Play as an activity, form and means of developing a child’s individuality article

GAME ACTIVITIES

As you know, means are that with the help of which activity is carried out. Let us recall (Chapter 2) that the means of activity are classified into five groups: material, informational, linguistic, logical, and mathematical. Let's consider the means of gaming activity for each of these groups.

Material resources

. Speaking about material means, it is necessary to note the fact that for the game there must be a specially allocated and limited (at least mentally) space: a chess board, a card table, a theater, a circus, a stadium, a TV or computer screen, chairs arranged one at a time. others and depicting a train, etc. and so on. Even when the boys play hide and seek in the yard, they discuss in advance where they can’t run and hide—it’s a game. Anything beyond them is “outside the game.”

As for the material objects used for play activities, when analyzing their entirety, we encounter certain difficulties in constructing a unified classification of them. It would seem that the objects of play activity are toys

. Toys are defined as “specially made items for children’s games” (see, for example: [150, vol. I, article “Toys”]). Indeed, the world of toys is extremely wide. Their detailed classification is given in the above-mentioned article. Toys can be very diverse in purpose, scale, and cost. From tiny “kindersurprises” to such an exotic example as the amusing regiments of young Peter I, his amusing flotilla on Lake Pleshcheyevo. These were toys in the full sense of the word.

At the same time, let’s imagine the following example: a boy picked up a twig. In his games, a twig can be a saber, a horse on which he rides, and anything else. a toy for him

- but
not specially made
. Or a “specially made” building block in a child’s imagination can be a horse, a truck, or a medical syringe. What psychologists call “game substitution of objects” occurs [82, 146].

Next, let us imagine such examples. Children play "school". They use real pens and pencils. toys for them

, but these items were made for completely different purposes.
Moreover, in adult games, real objects can become toys. For example, collecting. If collecting does not have scientific or artistic purposes, then it is a type of game. Then collectibles become toys
: postage stamps, coins, matchbox labels, etc.
up to cars, tanks and even ships. But these items were not created specifically for games
, especially not for children's games.

In addition, there are material objects (entire classes of them) specially created for play, but which one cannot dare to call “toys”: a chessboard with a set of pieces, a deck of cards (and children also play them), a billiard table, game machine guns, fishing rod, spinning rod for amateur fishing, hunting rifle, etc. right down to theatrical props.

In addition, living “toys”: indoor plants, pets, if they do not perform official functions (cats, dogs, fish in an aquarium, birds in cages, etc.).

So what then, what class of objects can be called “toys”?! Willy-nilly, we have to agree with J. Bruner: “we do not have a toy theory” [17].

The only classification that suggests itself based on what has been said regarding the material means of gaming activity is:

- means specially created (or introduced, for example, decorative pets) for play, possibly by the player himself and used strictly for its intended purpose;

- means in the form of improvised game objects - game replacement of objects in the imagination of the player (players);

- material objects created for other purposes and used as means of play.

Information media.

Recently, games and toys using information media—microprocessors, computers, and the Internet—have become widespread.

Language means.

Games, quite understandably, use languages ​​- both natural and artificial. In particular, in childhood, games are a means of language development. Children, while playing, exchange their vocabulary and enrich their vocabulary. True, unfortunately, they often use expressions that are, as they say, far from the norms of the literary language.

In addition - an interesting phenomenon - a child who finds himself in a foreign-language environment, in games with children, literally instantly masters a foreign spoken language, for which adults require great and lengthy efforts.

The development of natural language is also facilitated by many special games: “word games”, “guess the word”, the famous game “Scrabble”, etc.

In addition, artificial languages ​​are also used in games. A deck of cards is an example of an artificial language. Or records of chess moves: “the grandmaster went E2 - E4” is another example. Not to mention the special languages ​​of gaming arts, for example, the language of music.

Logical means.

Many games require the use of a logical apparatus, sometimes quite powerful. For example, chess, preference. At the same time, in childhood, games contribute to the development of the child’s logical thinking. For example, various kinds of puzzles, Rubik's cube, many computer games, etc.

Mathematical tools.

There is hardly any need to talk about the use of mathematical means in gaming activities. If, for example, the calculation of the probabilities of winning in certain situations begins, then such a “calculator” has a desire not to play, but to win, i.e. it becomes a kind of professional activity, but not a game.

So, we have examined the logical structure of gaming activity, its forms, methods, and means. In the next and final section we will look at its time structure.

§ 5.3.

