles corresponding to his gender. If he plays alone, then these roles express the type of adult behavior seen by the child. If it is a boy, then he drives a car, builds a house, comes home from work, etc. If a girl plays, then she chooses the role of mother, doctor, teacher. If we are talking about group games, then a child of three years old does not particularly share the gender of the playing role and the boy happily plays the role of mother or teacher.
Board and printed games are games of low mobility, but are more aimed at developing the processes of thinking, memory, and imagination. All of them are colorful and attractive for kids. These are games such as “Loto”, “Mosaics”, “Dominoes”, etc.
Didactic games are intended for children who participate in the educational process. They are used by teachers as a means of teaching and education. Considering the fact that the didactic game is aimed primarily at the mental development of the child, we must not forget that its benefits depend on how much joy its solution brings to the child.
Didactic games act as a means of comprehensive education of a child’s personality. With the help of didactic games, children are taught to think independently and use the acquired knowledge in various conditions in accordance with the task. Many didactic games set children the task of rationally using existing knowledge in mental operations: finding characteristic features in objects and phenomena of the surrounding world; compare, group, classify objects according to certain criteria, draw correct conclusions, generalizations.
When organizing didactic games that promote the social and personal development of a child with children, the teacher is given the following tasks:
— teach children to build trusting, partnerships with peers in the process of playful communication;
- develop the ability to understand, listen and hear each other;
- develop the ability to argue your point of view, your statements;
— to cultivate in children a desire to communicate with peers, while learning some general rules of behavior;
— help children understand that playing together is more interesting.
Director's play is a children's play activity, which is richer and more varied the more interesting the child's real life is, the more extensive his information about the world around him. Director's games in which the child makes dolls speak and perform various actions, acting both for themselves and for the doll. Director's play is the most important factor in the socialization of a preschooler.
Dramatization games are created based on a ready-made plot from a literary work or theatrical performance. The game plan and sequence of actions are determined in advance. This game is more difficult for children. Dramatization games help children better understand the idea of a work, feel its artistic value, and have a positive effect on the development of expressive speech and movements.
When working with children, fairy tales of a social nature are used, in the process of telling which children learn that they need to find friends, that being alone can be boring and sad (the fairy tale “How a Truck Was Looking for a Friend”); that you need to be polite, be able to communicate using not only verbal, but also non-verbal means of communication (“The Tale of the Ill-mannered Mouse”).
In work on the social and personal development of a child in play, no small importance is given to interaction with parents. Parents are given recommendations and advice on how to conduct and organize games at home between their children and together with them.
How should an adult behave in play activities in which a child is involved?
The extent to which a child discovers new life situations through play largely depends on the behavior of adults. While playing, an adult introduces into the world of play the necessary norms of social life necessary to enhance the child’s social experience.
Each child is a separate world, with its own rules of behavior, with its own set of laws. Helping children find themselves in the world and peace within themselves is our main adult task.
In conclusion, I would like to note that an indicator of properly organized children’s play is their good mood, varied use of acquired skills, and positive relationships. It is in play, together with adults, that a child acquires useful skills necessary for life in society.
Literature:
1. Aleshina N.V. Familiarization of preschoolers with the environment and social reality. M.: TsGI, 2003.
2. Davydova V. Through the game to the socialization of the individual. // Education of preschool children, 2001. No. 9. P.30.
3. Mikhailenko N., Korotkova N. The role of play in the organization of child behavior.// Preschool education. 2011. No. 9.
4. Flerina E. A. Game and toy. M., 2007.
5. Development of social confidence in preschoolers. A manual for preschool teachers. institutions. M.: Humanite. ed. VLADOS Center, 2003.
The structure of the game and the stages of its development.
Section 1. Theoretical and methodological foundations of play activities for children of early and preschool age
Psychological and pedagogical substantiation of the essence of the game and its development in childhood
Children's play is the activity of a child in a conditional (imaginary, imaginary) situation. The motive for such activity lies within itself, that is, the child plays not for the sake of some external result or effect, but because he wants to play. As soon as this motive changes, the game ceases to be a game.
