“Communication training” - a series of psychological and pedagogical classes for preschoolers (for children 6 - 7 years old)

MAGAZINE Preschooler.RF

In the age of information technology development, the problem of social loneliness of an individual in society is becoming more and more obvious. Of course, with the advent of Internet resources, modern life has acquired a completely different quality. This is an opportunity to obtain almost any information that interests us, the ability to order and purchase goods in today's busy world. And that's great! But there is another side to the coin, which cannot remain unnoticed by specialists working in the field of pedagogy and psychology. A whole range of neurotic and behavioral disorders in children is the price to pay for the unconscious’s desire for pleasure! Games and entertainment quickly enslave the consciousness of the child’s psyche. Child psychiatrists are concerned with the so-called state of “passive arousal” in children. Preschoolers, being in the playing field, get what they want quickly and without any effort. With one click of a button, as if by magic, the child reaches his goal. He is the ruler, he is omnipotent! There is no need to be proactive, strong-willed, obligatory, the child is already successful! Unfortunately, it is worth recognizing the fact that for parents a child’s computer gaming activity is a convenient option for solving some everyday problems. I think there is no point in listing them; they are quite well known to everyone. You can probably partly understand the parents and even sympathize with them. However, by resolving one category of problems, parents and children fall into a web of others, leading to destructive forms of family development. The most valuable thing every family has is relationships! In relationships, a person is born, develops and determines his life path. In everyday communication and interaction, the soil is saturated for spiritual improvement and the development of emotional attachment between people close to each other. Relationships are that intimate space that qualitatively distinguishes one family from another! Today it seems obvious to recognize the following. The uniqueness of modern family relationships lies in their disunity. Of course, certain social obligations are fulfilled by parents (providing vital needs), monitoring the child’s academic performance at school. But with all the listed “diversity” of interests and needs of children, the spiritual niche remains unfilled, which subsequently determines the individuality of each child. The motto of the modern family can be formulated in the following semantic key: “Everyone for himself!” The problem of computer addiction leaves its negative imprint on the development of communication among peers. The problem of psychological loneliness of a child in a children's community becomes obvious. Entirely immersed in the virtual world, the child is alienated from the real world, interest in everything around him disappears, and the skills necessary for interacting with loved ones and peers take on deformed forms. The need for communication, as the basis of human psychological development, is gradually leveled out. The child eventually becomes autistic. Carrying out pedagogical activities in a group during the summer, organizing children of senior preschool age for joint games, I drew attention to a number of the following features in behavior: • The motivational-need side of children to interact with adults and peers is significantly reduced. Unfortunately, a situation in which the happy owner of a gadget retires to some corner is becoming quite common. Soon a group of children forms around him, who quickly succumb to the influence of the game. And the world of computer games is so tempting and attractive, so many events and adventures take place on the screen. And of course, it is quite difficult to distract preschoolers from playing without conflicts. Other substitute incentives are required. • In the process of holding traditional children's games, which are on the verge of extinction, negative trends in communication among peers are noted. Children do not want to take into account the opinion of their playing partner and take into account his position. As a result, frequent conflicts lead to the collapse of the game. The lack of development of constructive skills of partner interaction in “problem” children leads to the fact that preschoolers are not able to demonstrate those social qualities that are necessary for communication (tolerance, emotional identification, etc.). Lack of perseverance in achieving a goal, inability to follow the rule and focus on the actions of a playing partner lead to the fact that children either prefer to give up joint activities in advance, or make attempts to modify the game according to their own convenient rules. • The strength of the child's emotional response in a conflict does not correspond to the strength of the stimulus received from the outside. In the process of observing the interaction of older preschoolers in the “child-child”, “child-adult” system, children show inadequate emotional and behavioral reactions in a state of neuropsychic stress. For example, a child reacts to an adult’s remark with an increased level of excitability and irritability. Subsequently, prolonged concentration on the experience is observed, accompanied by a depressed mood. In interactions with peers, preschoolers experience an increased level of conflict, attacks of angry outbursts, and mood lability. Based on the discrepancy between the real situation in which these children find themselves and the demands they make on life, long-term psychological contradictions develop. As a result, we observe even greater neuroticism in children.