Organization of the process

Gaming activities

(temporal structure)

Starting to consider temporarily

th structure of the game, first of all, let's try to highlight its
unit
.

At one time D.B. Elkonin identified the role that the child assumes as an “indecomposable unit of play that preserves the properties of the whole.” “... it can be argued that it is the role and the actions organically associated with it that represent the basic, further indecomposable unit of the developed form of play” [193]. Following D.B. Elkonin, many authors began to repeat this idea that the main unit of the game is the role: “The main unit of the game is the role. In addition to the role, the structure of the game includes play action (actions to fulfill the role), playful use of objects (substitution), relationships between children” [82, 146]. It is strange that this thought of D.B. El horse meat has become so widespread. Firstly, a “unit” such as a role can only refer to a role-playing game, and most games, obviously, are not such. Further, the question arises: if a child plays alone, this is a game of “one unit,” and if ten children play, it is a game of “ten units”? And if two or three children play the same role, how then do you count “units”? Finally, the unit of play, as a unit of any activity, must lie in the temporal plane, and not in the spatial one.

It is known that the generally accepted unit of activity is action.

as a relatively integral and complete part of it.
If in all types of human activity its unit is action, then why should there be a “unit” of some other nature in play activity? The conclusion involuntarily suggests itself: the unit of the game is the game action .
And any game is divided into these game actions: - in football, hockey, these actions are an attack, as well as a penalty kick, a penalty kick, a corner kick;

- in athletics - race;

- in cards - distribution, in other games - con;

- when playing hide and seek, tag - con;

- in chess, billiards - a game;

- during design - a product (“sand cake”, pyramid, etc.);

- in the theater - mise-en-scène;

- in cinema - frame;

- and so on.

In complex games, primarily in the performing arts and sports, the duration of the game is divided into certain parts: in the theater these are scenes and actions (acts), in cinema - series, in sports - halves, etc. In most cases, the duration of the game is limited only by the desires and time capabilities of the players; in children, it is also limited by the requirements of the daily routine, etc.

As in any activity, a game can have a preparatory phase, a technological phase

(the actual conduct of the game),
the final
(
reflexive
)
phase
.

In some cases, the preparatory phase can be quite long and complex - for example, preparing costumes and masks for a carnival sometimes takes longer than the carnival itself. In other cases - very short - for example, when playing "hide and seek" - this is a "counting game". In third cases, the game (most) begins without preliminary preparation - playing cards, roulette, etc.

A separate issue is the final, reflexive phase of the game. Its most important moment is the moment of self-esteem

. Especially for a child. The child evaluates himself - his dexterity, his skills, his successes - in comparison with others. In this game the child is first, and in another game other children are first: they are better than him, able to fulfill the requirements of the game, etc. From this comparison follows the child’s independent, conscious assessment of his specific capabilities. This is completely different from the assessment he receives from others; here for the first time the child begins to evaluate his actions himself.

Self-esteem is also important in the game for an adult. reflection is important

and
the first kind
(what am I like, what was my behavior in the game, etc.) and, in the case of a group, collective game -
reflection of the second kind
as an understanding of interpersonal communication, as a player’s understanding of other players, as well as finding out how other players understand him, his behavior in the game, personal characteristics, etc. This allows the player to further adjust not only his behavior in the game, but also his entire activity in general. That is, game reflection is a powerful means of self-education.

Thus, in a short chapter we tried to cover the entire structure of the methodology of gaming activity: its characteristics (features and principles); logical structure (forms, methods, means); temporary structure. Naturally, this was only a first estimate of the game’s methodology.

In conclusion, we note that gaming activity is an amazing and mysterious phenomenon, like no other type of human activity - neither in nature, nor in scale, nor in its functions. Indeed, no other type of human activity has so many areas of application:

- play as a means of enjoyment;

- play as a means of self-expression and self-affirmation;

— game as a means of development and learning (didactic games);

- play as a means of treatment (play therapy);

- game as a means of relaxation and pastime;

- play as a means of spiritual development and enrichment (theater, music);

- a game as a means to brighten up loneliness, and at the same time as a means of communication with other people, as a means of meeting people, joining a company or supporting it;

- play as a means to give affection and tenderness (to children, pets);

- play as a means of livelihood (professional actors, athletes);

- gaming as a means of enrichment (sharps);

— a game as a means of designing systems (business games, etc.)

- and so on.

Despite all the mystery of gaming activity, play for a person is a wonderful gift of nature, a gift of the gods.