Play arises from the child's living conditions in society and reflects these conditions. In it, “primary orientation in the meanings of human activity occurs, a special knowledge of one’s limited place in the system of relations among adults and the need to be an adult arise.” (D.B. Elkonin)
From early childhood, adults introduce the child to the surrounding reality and, in the process of communication, convey to him certain experience and knowledge regarding actions with objects and relationships with people. Consolidation of elementary experience and reflection of first ideas occurs in the game, which is extremely important for the full development of preschool children.
In the works of L.S. Vygotsky (1896–1934), play is already recognized as a leading activity, that is, determining the development of a child. At what point does it appear and when does it become the leading activity? A young child can only learn something by actually touching, tasting, and experiencing it. Actions “in the mind” are not yet available to him, but the younger schoolchild is already capable of them. Where does this “mind” come from and when does it arise, or, in scientific terms, the internal plan of activity? It is formed precisely in the game and through the game! The initially developed play actions are replaced by a gesture, then by a word, and then begin to be carried out entirely in the mind (fantasy play). In addition, only in a game the meaning of an object is divorced from the thing itself. All other activities of the child are real. And in the game you can only act by the meaning, and not by the object itself. The ideal and the material are separated. An ideal action arises, the foundations of theoretical thinking are born, and (according to A.V. Zaporozhets) the ground floor of the general building of human thinking is laid. This is the main significance of the game for the mental development of children .
One of the largest game researchers of our time, S.L. Novoselova, gave both a very figurative and very precise definition: a game is “a form of practical reflection by a child about the reality around him,” which is “a genetic prototype of an adult’s theoretical thought.” . In the game practically, that is, in action, the whole world becomes available. A preschooler cannot drive a car, let alone a spaceship, get into the jungle or the North Pole overnight, and even more so, find himself in the past or future. All this is possible in the game.
Play is of enduring importance for the social development of a child; it is in play that he tries on role behavior and begins to understand many of the nuances of human behavior. He learns to subordinate his behavior to certain rules, this means that without full-fledged play he will not develop such an important quality as the arbitrariness of his activities. According to the famous psychologist L.I. Bozhovich, play is the mechanism that translates the demands of an adult into the needs of the child himself. But play is not only the practical development of “future” adult relationships as a result of playing one’s role well. In the process of gaming activity, real interaction with a peer is built: the ability to negotiate, listen to the other, sometimes compromise, sometimes insist on one’s own so that the game can continue, and most importantly, that it be interesting and exciting for everyone!
There are other extremely important properties that are formed in a preschooler’s amateur play - activity and initiative. To maintain an interesting, exciting game, a child needs to use all his imagination, be able to play with any little thing, in case of difficulty, find a way out of any situation, model and experience in action 8000 different variants of the situation. A child who has gained experience of such a variable approach to different problems in play easily transfers it to other types of activities, and the “underplayed” one is very often truly afraid of making a mistake.
Unfortunately, educators do not always pay due attention to gaming activities, and many parents simply do not know about the developmental potential of the game and its role in the life of preschool children, often giving greater preference to foreign languages, reading, writing, rhetoric and even philosophy. Indeed, the more a child knows and can do, the more favorable conditions he will be in comparison with his peers. However, we can teach a child as much and as much as we want, but what of this will be learned?
Vygotsky L.S., who was called the Mozart of psychology (he very accurately anticipated many things that were later confirmed experimentally), said that if a young child is incapable of learning according to an adult’s program, then a schoolchild is fully capable of it. A preschooler is able to learn according to an adult’s program only to the extent that this program becomes his own.
What is the role of play here?
The game form makes many tasks for the child interesting and understandable, which is often used in didactics, but, oddly enough, this is not the main thing. Firstly, in amateur children's play , which arises on the initiative of the child himself, those mental qualities are formed without which learning will simply be impossible. Secondly, in the game, children get the opportunity to use the acquired knowledge in practice, and therefore truly assimilate and understand it. Without such practical testing, any knowledge becomes abstract, unnecessary and quickly forgotten. For the development of a preschooler, those games that come from him, his own initiative, the plot of which he invents himself - role-playing or director's - are important. It is in them that general development occurs to the greatest extent, and not where any individual functions are exercised.