The preschool period is a powerful energy vessel that is rapidly filled with the content necessary for the further development of the child, and subsequently an adult. Adaptive capabilities, motivational needs, and intellectual potential develop. The task of adults is to teach children to use energy and individual inclinations in a way that is effective for them. Today, in times of rapidly developing technologies, traditional games using fairy tales and songs for children of senior preschool age, in my opinion, have long lost their interest. In order to be mobile, flexible, and successful in society, a child is required to have well-developed social intelligence. The task of a child’s social adaptability in society is more pressing than ever. Based on the results of a survey of parents of children in preparatory groups, the following indicators were identified: the majority of parents (82%) among the listed possible reasons for a child’s maladjustment at school note the lack of development of social competence in preschoolers. According to parents, children are not sufficiently independent in making decisions, have little sense of their surroundings, and lack self-confidence. To the question: “What do you think teachers need to pay attention to when conducting classes?” (74%) parents note the development of social skills in children (the ability to negotiate, help each other, listen to elders). These indicators indicate that parents see and acknowledge that their children have a problem, but are not ready to provide the necessary support. Play activities remain a means for developing social intelligence for children of senior preschool age. The adult’s task is to organize a game through which the child will have the opportunity to actively express his position in life.

One of the effective methods of forming and developing the worldview of older preschoolers is socio-psychological training. Social-psychological training is an interactive form of training through the acquisition of life experience, with the aim of developing competence in communication. The peculiarity of this method is that preschoolers do not learn through the transmission of knowledge, for example, by listening to fairy tales and works, which is also a necessary component. The method creates practical conditions (the child is involved in a specific situation, and does not just imagine it) for solving the problem. Advantages of using training in working with children of older preschool age. • The training is based on an educational game (the leading activity of a preschooler); • Promotes the development of social-emotional intelligence; • Solve problems of diagnostic, educational and correctional nature; • Ability to use active working methods; • Effective for children with normal development and “borderline disorders”; • Possibility of using a variable approach (combining various techniques and methods); • Active involvement of all types of modality. Use of video and audio recordings; • The ability to structure interaction with children depending on the presence of a specific problem in the children's team;

Not only preschool psychologists, but also group teachers can use the training in their work. When compiling a course of lessons, the following conditions must be taken into account: 1. Availability of exercises. The selection (development) of topics should be carried out in accordance with the interest and age needs of preschoolers; 2. Compliance with the principles of psychologically safe group work (respect and the child’s ability to take into account the position of a peer, emotional identification, focus on mutual assistance in situations of difficulty, etc.); 3. Application of active methods of group work based on the principle of dialogue. Children as active participants in the process, adults as consultants. 4. Compliance with the rules by group members.

Organizing activities for children within the program. The communication training program “Mirror” is designed to work with children 6-7 years of age (preparatory group). Summary of one lesson “My friends are always with me.” (see attached). The purpose and objectives of the program. The goal of the developmental program is to develop skills of constructive cooperation in interpersonal interaction of older preschoolers. Program objectives: • Development of a child's interest in a peer as a communication partner; • Development of the ability to coordinate one’s own interests with the interests of a peer, the ability to take into account the opposite position; • Development of the ability of older preschoolers to organize work in mini groups; • Development of the child’s social-emotional sensitivity to verbal and non-verbal information of interaction partners.