Chapter 6

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

ORGANIZATIONS OF DIFFERENT TYPES

ACTIVITIES

In the course of presenting the text, we have already had to repeatedly compare individual aspects of the organization of various types of activities. Here, in this section, we will try to make such a comparison systematically, in the logic of the main provisions set out in our work, namely: by considering the main characteristics, logical structure and organization of the activity process (its time structure), which, in in particular, is reflected in tables 10.1, 10.2, 10.3.

From these tables it is clear that, firstly, the organization of both scientific and practical activities is an integral system with a clearly defined logical structure, characteristics and implementation process. Secondly, that the structural components of the organization of these two types of activities are basically the same. Thirdly, the content of these components often coincides, and in other cases has its own specifics.

The most fundamental difference in the organization of scientific and practical activities is, obviously, the fact that in scientific research activities it is impossible to unambiguously determine its goal in each specific project. New scientific knowledge should appear only as a result of this activity, as a result of the implementation of the project. The source material is more clearly defined - that scientific knowledge that has already been accumulated by the time scientific research begins. A paradox arises: in order to organize an activity, organize a research project, it is necessary to have an ultimate goal as a normatively specified result of activity, the result of the project. But in this form, the goal cannot be normatively specified in scientific research. In this regard, the goal of scientific research is formulated, as a rule, non-specifically, in verbs, so to speak, of an imperfect form: to investigate, formulate, etc.

In practical activities, as a rule, no specific and definite ideas are given about the result of the activity, the result of the implementation of a particular pedagogical (educational) project. However, the requirements for the result are always such that they bring it at least to a level of certainty at which it is already possible to make a decision about the feasibility and novelty of the project. The latter can always be correlated with previous samples, similar in type and scale, or with the real state of the pedagogical (educational) process.

In general, obviously, science and practice in modern conditions of the development of society in relation to each other have become similar to opposite sexes necessary for the reproduction of offspring - the further development of civilization. At the same time, science probably plays the role of the feminine principle as a more subtle and capricious object. Practice is the role of the masculine principle: it is more rude, straightforward and demanding.

In science, knowledge of what exactly we do not know is perhaps no less important than positive knowledge itself. True, an atmosphere of rejection often arises around such results. After all, even physicists, saying that a negative result is also a result, more often than not want to simply console a loser colleague, and try to avoid the negative result itself. However, in science, complexity due to misunderstanding is generally regarded as a temporarily unavoidable and tolerable phenomenon. And the researcher himself can most often “maneuver” at any moment - change the subject or method of research, etc.

In practical activities, complexity due to misunderstanding is most often regarded as an unacceptable value.

Table 10.2

Game as a means of development for preschool childrenmaterial on the topic

Play as a means of development for preschool children

Completed by: Vorobyova Natalya Anatolyevna

Teacher of MBDOU No. 3 “Firefly”

Introduction

Preschool age is a unique and valuable period of development. It is at this time that such important and fundamental human abilities as cognitive activity, curiosity, self-confidence, trust in other people, focus, imagination and creativity are formed. The child discovers the world of human relationships of different types of activities. He strives for independence, and from this contradiction the child’s independent activity—play—is born.

Play is the main activity of a preschooler. Children of this age spend most of their time in games, and from three to six to seven years of age, children's games go through a significant development path: play - manipulation with objects, individual object-based play of a constructive type, collective plot-role play, individual and group creativity, games -competitions, games, communication.

Play in preschool childhood has a high developmental value. The games themselves become new. Games during the learning process are of great interest to preschoolers. These are games that make you think

providing the child with the opportunity to test and develop his abilities, including him in competitions with other peers.

The participation of preschoolers in such games contributes to their self-affirmation, develops perseverance, desire for success and various motivational qualities. In such games, thinking is improved, including actions of planning, forecasting, weighing the chances of success, and choosing alternatives. The question of the nature and essence of the game worried and still continues to attract the attention of many researchers, such as: Galperin P.Ya., V.L. Danilova, Zaporozhets A.V., Elkonin D.B.. Different approaches to children's play are reflected in many works. Among these approaches, one can highlight the explanation of the nature of the essence of children's play, as a form of communication (M. I. Lisina), or as a form of activity, including the assimilation of adult activities (D. B. Elkonin), or as a manifestation and condition of mental development (Piaget AND.). Each of these approaches, while highlighting some aspect of the game, ultimately turns out to be insufficient to explain the essence and specifics of children's play as a whole. Game activity is leading in preschool age. L.S. Vygotsky noted that in preschool age, play and activities, play and work, form two main channels along which the activities of preschoolers flow. Vygotsky L.S. I saw in play an inexhaustible source of personal development, a sphere that defines the “zone of proximal development.”