They do not appear out of nowhere. Any other games in which an adult is the initiator are grist to the mill for the development of amateur play. It is important that the child masters the gaming culture in all its diversity: in early and early preschool age, these are plot-based games (the child repeats what he sees around), then amateur plot games appear (the child turns to plots that are interesting to him, invents themselves), by older preschool age games with rules are added here. One should not underestimate such types of games as leisure, active, experimental games, and various folk games. A good children's game is an emotionally rich action in which the child is completely immersed. The wider the range of events and phenomena displayed in the game, the better. So, if the youngest preschooler willingly plays in the store and clinic, in the family and kindergarten, then the games of older preschoolers are much more exciting, they are associated with travel, adventures and exploits. Gradually, the game acquires a “multi-aspect” character: the child not only invents and develops a plot (this can happen over a fairly long period of time: from several days to several weeks and even months), but also actively includes in his game everything that, in one way or another otherwise, it affects him (new knowledge, new objects, new characters). He actively constructs the subject environment of his game (if we are talking about a director's game) or some of its attributes (if the game is a role-playing game). Here the game is so closely linked with productive activities that it is almost impossible to distinguish between them. Visual activity and creative work become truly motivated - significant for the child himself, enriching his skills and generalizing his experience, and the process of creating toys, although it slows down the play action in time, often opens up new opportunities for constructing a plot.
Game is the most powerful sphere of a person’s “self”: self-expression, self-determination, self-test, self-rehabilitation, self-realization. Thanks to games, a child learns to trust himself and all people, to recognize what should be accepted, what should be accepted, and what should be rejected in the world around him.
It’s not for nothing that the game is called the queen of childhood. The famous scientist E. Berne said that he views the entire process of raising a child as learning what games to play and how to play them.
Game is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. The following functions can be distinguished:
The educational function is the development of general educational skills and abilities, such as memory, attention, perception, etc.
The entertainment function is creating a favorable atmosphere in the classroom, transforming a lesson and other forms of communication between an adult and a child from a boring event into an exciting adventure.
The communicative function is to unite children and adults, establish emotional contacts, and develop communication skills.
Relaxation function – relieving emotional (physical) stress caused by the load on the child’s nervous system during intensive study and work.
Psychotechnical function - the formation of skills to prepare one’s psychophysical state for more effective activity, the restructuring of the psyche for intensive assimilation.
The function of self-expression is the child’s desire to realize his creative abilities in play and to more fully reveal his potential.
The compensatory function is the creation of conditions for satisfying personal aspirations that are impossible (difficult to achieve) in real life.
There are different types of games typical for children. These are outdoor games (games with rules), didactic games, dramatization games, constructive games . Creative or role-playing are of particular importance for the development of children aged 2 to 7 years . They are characterized by the following features:
1. The game is a form of active reflection by the child of the people around him.
2. A distinctive feature of the game is the very method that the child uses in this activity. Play is carried out through complex actions, rather than individual movements (as, for example, in labor, writing, drawing).
3. The game, like any other human activity, has a social character, so it changes with changes in the historical conditions of people's lives.
4. Play is a form of creative reflection of reality by a child. While playing, children bring a lot of their own inventions, imaginations, and combinations into their games.
5. Play is the manipulation of knowledge, a means of clarifying and enriching it, a way of exercise, and the development of the child’s cognitive and moral abilities and strengths.
6. In its expanded form, the game is a collective activity. All participants in the game are in a cooperative relationship.
The structure of the game and the stages of its development.
The main structural elements of the game are: the game concept, plot or content; game actions; roles; rules that are dictated by the game itself and are created by children or proposed by adults. These elements are closely interrelated.
Game design is a general definition of what and how children will play. It is formulated in speech, reflected in the game actions themselves, formalized in the game content and is the core of the game. According to the game concept, the games can be divided into groups: those reflecting everyday phenomena (games of “family”, “kindergarten”, “clinic”, etc.); reflecting creative work (construction of the metro, construction of houses...); reflecting social events, traditions (holidays, meeting guests, travel, etc.). This division of them, of course, is conditional, since the game can include a reflection of various life phenomena.