Lesson structure. The development program course consists of 15 training sessions. Classes are held once a week, lasting 35-40 minutes. The course of classes is used as part of the development of socio-psychological readiness of children for schooling. The structure of the lesson consists of three stages (initial, working, final) according to the training tasks that are relevant for a given period of time. The primary task is to create an atmosphere of psychological comfort, attract children's interest in playing together, and develop the need for interpersonal communication. Consequently, the initial stage of the lesson (warm-up) is represented by games and exercises aimed at the emotional unity of children and adults (psychologist, teacher); As part of the working stage, practical tasks are implemented in accordance with a specific topic (developing the ability to navigate in an interaction situation, developing the ability to respond adequately, willingness to take initiative, treat peers kindly under any circumstances); As part of the final stage, tasks are implemented aimed at consolidating the experience gained, generalizing knowledge and skills (receiving feedback), and developing the motivational needs of children for further joint activities. Classes are conducted in a playful way using interactive methods. Among them are the following: • Outdoor games (warm-up, warm-up games). The use of outdoor games allows group members to activate their emotional tone (form a positive attitude) and unite the group (establish a trusting relationship between the participants and the leader). Among traditionally practiced outdoor games and exercises, it is possible to use elements of psycho-gymnastics. Psycho-gymnastics is a method in which participants express themselves without words, using elements of pantomime. This method, in my opinion, is the most effective, since the ability to verbalize feelings in children of senior preschool age is not yet sufficiently developed. Some children experience significant difficulties in conveying the necessary information during the game. For example, a child needs to greet his play partner or convey a wish. If a problematic situation arises, the adult provides the child with the necessary support, or the child independently supports interaction in a way accessible to him - through gestures and a diverse range of facial expressions. • Role-playing games. Role-playing play is the leading activity of older preschoolers. While playing, a child is socialized through mastering various roles and fulfilling the corresponding norms and social requirements. A distinctive feature of role-playing games in traditional types of play activities (playing in a store, hospital, etc.) and role-playing games in training is the fact that in a classical game children duplicate verbatim actions already known to everyone (perform the functions of a teacher, doctor, driver). In the training, preschoolers are offered the opportunity to play out various options for behavioral patterns in a specific situation, which allows children to gain new behavioral experience. Situations should be selected taking into account the current problems of the participants, for example, “The child feels lonely and offended because no one in the group wants to play with him; Or the child was offended by his mother because she did not buy him a game.” It is possible to act out scenes not by the participants themselves, but through the use of soft toys and dolls. Through an intermediary (a doll), it is much easier for children to work through experiences and conflicts, thus without traumatizing their own “I”. The uniqueness of role-playing in training lies in the fact that children have the opportunity to learn flexible forms of behavior by playing not only different options for behavior in a specific situation, but also by being able to exchange roles. After all, it’s one thing to play an offended child, and a completely different thing to play offended parents. Role-playing thus also acts as a psychotherapeutic tool, since it allows the child to work through certain conflict conditions and, if not completely admit his problem, then at least reduce the severity of his experiences. • Sensorimotor games. Sensorimotor games are used as additional training methods, both for the purpose of developing gross and fine motor skills of preschoolers, and for the purpose of gaining new sensory experience. Sensorimotor games include the following: games with pencils, clothespins, foil, balls, etc. Through the use of various objects and actions, the tasks of developing constructive thinking skills, developing coordination of the child’s own actions taking into account the movements of peers are solved (body-oriented exercises), developing the preschooler’s readiness to work in conditions of tactile contact, which is usually difficult in a not very close-knit group, to perform the exercise without opening his eyes. It is advisable to perform exercises using musical accompaniment. The selection of musical works is carried out in a wide range, from classical works to modern ones. At the final stage of each lesson, feedback is traditionally provided between group members. Feedback is aimed at consolidating the experience gained, developing the ability to generalize and further use the developed information in a practical manner.

Application. Lesson summary “My friends are always with me.” Goals: Creating favorable conditions for group cohesion, developing constructive interaction skills, receiving positive feedback to strengthen the self-esteem of each participant. Materials: pencils according to the number of participants. Musical accompaniment (music - relaxation), two trucks, cubes, two candies made from foil, cut out circles from colored cardboard, clothespins.