The relevance and significance of the study lies in the fact that such activities as games help the comprehensive development of the child, prepares him for school and adult life.

The problem of the study is the influence of the game on the comprehensive development of children and their personal qualities. The game creates a positive and emotional background against which all mental processes proceed most actively and if game techniques and methods are not used, the harmony of the child’s development will be lost.

The object of the study is the process of comprehensive development of a child through play activities.

The subject of the study is gaming means for the comprehensive development of preschool children.

Purpose of the work: To study the role of play in preschool children.

Research objectives:

1) Study the literature on this problem;

2) Describe the meaning of the game and study its features;

3) Experimentally identify the positive impact of play on a child;

CHAPTER 1. Theoretical foundations of games as a means of education

1.1 Historical background of the game. Its concept and essence

Game is a multifaceted phenomenon; it can be considered as a special form of existence of all aspects of life without exception. Play, the most important type of children’s activity, plays a huge role in the development and upbringing of a child. It is an effective means of shaping the personality of a preschooler, his moral and volitional qualities; the game realizes the need to influence the world.

The game, as an object of study, has always attracted the attention of scientists. E.A. Pokrovsky, P.V. Ivanova, V.F. Kudryavtseva, A.N. Soboleva, O.I. Kapitsa, G.S. Vinogradova, A.N. Leontyev made a great contribution to game theory. All these studies date back to the 19th - first third of the 20th centuries; they are valuable, first of all, for the pristine nature of their materials, extracted from the very depths of folk life, and included descriptions only of those games that came to the attention of observers.

We can say that play is a method of understanding reality, which is guided by internal forces and allows the child to quickly master the initial, but very extensive foundations of human culture. A.N. Leontyev noted that new, progressive formations develop in the game and a powerful cognitive motive arises, which is the basis for the emergence of an incentive for comprehensive development.

“Game, play activity, one of the types of activities characteristic of animals and humans” is noted in the Pedagogical Encyclopedia [10]. The concept of “game” (“games”) in Russian is found in the Laurentian Chronicle. In any historical era, it has attracted the attention of many teachers; it contains a real opportunity to educate and educate a child. According to Froebel, children's play is a “mirror of life” and “a free manifestation of the inner world. Play is a bridge from the inner world to nature.” Nature was imagined by Froebel as a single and diverse sphere.

Soviet teacher V.A. Sukhomlinsky emphasized that “game is a huge bright window through which a life-giving stream of ideas and concepts about the surrounding world flows into the child’s spiritual world. Play is the spark that ignites the flame of inquisitiveness and inquisitiveness.” First of all, play, as far as the games of a person and a child are concerned, is a meaningful activity, that is, a set of meaningful actions united by a unity of motive. A game is an activity; it is an expression of a certain attitude of the individual to the surrounding reality. In play, the child’s need to influence the world is first formed and manifested; this is the main, central and most general meaning of the game.

Play is a great invention of man; It, like a mirror, reflected the history of mankind with all its tragedies and comedies, strengths and weaknesses. The game did not arise spontaneously, it develops in the process of education, being a powerful stimulus for the development of the child, it itself is formed under the influence of adults.

The significance of the game in the development and education of the individual is unique, since the game allows each child to feel like a subject, to express and develop his personality. There is reason to talk about the influence of the game on life self-determination, on the formation of the communicative uniqueness of the individual, emotional stability, and the ability to be included in the increased role dynamism of modern society. The game always appears as if in two time dimensions: in the present and the future. On the one hand, it provides the individual with momentary joy and serves to satisfy current needs. On the other hand, the game is aimed at the future, since it either predicts or models life situations, or reinforces the properties, qualities, skills, abilities necessary for the individual to perform social, professional, creative functions.

The first point that defines the essence of the game is that the motives of the game lie in a variety of experiences that are significant for the player. In the game, only actions are performed whose goals are significant for the individual in terms of their own internal content. This is the main feature of gaming activity and this is its main charm. The second - characteristic - feature of the game is that the game action implements the diverse motives of human activity, without being connected to the implementation of the goals arising from them by the means or methods of action by which these actions are carried out in a non-game practical plan. Play is an activity in which the contradiction between the rapid growth of the child’s needs and demands, which determines the motivation of his activity, and the limitations of his operational capabilities are resolved. Play is a way to realize the needs and requests of a child within the limits of his capabilities.

