Features of cognitive activity of preschool children
Attention! The most important function in the formation of a child’s cognitive activity is perception.
All the fundamental principles for the further development of the human psyche are built on this basic feature. Thanks to this function, the preschooler is able to navigate the world around him. Perception develops in a playful way - put together a beautiful puzzle, make a multi-colored pyramid, arrange triangles into molds, and so on.
From one to three years
By selecting parts of figures by color, shape, size and other characteristics, combining and comparing them with each other, the child receives practical application of the acquired knowledge.
Naturally, a child cannot achieve an ideal result right away.
To some extent, due to fairly serious errors, the correct result is formed.
Approximately closer to two years, the number of actions performed decreases.
Now visual perception begins to play a role - the correctness/incorrectness of a particular movement is determined by eye.
At the same time, thinking also develops along with perception. A kind of logic appears. So, in order to get the ball from the table, you should move a chair towards it, stand on it, and then take the ball. While pouring flour into the seeder, he realizes that it is falling out through the holes.
Thanks to this, the child begins to open new horizons with great zeal.
Rolling, rolling and sliding - these skills are also formed in the process of active mobile activity.
Thus, upon reaching the age of three, the child is able not to waste extra time on experiments, but to turn it all over in his head, envisioning positive or negative versions of the action.
In addition to independently studying the world around him, the child learns information that interests him from adults. Why does the dog bark? It's a cat? Is your aunt smiling? Is sand falling? Etc.
Thus, based on interaction with the world and communication with others, the baby develops his cognitive function and receives information about life around him.
At the age of 3 – 5 years
The nature of the child’s cognitive activity becomes more pronounced:
- Knowledge about the world is obtained more fully.
- New means of orientation in the world have been identified.
Figurative thinking and the ability to understand various symbols appear. A phenomenon arises, in addition to perception, as sensation. Visual acuity improves, phonetic hearing increases. But at the same time, fantasy is not yet fully developed; the child is a realist. What I see exists. What I don’t see is not there. Curiosity begins to develop with greater force, the child asks more and more “why?”
By 5–6 years
Intelligence begins to develop, the ability to model and experiment appears. The preschooler begins to carry out experiments on his own.
Consultation “Features of the development of cognitive activity of preschool children”
Elena Kitayka
Consultation “Features of the development of cognitive activity of preschool children”
Features of the development of cognitive activity of preschool children
Throughout preschool age , along with play activities cognitive activity of great importance in the development of the child’s personality , in the process of socialization , which is understood as the process of acquiring knowledge, skills and abilities, and mainly as the search for knowledge, acquiring knowledge independently or tactfully adult guidance.
It has long been no secret that the world opens up to a child through the experience of his personal feelings, actions, and experiences. “The more a child has seen, heard and experienced, the more he knows and has assimilated, the more elements of reality he has in his experience, the more significant and productive, other things being equal, his creative and research activity ,” wrote the classic of Russian psychological science L. S. Vygotsky.
Cognitive activity requires identifying a number of features at different age stages of child development . First of all, this applies to early and preschool age , where important personal new formations arise, of particular importance: a change in the subject position at the age of three ( “I myself”
, arbitrariness of behavior in various types
of activities , orderliness of motives of behavior, formation of self-awareness (at 5.5-6 years)
.
These neoplasms manifest themselves and have a positive effect on the course of cognitive activity of preschool children , which has some similarities and differences compared to older children. In order to more clearly show the features of the cognitive activity of preschoolers , let's consider some of them:
- cognitive activity includes a mandatory increase in interest in learning; cognitive activity is manifested by children in conditions when they are interested, when an adult not only plays with them (which is also very important, but also communicates, organizes cognition , introduces children to the new, unknown;
- for children to demonstrate cognitive activity, it is necessary to create comfortable social conditions for them, to ensure positive relationships between all members of the children's team;
- at the highest levels of development of the cognitive activity of a preschool child, the manifestation of an individual, own style of behavior in the course of cognition ;
— cognitive activity presupposes the manifestation of independence, but in preschool age it is still characterized by the presence of communication with adults and peers in the process of cognition .
According to the testimony of O. M. Dyachenko, we note that already at the age of an infant there is a need to know the world around him , other people, and himself, which manifests itself in active movements, communication with adults, and later with children of the same age.
In the first year of life, the child has a need for active actions with objects, manipulating them, learning their basic properties and names through constant emotional communication with an adult (the child vocalizes, smiles, laughs, claps his hands, trying to attract the attention of an adult).
At the age of two, with mastery of gait, the range of elementary cognitive actions of the child : everything needs to be reached, picked up, touched, thrown or rolled, given “own”
Name.
At this time, active orienting-exploratory activity is observed , which is intense and such that it is stimulated by a cognitive motive (to find out “what is this?”
).
The older the child is, the greater the intensity of his cognitive activity . At two or three years old, the child begins to be interested in the causes and consequences of new phenomena. The new properties that it discovers in an object can contribute to the emergence of new types of activities , and, in particular, games. A child can play with a toy for quite a long time when he finds in it properties that evoke an emotionally positive attitude. In this case, a chain of indicative reactions appears that maintain the child’s activity (autostimulation)
.
