To keep your eyes healthy: visual gymnastics in kindergarten

Goals of eye gymnastics in a preschool institution

Visual gymnastics is one of the effective means of preventing eye diseases, as well as correcting existing problems. In kindergarten, it belongs to modern health-saving technologies (along with dynamic pauses, self-massage, breathing exercises, etc.).

It is interesting that the first exercises designed to maintain visual acuity were invented even before our era by Indian yogis. While creating complexes for the whole body, they did not forget about the eyes.

In a preschool institution, eye gymnastics is very important because it performs a number of tasks:

1. General improvement of the visual system, prevention of various disorders in the functioning of the visual organs: strengthening the eye muscles, relieving tension, preventing fatigue, improving blood circulation in the eyes.
2. It is an effective addition in the treatment of existing diseases: childhood myopia, farsightedness, astigmatism.
3. Forms in pupils ideas about the importance of taking care of their health, in particular, about the organs of vision. The children learn about the value of vision.
4. Has educational value. By performing visual exercises, children learn to navigate in space: they reinforce the concepts of “right” and “left,” “up” and “down,” and “turn.” In addition, performing gymnastics contributes to the development of coherent speech, enrichment of vocabulary, and reinforces familiar concepts about the structure of the world around us.

Visual gymnastics teaches preschoolers to take care of their eyes and understand the value of vision

Indeed, visual gymnastics is very important when working with modern preschoolers. Working as a kindergarten teacher, on Mondays I often talked with the children about what they did over the weekend. Many enthusiastically began to retell the content of the cartoon or computer game they had watched. In the preparatory group, some children even brought mobile phones and tablets with them to kindergarten, gathering a group of peers around them. All together they began to look at the screen with a flashing image. Of course, I stopped such “games”. By the way, it is interesting that according to the stories of many children, parents also spend a lot of time at home, straining their eyesight: TV, social networks, etc. (“Mom was on the phone all day”).

TV, computer and mobile phones from an early age have a detrimental effect on the vision of preschoolers

The benefits of eye gymnastics

Visual exercises can be a great help in maintaining good vision. The main task of such gymnastics for preschoolers is to create in children the concept that vision also needs to be taken care of. With the help of physical education, including regular eye exercises, you can increase their performance, improve blood circulation, and prevent the development of some eye diseases. In addition, the educational material will be better absorbed. Elementary eye gymnastics exercises should be used at an early age. A one-year-old baby perceives a five-minute session with her twice a day as a game. The easiest way is to close and open the eyelids (it turns out dark and light), rotate the pupils in a circle (the mother moves the toy in a circle, and the child watches the last one). After your child masters these exercises, you can move on to more complex ones. At 3 years old, the baby willingly does what he is asked: articulates, grimaces.

Types of visual gymnastics in preschool educational institutions

Several types of visual gymnastics are practiced in kindergarten:

1. Without attributes (exercises are simply performed according to the teacher’s verbal instructions) and with objects and visual aids (children follow with their eyes a moving toy, “run” their eyes along the indicated trajectory, etc.).
2. Preventive (aimed at preventing the development of eye diseases) and corrective (slows down the development of myopia, farsightedness, astigmatism, etc.).
3. Passive (only exercises for the eyes) and active (combined with general developmental exercises, using the muscles of the arms, legs, back, etc.).

It is advisable for the teacher to conduct various types of eye gymnastics with preschoolers, alternating them wisely.

Methodology of V. F. Bazarny

A group of scientists led by V.F. Bazarny has proven that the method of sitting at a table with the chest inclined and fixed to the table top can cause signs of angina pectoris in the 20th minute, and a long stay in this position forms a deformation of the chest, underdevelopment of the diaphragm muscles. All this taken together creates conditions for the pathological development of the heart itself. In addition, it turned out that incorrect sitting position at the table is primary, and myopia is secondary, and not vice versa, as was believed. V.F. Bazarnov called this phenomenon “low bowed head syndrome.” To relieve visual fatigue in the lessons, simulators developed by V. F. Bazarny were used:

1. Poster – diagrams of visual-motor trajectories. It shows, using special arrows, the main directions in which the gaze should move during physical education exercises; forward-backward, left-right, clockwise and counterclockwise, figure eight. Each trajectory has its own color

This makes the design bright, colorful and eye-catching. Exercises are performed only while standing, with the electric lighting turned off.