Progress of the lesson: Preschoolers traditionally sit in a circle with the leader (psychologist, teacher). The facilitator conducts a short introductory conversation on the proposed topic. Key concepts such as “friendship”, “friend”, “mutual assistance” are revealed. The presenter addresses the experience of preschoolers and, through conversation, stimulates the ability to openly express their feelings, share experiences and possible positive or negative experiences of interaction with peers. At the end of a short conversation, the presenter’s task is to be able to summarize the information received, form in children the desired image of a comrade, a friend, and promote the development of the need to find positive character traits in each participant. After the introductory conversation, group members are offered the following games and exercises as a warm-up. Exercise - warm-up “Say my regards.” Description of the exercise. Participants stand in a circle with their backs to each other with their eyes closed. The driver begins to make some kind of movement, for example, stroking the person in front on the head, or tickling under the armpit, or putting his hand on the shoulder. After the movement has completed a full circle, the next person in line starts another movement. The game continues until all group members say hello. The psychological meaning of the exercise is to create conditions for relieving psycho-emotional stress through physical contact and empathy between children (the desire to convey pleasant sensations to others). All actions performed are accompanied by musical accompaniment. It is advisable that the music be selected with a relaxation orientation. At the final stage of this exercise, the facilitator draws children’s attention to developing the ability to create a psychologically safe environment in the process of communication, as a necessary condition for developing a sense of trust among peers. Exercise – warm-up “Pencils”. Description of the exercise. Preschoolers are given pencils (one pencil for each). The participants' task is to pinch and hold the pencils between the fingers of nearby playing partners. First, the exercise is performed in pairs, which are located opposite each other at a distance of 40-60 cm. Children try to hold the pencils with the pads of their index fingers. Instructions are given to move your hands up and down, rotating in a circle in front of you, etc. Then a large circle is formed from the participants of the entire group, pencils are similarly clamped between the pads of the index fingers. Children must simultaneously perform the following movements: • Raise their arms up and lower them. • Take one step forward and, for example, two steps back. • Sit down, stand up. • Lean forward, backward. To diversify and complicate the task, it is possible to use the same options only with your eyes closed, or with pronouncing, for example, female or male names. If the exercise is performed to music, then you can introduce an additional condition - make movements to the beat of the piece of music. The psychological meaning of the exercise lies in the child’s ability to focus on the actions of those standing next to him. The ability to adapt to rhythm (taking into account the sharpness and smoothness of actions performed) develops on the basis of non-verbal perception of each other. Exercise helps develop tolerance towards each other. As a rule, there are one or two participants in the group with insufficient motor coordination, whose pencils fall and, according to the conditions of the game, it is necessary to start all over again. At the final stage of this exercise, the leader explains to the children the following: in order to learn to understand another person, it is necessary to learn to feel him, perform joint actions with him, and take into account his desires. Educational role-playing game. Children are offered the following situations to play out and discuss: Situation 1. Petya and Kolya were friends. In kindergarten they always played together. But then one day this story happened to them. The guys were transporting construction blocks in trucks. And they were so carried away by the game that they did not notice how they began to compete with each other. Everyone wanted to deliver the cargo faster. And suddenly, at high speed, Kolya, without calculating the distance, crashes into Petya’s car. The car Petya was playing with broke down. The group teacher decided to find out who broke the car, but she did not receive an honest answer. The guys blamed each other, Kolya did not want to admit his mistake. As a result, the teacher punished Petya, whose car broke down. After playing out the situation, preschoolers are offered questions for discussion: “Guys, what do you think Kolya did right?”; “Is Kolya a good friend?”; “What should Kolya have done?” After a joint discussion, preschoolers are asked to replay the situation again, in combination with the most acceptable way out of the conflict situation in the children’s opinion. Situation 2. Masha, Christina and Arina were inseparable friends. When the children began to get ready for a walk, Christina found two candies in her pocket. She decided to eat one herself, and treat Masha to the other. Arina was very offended when she realized that her friends did not share the sweetness with her. After playing out the situation, preschoolers are offered questions for discussion: “Guys, can you call Masha, Christina and Arina friends?”; “Which of them did the wrong thing?”; “What would you do in this situation?” After a joint discussion, preschoolers are asked to replay the situation again, in combination with the most acceptable way out of the conflict situation in the children’s opinion. The presenter draws the children's attention to such moral qualities as the ability to admit their mistakes in a timely manner, to be honest, to be able to share and to help a friend in trouble.

Exercise “Let's be sorry, let's do a good deed.” Working with emotions with elements of psycho-gymnastics. The presenter chooses a child who agrees to play the role of the offended girl Arina. “Guys, look how upset Arina was, because her best friends didn’t share the candy with her! Arina even cried from resentment (the child portrays the emotion of resentment). Maybe she will have more fun if each of you gives her a gift. Children give gifts through gestures, and the child playing the role of Arina tries to guess what each of the participants gave. Presenter: “Guys, magic happened! Our Arina became happy! (the child playing the role of Arina smiles and hugs each of the children). You helped her drive away her resentment, took pity on her, and gave her gifts from the heart. Now Arina is not alone, she has many friends!

Exercise completion. Group members are invited to sit at a common table, on which cut out mugs from multi-colored cardboard and felt-tip pens are prepared. Also, clothespins are needed to complete the task. Children are invited to draw in each chosen circle what they would like to give to their best friend (a smile, a toy, a treat, their friendship - a handshake, etc.). After the children prepare their gifts in the form of circles, the presenter suggests taking clothespins and using them to attach each circle to each other. The result should be a long caterpillar. Feedback. After completing the last task, the leader, together with the children, summarizes the experiences and knowledge gained during the lesson. Draws the attention of preschoolers to the desire of every child and adult to have good and faithful friends. In order for friendship to be strong and reliable, it is necessary to follow a number of rules. Preschoolers, together with the teacher, formulate these rules: • Be honest with your friend; • Help a friend in need; • Gave your word - keep it; • Don't be greedy, always know how to share; • Know how to feel sorry and sympathize; • Rejoice at your friend's success, don't be jealous.