At the age of 3-4 years, we can talk about the child’s cognitive interest , which is chaotic in nature, but at the same time is focused on acquiring knowledge about the world around him in order to introduce him to the world of adults - he strives to touch everything, taste it, shows great interest not only to toys, but also to things of adults, as speech develops , it becomes a “why”
, begins to ask adults a lot of questions about objects and phenomena that he encounters in life.
Curiosity, unlike cognitive interest , can be focused on anything; curiosity is superficial in nature, it is devoid of any significant meaning.
Curiosity is a static feeling that indicates that a person loves to learn something new. However, curiosity, again, unlike cognitive interest , has no meaning or purpose.
So, the child accumulates knowledge about the variety of objects and ways of operating with them . Until the end of preschool age , according to L.V. Artemova’s definition, the child’s actions acquire a certain direction and awareness.
Children of senior preschool age , we can consider the cognitive activity of preschool children as an activity that is formed and developed on the basis of cognitive needs in various types of activities , ensures the formation of a holistic view of the world around them, and is characterized by the existing cognitive orientation , initiative, independence of the child, interest and originality .
By the age of 6-7 years, cognitive interest is modified into cognitive activity . Cognitive activity is a dynamic, purposeful process of acquiring not all knowledge, but mainly that necessary for the implementation of some life plans.
At the end of preschool age, the necessary prerequisites are created for the child to move to a new level of development - to schooling.
Cognitive activity , guided by cognitive interests , lays the foundations of the child’s cognitive abilities , the development of which is a necessary condition for the formation of creative thinking. It should be noted that all of the listed features of cognitive activity in preschool age are at the level of formation and subsequently become the basis for the development of cognitive activity .
Working with preschool , V. S. Golitsyn also defines three levels of children’s cognitive activity , which gives children’s characteristics greater significance and depth:
- high - the child is always active, proactive in answers and communication, inquisitive, always attentive, follows directions, completes tasks correctly, shows a willingness to overcome difficulties, actively searches for solutions, easily communicates with adults and peers, knows how to resolve conflicts;
- average - the child responds only at the request of the teacher; listens to the adult’s explanations, but does not seek help himself, requires repetition, instructions and control over the progress of activities ; gets distracted, imitates others, completes tasks with additional stimulation; tries to overcome difficulties, but in case of failure retreats; in communication gives preference to familiar children, obeys the initiative of another, showing conformity;
- low - the child is passive, can work only with personal attention and constant assistance from an adult, is indifferent, does not start activities , does not work without a model, does not seek help at the slightest difficulty, but refuses to do activities ; joins joint activities by invitation , but does not know how to maintain relationships, often conflicts; The child's play is dominated by one-on-one games.
Despite certain levels of cognitive activity , we note that in some cases it is difficult to attribute a particular child to a certain level of cognitive activity . There is a need to introduce an intermediate level between the average and high levels of development of cognitive activity of preschoolers .
An analysis of the works of scientists devoted to the problem of children's play allows us to state that the cognitive activity of a preschool child is associated with the leading activity during this period and is manifested in the fact that it is in the game that the child independently organizes that he reproduces the activities of adults and comes into contact with others. children, carries out independent actions; and all this is aimed at understanding the world around us and reproducing acquired knowledge in active work ; in education, namely: in the process of preparing for schooling; in various classes in kindergarten, while listening to literary texts, labor, etc.; in the process of solving cognitive problems ; during excursions and studying seasonal natural phenomena; in the process of organizing elementary search activities and experimentation; in solving non-standard, problematic, advanced, creative tasks and intellectual games
So, the analysis of psychological and pedagogical literature on the formation of cognitive activity of preschool children proves that the formation of cognitive activity of a preschool child occurs , on the one hand, due to the child’s own experience in the process of everyday life. Along with this, the developmental features of a preschooler provide for the decisive place of an adult in the organization of the child’s entire life, including cognition . At the same time, the adult organizes the children’s activities using a variety of means.
Development of cognitive abilities, activity and interest
Important! In order to fully develop the child’s cognitive abilities, special classes should be conducted. The most interesting thing at this age is play. Therefore, all information should be carried out in game mode.
On average, such a game should take no more than 15–20 minutes, so as not to cause rejection in the baby. During classes, you need to show everything by example: in which hand to hold a spoon, how to take off and put on clothes.
Reference! Children love to have fairy tales reread to them or a story told again. This way the child remembers information better.
You should not make excessive demands or scold your child for misunderstanding or poor assimilation of knowledge. Remember, this can only discourage you from doing anything. This is the wrong strategy. It is better to praise the preschooler for small successes and help correct shortcomings.
Exercises
1. From one to three years:
They use cubes, various figures (not too small, a child can swallow them), assembling puzzles, fashioning elementary figures from plasticine and role-playing games (seller - buyer, hairdresser - client, and of course, daughters - mothers).
2. Three to four years:
Learning the alphabet and reading by syllables, learning basic mathematical calculations (a bear plus a bear, how many bears?), reading children's books, talking about them (why is the queen evil?), modeling animals and plants from plasticine, creating crafts, collecting Legos, construction sets.