The plot, the content of the game is what makes up its living fabric, determines the development, diversity and interconnection of game actions, and the relationships between children. The content of the game makes it attractive, arouses interest and desire to play.
The structural feature and center of the game is the role played by the child. Based on the significance of the role in the game process, many of the games are called role-playing or role-playing. The role is always related to a person or an animal; his imaginary actions, actions, relationships. The child, entering their image, plays a certain role. But the preschooler does not just play this role, he lives in the image and believes in its truthfulness. Depicting, for example, a captain on a ship, he does not reflect all of his activities, but only those features that are necessary during the course of the game: the captain gives commands, looks through binoculars, takes care of passengers and sailors. During the game, the children themselves (and in some games, adults) establish rules that define and regulate the behavior and relationships of the players. They give games organization and stability, consolidate their content and determine further development, the complication of relationships and relationships.
The role is realized in play actions , which initially reproduce real actions, but as the child develops, they become increasingly generalized and abbreviated while maintaining the logic and sequence of their implementation. In the future, they can move to the internal plane through the stage of their speech performance (the child no longer acts with a game object, but talks about the action).
The playful use of objects can be realized both in the form of the use of figurative toys (objects that are a small copy of real things, specially created by society to organize a child’s play), and in the form of replacing some objects with others (with appropriate renaming). Substitution is the most important characteristic of a role-playing game.
And finally, another component of the structure of a role-playing game is the real relationship between playing children as partners in joint play activities. The functions of real relationships include planning the plot of games, distributing roles, game items, monitoring the development of the plot and the fulfillment of roles by peer partners, and their correction. If play relationships are determined by the content of the roles children perform, then their real relationships depend on the characteristics of personal development.
All of these structural game elements are more or less typical, but they have different meanings and are related differently in different types of games.
How does play develop throughout preschool childhood?
The famous psychologist D.B. Elkonin (1978) linked the development of play with the dynamics of child development. The development of play in children goes through four stages.
First stage . The main content of the game is actions with objects. They are carried out in a certain sequence, although this sequence is often disrupted. The chain of actions is plot-based. The main subjects are everyday ones. The actions are monotonous and often repeated. The roles have not yet been designated. At the first stage of role-playing play, preschoolers willingly play with adults. Independent play is short-lived. As a rule, the stimulus for the emergence of a game is a toy or a substitute item previously used in the game.
Second phase. As at the first level, the main content of the game is actions with an object. However, now these actions unfold sequentially, in accordance with the role, which is already denoted by the word. The sequence of actions becomes the rule. The first interaction between the participants occurs based on the use of a common toy. Associations of players are short-lived. The main subjects are everyday ones. The game is repeated many times. Children use the same toys – their favorite ones. The game involves 2-3 people.
Third stage. The main content of the game is still actions with objects. However, they are complemented by actions aimed at establishing contacts with playing partners. Roles are clearly defined and assigned before the game begins. Toys and objects are selected (most often during the game) in accordance with the role. The logic, nature of actions and their direction are determined by the role and become the basic rule. The game often proceeds as a joint game, although interaction is interspersed with parallel actions of partners who are not related to each other and are not correlated with the role. The duration of the game increases. The plots become more diverse: children reflect in the game not only everyday life, but also the work of adults, vibrant social phenomena.
Fourth stage. The main content of the game is a reflection of the relationships and interactions of adults with each other. The themes of the games are varied: it is determined not only by the direct, but also by the indirect experience of children (playing out scenes from literary works, films, television programs, etc.). Games are joint and collective in nature. Associations of participants are stable. They are based on children’s interest in the same games or on the basis of personal sympathies and affections. Games of the same content are not only repeated for a long time, but also develop, become enriched, and exist for a long time. The game has a preparatory stage: distribution of roles, selection of game material, and sometimes its production (homemade toys). The number of people involved in the game is up to 5-6 people.
At the fourth stage, that is, by senior preschool age, the individual characteristics of each child’s play activity and play creativity are clearly manifested.