The next, outwardly most striking distinctive feature of the game, in fact, is derived from the above-mentioned internal features of gaming activity,

- the opportunity, which is also a necessity for the child, to replace, within the limits determined by the meaning of the game, objects that function in the corresponding non-game practical action with others that can serve to perform a game action (stick - horse, chair - car, etc.).

The ability to creatively transform reality is first formed in the game. This ability is the main meaning of the game.

1.2 Classification and characteristics of the main types of games

Each type of game performs its own function in the development of a child. In preschool age, there are three classes of games:

- games that arise on the child’s initiative - amateur games;

- games that arise on the initiative of an adult who introduces them for educational and educational purposes;

- games that come from the historically established traditions of the ethnic group - folk games that can arise both on the initiative of an adult and older children.

Each of the listed classes of games, in turn, is represented by types and subtypes.

Amateur games include: plot-educational, plot-role-playing, director's and theatrical. This class of games seems to be the most productive for the development of the child’s intellectual initiative and creativity, which are manifested in setting new gaming tasks for themselves and other players; for the emergence of new motives and activities. It is the games that arise on the initiative of the children themselves that most clearly represent the game as a form of practical reflection based on knowledge about the surrounding reality of significant experiences and impressions associated with the child’s life experience. It is amateur play that is the leading activity in preschool childhood.

The second class of games includes educational games (didactic, plot-didactic and others) and leisure games, which include fun games, entertainment games, and intellectual games. All games can be independent, but they are never amateur, since independence in them is based on knowledge of the rules, and not on the child’s original initiative in setting up the game task.

The educational and developmental significance of such games is enormous. They shape the culture of the game; promote the assimilation of social norms and rules; and, what is especially important, they are, along with other activities, the basis of amateur games in which children can creatively use the acquired knowledge.

Didactic games are a type of games with rules, specially created by a pedagogical school for the purpose of teaching and raising children. Didactic games are aimed at solving specific problems in teaching children, but at the same time, the educational and developmental influence of gaming activities appears in them. The use of didactic games as a means of teaching preschoolers is determined by a number of reasons:

1) reliance on play activities, play forms and techniques is the most adequate way to include children in educational work;

2) mastering educational activities and including children in them is slow;

3) there are age-related characteristics of children associated with insufficient stability and voluntary attention, predominantly voluntary development of memory, and the predominance of a visual-figurative type of thinking.

Didactic games contribute to the development of mental processes in children.

A didactic game has a certain structure that characterizes the game as a form of learning and gaming activity.

The following structural components of the didactic game are distinguished:

1) didactic task;

2) game actions;

3) rules of the game;

4) result.

The didactic task is determined by the purpose of teaching and educational influence. The didactic task in a didactic game is realized through a game task. It determines play actions and becomes the task of the child himself.

Game actions are the basis of the game. The more diverse the game actions, the more interesting the game itself is for children and the more successfully cognitive and gaming tasks are solved.

In different games, game actions differ in their focus and in relation to the players. These are, for example, role-playing activities, solving riddles, spatial transformations, etc. They are related to the game concept and come from it. Game actions are means of realizing the game plan, but also include actions aimed at fulfilling the didactic task.

Rules of the game. Their content and focus are determined by the general tasks of forming the child’s personality, cognitive content, game tasks and game actions. In a didactic game, the rules are given. With the help of rules, the teacher controls the game, the processes of cognitive activity, and the behavior of children. The rules also influence the solution of the didactic task - they imperceptibly limit the actions of children, direct their attention to completing a specific task of the academic subject.

Summing up - the result is summed up immediately after the end of the game. This could be scoring; identifying children who performed the game task better; determination of the winning team, etc.

Thus, a didactic game is a game only for a child, but for an adult it is a way of learning. The purpose of didactic games is to facilitate the transition to learning tasks and make it gradual. From the above, we can formulate the main functions of didactic games:

- function of the formation of mental neoplasms;

— the function of forming the educational activity itself;

— the function of developing self-control and self-esteem skills;

- the function of forming adequate relationships and mastering social roles.

Thus, the didactic game is a complex, multifaceted phenomenon. To organize and conduct a didactic game, the following conditions are required:

- the teacher has certain knowledge and skills regarding didactic games;

— expressiveness of the game;

— the need to include the teacher in the game;

— optimal combination of entertainment and learning;

- means and methods that increase children’s emotional attitude to the game,

- should be considered not as an end in itself, but as a path leading to the fulfillment of didactic tasks;

— the visualization used in the didactic game should be simple, accessible and succinct.