3. From four to five years:
Games for comparison, difference (which mosaic is missing, which picture is extra). The ability to distinguish colors, coordinate nouns and adjectives, etc. develops.
Development of cognitive and research activities
From five to seven years of age, the cognitive activity of a preschooler begins to include research and experimentation.
You can take standard games (hide and seek) or play a game - find the hidden thing in the room, focusing on the “cold - hot” clues.
You should play the following educational game: several children take turns trying to explain the meaning of a word without naming it, the child must guess.
At preschool age, children learn to draw conclusions and conclusions, conduct experiments, through trial and error. It is very good at this time to develop creative abilities, form moral and moral values by showing high-quality cartoons and reading good books.
It is also important to pay attention to the child’s speech development. Practice on your own if you see any benefit in it, but when your child does not pronounce a certain letter for a long time or makes severe articulation errors, contact a speech therapist.
General characteristics of the educational activities of a preschooler
Educational activity is the first type of learning, directly and directly aimed at mastering knowledge and skills. Educational activity does not follow directly from a variety of children's games and is not a game, but is formed under direct pedagogical influence.
Practice shows that children in preschool age need to be taught so that they can master the information and skills that are important for their proper development at this stage and prepare for school. Training is a specially organized interconnected activity of those who teach (teaching) and those who are taught (teaching).
In addition to these two components of the learning process, there is a third - learning. Learning is the result of the learning process, which is expressed in positive changes in the development of the child.
Research by psychologists and teachers has proven that the ability to plan educational activities and carry them out voluntarily is formed at primary school age in the process of carrying out educational activities.
The formation of the entire complex of mental functions necessary to carry out educational activities is a rather complex, lengthy process, and therefore requires constant attention, both from the teacher and special work to prevent possible lag and overcome existing difficulties.
From the various relationships of the child with adults, activity can already be isolated and formed at this stage, which we will call teaching or educational activity. Characteristic of this activity is the child’s acquisition of knowledge and skills.
Educational activities require a special psychological attitude of the child. More than all other types of activity, it is based on the development of a preschool child’s cognitive attitude to reality. Speaking about education as a special means of influencing children, we associate the results of its educational influence not only with certain knowledge and skills that children can acquire, but also with the assimilation of the method of acquiring them; not only with the fact that the child’s attention, perception, and memory will be better developed, but also with the fact that all these individual mental qualities will give a more generalized expression of a certain type of activity (educational).
Structure of educational activities
Analysis of educational activities carried out by D.B. Elkonin, V.V. Davydov, showed that it has its own specific structure, namely:
- educational task,
- educational activities,
- control,
- assessment.
The central place in the structure of activity belongs to the learning task. A learning task should not be understood as a task that a child must complete in class.
The learning task is the goal. The essence of the goal is to master a generalized method of action that will help to complete similar tasks and solve problems of a given type. So, the teacher sets a goal - to teach children to draw a deciduous tree. The main attention is paid to developing the ability to convey the essential features of an object: trunk, branches, their location. Having mastered the generalized method of drawing a tree as such, the child will be able to use it when performing any specific task of similar content. Having taught children a general method of composing a riddle, the teacher varies the tasks, offering different materials necessary for people’s work, about animals, about garden flowers, etc.
Learning activities, with the help of which learning tasks are solved, consist of many different operations. In order for children to master educational actions, it is necessary to first carry them out with all operations fully deployed. At first, operations are performed either materially - with the help of some objects, or materialized - using images, their symbolic substitutes.
Formation of elements of educational activity in preschool age
The formation of educational activities, even with well-structured training, is a long process. At preschool age, the prerequisites for educational activity are laid and its individual elements are formed.
In early preschool age, in classes it is necessary to develop in children the ability to set goals for their own activities (at the stage of 2–3 years), teach them to master various methods of activity (at the stage of 3–4 years).
After 4 years, the child’s activities acquire a clear focus on the final result. The teacher teaches children to listen to explanations and complete the task without interfering with each other; maintains interest in the content of classes, encourages effort and activity. All this is very important for the further development of educational activities.
In older preschool age, the child develops the following elements of educational activity: - the ability to determine the goal of the upcoming activity and ways to achieve it, to achieve results; – self-control, which manifests itself when comparing the obtained result with a sample or standard; – the ability to exercise arbitrary control over the progress of activities in the process of obtaining intermediate results; – the ability to plan activities, focusing on its results.
The activity of a teacher (teaching) is aimed at organizing the process of active acquisition of knowledge, skills, and abilities. Preliminary preparation of the lesson is important here (planning, provision of material and subject equipment, creation of a favorable emotional environment).
In the classroom, the main thing in the teacher’s activity is the organization of children’s educational and cognitive activities. He does not abuse the communication of information, but involves children in the course of his reasoning, in independently acquiring knowledge, and creates a situation of discovery.
The teacher must improve teaching methods in order to avoid stereotypes, cliches in explanations, and demonstrations of actions. Particular attention should be paid to teaching aids: their condition, artistic design, safety for children. An individual approach to children is important, taking into account their capabilities and development prospects.