Games for teenagers

Exercise “Map of my life”

This exercise lasts about half an hour. The children are given sheets of paper on which they need to draw their entire life path. Teenagers need to remember all the important and key points and display them in the picture. They need to draw everything that comes to their mind, starting from the moment of birth. Later, the guys must present their drawing to the whole group and tell what they consider necessary. It takes about 15 minutes to make a card.

Mini-game "Lucky Scale"

This exercise only lasts a few minutes. The presenter invites the children to evaluate their lives. 10 points means that the teenager’s life is happy and carefree, he doesn’t want to change anything and is happy with everything. 1 is given by those guys who are not at all happy with their lives and want to make a lot of changes.

The assessment must be announced to the whole group of children and justified. Other guys may ask questions on the topic and you must give a detailed answer to them.

The game can be taken in a slightly different direction. The guys can announce their marks, and then take turns telling about happy and sad stories from their lives.

Game "Mom and Daughter"

This game is quite unique, because the guys will have to touch each other. Here it is extremely important that the teacher explains to the children the role of skin-to-skin contact and touching.

We divide the children into pairs and in each pair we determine the role of the child and the role of the parent. Then, for 2-3 minutes, each “parent” should show a variety of feelings towards their child through touch. You can also use words. Afterwards the guys change roles and start playing again. When the game is over, the guys can share their feelings and decide which role they liked to play.

Game "We are alike"

This exercise takes about half an hour. And this game has 2 options.

1. The guys begin to walk around the room and every time they encounter someone, they must note how they are similar to each other.
2. Or you can divide all participants into pairs. For the first 5 minutes in each pair, the guys discuss how they are similar, and then talk about their differences.

Finish the game with a summary. The teacher should help the children come to the conclusion that all people are alike, but at the same time we are all different.

Game "Joys of Life"

This game should encourage children to remember all the good things that happened to them in life. The exercise seems to focus the teenager’s attention only on the positive aspects. The children also learn to work in a team and cooperate.

The teacher divides the children into groups of 3 people. Each group of teenagers receives a picture depicting some area of ​​life. The guys come up with some kind of story based on this picture. And then they move on to the next image and continue the story. When all the pictures are described, the game can be completed. About 5 minutes are given to describe each image.

The guys can discuss the resulting stories. In total, the game will take about an hour and a half.

Exercise "What if..."

This exercise should encourage children to discuss their own emotions and feelings. Children also learn to build cause-and-effect relationships. In addition, schoolchildren learn how to behave correctly in a given situation.

1. Place the cards with the beginning of the stories on the table. Players take out cards and come up with a continuation of the story. The guys say each story out loud and then discuss it.
2. With the same cards, the guys dramatize what in the first case they would have told in words. That is, a group of guys takes out a card and shows with their actions the continuation of the story.
3. Another interesting option is to invite each participant to draw a card with the beginning of a sentence, and they must give a short answer and complete the sentence. Examples of sentences could be the following:

• if I fell in love/fell in love, then...
• if I'm sad then...
• if I want something, then...
• If I'm scared, then...
• if I see an alien, then...
• if I quarrel with a friend/friend, then...
• If I'm interested in something, then...
• If I have nothing to do, then...
• If I'm late for something, then...
• if I'm cold, then...
• If I don't want to sleep at night, then...
• if my boyfriend/girlfriend leaves me, then...
• if my loved one dies...

There can be an endless number of such questions. There is no need to be afraid to write negative conditions, because anything can happen in life, and every person should be prepared for troubles. Psychologists say that such trainings help teenagers avoid rash actions.

Game "Kingdom"

At the beginning of the game, the participants choose a king for themselves, and then he appoints a queen for himself. This pair chooses 1 assistant, and each assistant chooses another assistant. So the participants choose their roles until each of the guys is busy.

Next, the king and queen give orders to change something in their kingdom so that life here becomes better. Their order is passed from assistant to assistant in the order of the created hierarchy. Each of the assistants takes on some obligations to carry out the king’s orders. Throughout the game, the teenagers discuss how their lives will change when the order is carried out.

Then we change roles and repeat the game. Every teenager should experience each role and share their impressions.

What does this game give us? A teenager tries on different social roles and understands what responsibility he bears for a particular action or inaction. This game also helps identify leaders. Continue the game for no more than an hour so that the participants do not get bored.

Game "Determination"

This game lasts about 20-30 minutes. One of the teenagers leaves the class, and the other guys make a wish for one of the remaining ones. The teenager, who had previously left the class, comes back and asks 5 questions to figure out the mystery. The guys only say adjectives that describe the mystery. In the game, each participant must leave the classroom to guess who their comrades guessed.