All didactic games can be divided into three main types:

- games with objects (toys, natural materials);

— desktop printed;

- word games.

Playing with objects uses toys and real objects. By playing with them, children learn to compare, establish similarities and differences between objects.

The value of these games is that with their help children become familiar with the properties of objects and their characteristics: color, size, shape, quality. The games solve problems involving comparison, classification, and establishing sequence in solving problems.

A variety of toys are widely used in educational games. They clearly express color, shape, size, and the material from which they are made.

Printed board games are varied in type: paired pictures, various types of lotto, dominoes. When using them, various developmental tasks are solved. For example, a game based on matching pictures in pairs. Preschoolers combine pictures not only by external features, but also by meaning.

Selection of pictures based on a common feature - classification. Here children are required to generalize and establish connections between objects. For example, in the game “What Grows in the Forest?”

Compiling cut pictures is aimed at developing in children the ability to form a whole object from individual parts and logical thinking.

A description, a story based on a picture showing actions and movements is aimed at developing speech, imagination, and creativity in preschoolers. In order for the players to guess what is drawn in the picture, the child resorts to imitation of movements (for example, an animal, a bird, etc.)

In these games, such valuable qualities of a child’s personality are formed as the ability to transform, to creatively search for the creation of the necessary image.

Word games are built on the words and actions of the players. In such games, children learn, based on existing ideas about objects, to deepen their knowledge about them, since in these games it is necessary to use previously acquired knowledge about new connections in new circumstances. Children independently solve various mental problems: describe objects, highlighting their characteristic features; guess from the description; find signs of similarities and differences; group objects according to various properties and characteristics; find illogicalities in judgments, etc.

For ease of use of word games in the pedagogical process, they can be conditionally divided into four main groups. The first group includes games with the help of which they develop the ability to identify the essential features of objects and phenomena: “Guess it,” “Shop,” etc.

The second group consists of games used to develop the ability to compare, contrast, and give correct conclusions: Similar - not similar, “Who will notice the most fables” and others.

Games that help develop the ability to generalize and classify objects according to various criteria are combined in the third group: Who needs what?” Name three objects, name them in one word. A special fourth group includes games for the development of attention, intelligence, and quick thinking: “Colors”, “Flies, does not fly” and others.

Outdoor games. They are based on various movements - walking, running, jumping, climbing, etc. Outdoor games satisfy the growing child’s need for movement and contribute to the accumulation of diverse motor experience. The child’s activity, joyful experiences - all this has a beneficial effect on well-being and mood, creating a positive background for overall physical development. These games develop the ability to act together, foster honesty and discipline.

Traditional or folk games. Historically, they form the basis of many educational and leisure games.

The subject matter of folk games is also traditional, they themselves, and are more often presented in museums rather than in children's groups. Research conducted in recent years has shown that folk games contribute to the formation in children of universal generic and mental abilities of a person (sensorimotor coordination, arbitrariness of behavior, symbolic function of thinking, etc.), as well as the most important features of the psychology of the ethnic group that created the game.

Gaming activity goes through a long development process. Its elements first appear in infancy, and in preschool, higher forms take shape, in particular, role-playing play.

Game action arises in the course of mastering objective actions, that is, in objective activity the game arises as an object-play activity. Play with elements of an imaginary situation is preceded by two stages of the baby’s play: familiarization and display. At first, actions with toys, like with any other objects, are manipulative in nature. The motive is set through the toy object. The baby moves to the second when he himself or with the help of an adult discovers some of its properties in the toy (the ball bounces, rolls, it is elastic and smooth). Gradually, children learn ways of operating with different toys related to their physical properties (putting one object into another, rolling, moving, knocking, hitting one against the other to hear a sound, etc.). The motive for such object-game activity lies in the probabilistic nature of the result of the game action: the ball can be pushed away or brought closer to oneself.

In the second half of the second year of life, the baby’s sphere of interaction with others expands. The child’s need for joint activities with adults increases. Closely observing the world of adults, the baby highlights their actions. The experience gained in actions with toys and in everyday life gives the child the opportunity to display the actions of people with objects in accordance with the purpose accepted in society (for example, the process of feeding, treatment). Now actions are directed not at obtaining a result, but at fulfilling a conditional goal that is understandable from past experience. That is, the action becomes conditional, and its result becomes not real, but imaginary. The child moves on to the plot-display stage of play development.

In the third year of life, the baby begins to strive to realize the play goal, so these actions acquire a certain meaning: he feeds the doll in order to feed it lunch. The actions are gradually generalized and become conditional: the child brings the spoon to the doll several times and, considering that lunch is over, moves on to another play action. The child constantly compares his actions with the actions of an adult. We emphasize that the emergence of play goals is possible if the child has formed an image of an adult and his actions. By the end of the third year of life, plots are observed in which, along with a set of actions, certain relationships between the characters are specified. For example, the relationship of leadership and subordination in the game “kindergarten”, when the teacher leads the lesson and the children listen. Or a combination of leadership and submission with an equal exchange of actions, when in the same game the music director replaces the teacher, then the parents take the children. In the third year of life, children’s relationships in play develop. At first they arise for an extra-game reason - a place or a toy that attracts the child. Then children who continue to play alone develop the ability to play with toys, show interest in the activities of their peers and imitate their actions. At the end of the third year of life, interaction with peers arises regarding the role action, the quality of its implementation, and the achieved result.

Thus, the prerequisites for a role-playing game are being formed, which will develop intensively in preschool childhood.

At an early age, children develop very quickly and absorb large amounts of information. By the age of 6-7 years, a child should already have coherent speech, be able to think logically, analyze, and have a developed imagination.

There are many educational games and exercises for children from two to four years old. The tasks in them are aimed at developing certain skills and abilities of the child.

"Hit the target." The exercise develops spatial orientation, perseverance, and attention. You need to cut a circle with a diameter of 20 cm out of paper and place it on the floor. Give the child small objects (pebbles, beads, beans) and ask them to throw them to get into the center of the circle. The baby should throw objects from different heights - first while sitting, then standing, then from a chair.

"Let's dance." This game promotes the development of general motor skills, perception, attention, imagination, and fantasy. You need to turn on dance music. Warn the child that he can move as he wants. But when the music turns off, he must freeze and not move until it starts again. The baby should freeze in the position where the music stopped.

"Animal Movements" A fun game that develops your baby's communication skills, gross motor skills, and imagination. You need to read or tell your child about an animal, show it in a picture or video. Then ask the child to imitate this animal (gait, habits, sounds it makes).

Educational games and exercises for a child from four to six years old Tasks in educational games and exercises for a child aged 4-6 years are more complex than for children of the previous age group. At this age, children begin to prepare for schooling and are given more complex tasks. All exercises and games that are used for the development of children can be divided into groups, depending on their purpose. Exercises that develop memory.

"Find the object." The child is asked to remember the objects that are shown in 3-4 pictures. He must name them out loud. After that, he needs to find their image in 10-12 randomly scattered pictures. This exercise is good for learning letters and numbers. You can use a special box of letters and numbers for this.

“We draw an image.” You need to name the word (object, phenomenon, feeling) and invite the child to draw the image that arises in his mind. This does not have to be an image of the subject. Let the child show his imagination. After dictating 4-7 words, ask him to name the words in the order in which you said them. Exercises and games that develop speech and phonetic skills.

"Enemy words." You need to invite your child to look for words that are opposite in meaning to those you name (antonym words). For example, sweet - bitter, hot - cold, day - night, fun - sad.

“Make a sentence.” The child is asked to compose a short story (3-4 sentences) using the named words. For example, the words: “green forest, ripe berries, full basket, cheerful song, forest lake.” Exercises that develop thinking.

“Who will be who (what)?” The child is asked to answer who will be who (what). For example, an egg is a chicken, a turtle, snow is water, a boy is a man, and so on. Exercises and games that develop attention.

“Let’s clap.” Tell your child words, having previously agreed that he will clap if he hears the name of the flower. You can make the task more difficult by offering to stand up when you say a word for an animal.

Preschool age is a unique and valuable period in the development of a child; it is during this period that important and fundamental human abilities are laid, such as cognitive activity, curiosity, self-confidence, and all this is facilitated by independent activity, such as play.

Play in preschool childhood has a high developmental value. The games themselves become new. Games during the learning process are of great interest to preschoolers. These are games that make you think

providing the child with the opportunity to test and develop his abilities, including him in competitions with other peers. The participation of preschoolers in such games contributes to their self-affirmation, develops perseverance, desire for success and various motivational qualities.

Play is the main activity of a preschooler. At this age it has high developmental significance. The question of the nature of the game and the essence of the game worried and still continues to attract the attention of many researchers, such as: Galperin P.Ya., V.L. Danilova, A.V. Zaporozhets, D.B. Elkonin. Various approaches to children's play are reflected in many works, among them we can highlight an explanation of the nature of the essence of children's play, as a form of communication (M. I. Lisina), or as a form of activity, including the assimilation of adult activities (D. B. Elkonin).

6.2.3. Means of gaming activities

As you know, means are that with the help of which activity is carried out. Let us recall (see Chapter 2) that the means of activity are classified into five groups: material, informational, linguistic, logical, mathematical. Let's consider the means of gaming activity for each of these groups. Material resources. Speaking about material means, it is necessary to note the fact that for the game there must be a specially allocated and limited (at least mentally) space: a chess board, a card table, a theater, a circus, a stadium, a TV or computer screen, chairs arranged one after another and depicting a train, etc. and so on. Even when the boys play hide and seek in the yard, they discuss in advance: where to run and hide further is a game. Anything beyond them is “outside the game.” As for the material objects used for gaming activities, when analyzing their entirety, we encounter certain difficulties in constructing a unified classification of them. It would seem that the objects of play activity are toys. Toys are defined as “specially made objects of children's games” (see, for example, [213, vol. I, article “toys”]). Indeed, the world of toys is extremely wide. Their detailed classification is given in the above-mentioned article. Toys can be very diverse in purpose, scale, and cost. From tiny “kindersurprises” to such an exotic example as the amusing regiments of young Peter I, his amusing flotilla on Lake Pleshcheyevo. These were toys in the full sense of the word. At the same time, let’s imagine the following example: a boy picked up a twig. In his games, a twig can be a saber, a horse on which he rides, and anything else. For him, this is a toy - but not a specially made one. Or a “specially made” building block in a child’s imagination can be a horse, a truck, or a medical syringe. What psychologists call “game substitution of objects” occurs [113, 209]. Next, let us imagine such examples. Children play "school". They use real pens and pencils. For them these are toys, but these objects were made for completely different purposes. Moreover, in adult games, real objects can become toys. For example, collecting. If collecting does not have scientific or artistic purposes, then it is a type of game. Then collectibles become toys: postage stamps, coins, matchbox labels, etc. up to cars, tanks and even ships. But these items were not created specifically for games, especially for children's games. In addition, there are material objects (entire classes of them) specially created for play, but which one cannot dare to call “toys”: a chessboard with a set of pieces, a deck of cards (and children also play them), a billiard table, slot machines, fishing rod, spinning rod for recreational fishing, hunting rifle, etc. right down to theatrical props. In addition, living “toys”: indoor plants, pets, if they do not perform official functions (cats, dogs, fish in an aquarium, birds in cages, etc.). So what then, what class of objects can be called “toys”?! Willy-nilly, we have to agree with J. Bruner: “we do not have a toy theory” [23]. The only classification that suggests itself based on what has been said regarding the material means of gaming activity is: - means specially created (or introduced, for example, decorative pets) for play, possibly by the player himself and used strictly for its intended purpose; - means in the form of improvised game objects - game replacement of objects in the imagination of the player (players); - material objects created for other purposes and used as means of play. Information media. Recently, games and toys using information tools and systems - computers, the Internet - have become widespread. Language means. Games, understandably, use languages, both natural and artificial. In particular, in childhood, games are a means of language development. Children, while playing, exchange their vocabulary and mutually enrich their vocabulary. In addition - an interesting phenomenon - a child who finds himself in a foreign language environment, in games with children, literally instantly masters a foreign spoken language, for which adults require great and lengthy efforts. Many special games also contribute to the development of natural language: “word games”, “guess the word”, the famous game “Scrabble”, etc. In addition, artificial languages ​​are also used in games. A deck of cards is an example of an artificial language. Or recordings of chess moves: “the grandmaster went E2-E4” is another example. Not to mention the special languages ​​of gaming arts, for example, the language of music. Logical means. Many games require the use of a logical apparatus, sometimes quite powerful. For example, chess, preference. At the same time, in childhood, games contribute to the development of the child’s logical thinking. For example, various kinds of puzzles, Rubik's Cube, many computer games, etc. Mathematical tools. There is hardly any need to talk about the use of mathematical tools in gaming activities. If, for example, one begins to calculate the probabilities of winning in certain situations, then such a “calculator” has a desire not to play, but to win, that is, this becomes a type of professional activity, but not a game. So, we have examined the logical structure of gaming activity, its forms, methods, and means. In the next and final section we will look at its time structure.