2. Trainer with visual cues

In various areas of the classroom, bright objects that attract attention are recorded - visual cues. They can be toys or colorful pictures.

They are located in the corners. Toys (pictures) are selected in such a way that together they form a single visual and playful plot (for example, from famous fairy tales). The plot changes once every 2 weeks. To activate the body, including a general sense of coordination and balance, it is recommended to perform exercises only in a standing position. For this purpose, all children periodically rise, and counting 1, 2, 3, 4, they quickly alternately fix their gaze on the indicated visual marks, combining movements of the head, eyes and torso.

Bazarny’s technique allows you to create conditions to prevent the elimination of myopia. Its essence lies in the fact that during the lesson, in near vision mode, namely, work with the textbook is usually carried out at one stage of the lesson. Everything else is placed in advance on the simulators: put on the board, on special cards that are placed on the walls of the classroom or perceived by ear.

A great effect is obtained when working with small plot pictures. In this case, the task is given: carefully examine the drawings, compare them, find commonalities and differences. The work uses a rug made of geometric shapes. Children receive the task: - What geometric shapes does the rug consist of? – How many triangles? (squares, circles) - Which figures are the same color?

Cards are often used in mathematics lessons: – Read out the numbers written in blue and red.

– Find all even numbers.

All these and similar tasks are exercises for the extraocular muscles. Physical exercises are performed every 10-15 minutes of work to prevent visual impairment. The scheme of their implementation is as follows.

• Breathing exercises.
• Exercises that affect blood circulation in the eyes.
• Exercises for the external muscles of the eye.
• General developmental and corrective exercises.
• Exercises for the internal muscles of the eye.
• Exercises for the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle.

The simplest and most accessible exercise for everyone is covering your eyes with your palms. This is the best way to achieve relaxation of the nerves of all senses, including vision, as well as a reduction in mental and physical stress. Every person who has any visual impairment should cover his eyes with his palms as often as possible. Children really like the “bear wiggle”. This is also one of the most useful relaxation exercises. It relaxes the eyes, brain, spine, neck. Move students from row to row monthly.

Complex 1 (according to Bazarny): starting position sitting or standing.

1.take a deep breath, then, leaning forward towards the desk lid, exhale (repeat 5 times);

2. close your eyes tightly, then open them (4 times);

3. hands on the belt, turning your head to the sides, look alternately at the right and left elbow (4 - 5 times_;

4.look first at the board for 2-3 seconds, then at the tip of your finger in front of you for 3-5 seconds (5-6 times);

5. Stretch your arms forward and, looking at your fingertips, raise them and lower them (5 – 6 times);

6.holding the index finger of your right hand in front of you, move your hand from left to right (4 – 5 times) (“pendulum”).

Methods of visual gymnastics

Visual gymnastics is carried out from a very early preschool age. You should do healthy exercises with your children two to three times a day. The duration of classes in the junior and middle groups is two to three minutes, in the senior group - four to five minutes.

When performing exercises, you must follow certain rules:

1. Guys must stand or sit. At the same time, you should not strain your body.
2. The head takes a fixed position (unless, of course, the gymnastics is active - it is not combined with head turns to strengthen the neck muscles).
3. If some children wear glasses, they should be removed.
4. Baby's breathing should be uniform and deep.
5. The last exercise is best done by blinking, and after finishing the gymnastics, it is advisable for kids to stretch well.

Glasses must be removed during eye exercises.

To arouse the maximum interest of preschoolers in eye exercises, it should be carried out in a playful way and use imagery. For example, you can not just ask children to close their eyes tightly, but turn into eagle owls or cats who have just woke up. In addition, the children always like to do exercises accompanied by funny poems.

You can do visual gymnastics at any time: while walking, in your free time, or organically include it in any activity (cognition, speech development, productive activity). At the same time, the topic of exercise is connected with the topic of educational activities directly. For example, if children study insects, then the children can follow the flight of a toy bee with their eyes. If during the actual educational activity we are talking about transport, then you can offer an exercise with a short poem:

• They rush through the city from morning until night
• Cars of all brands, very beautiful.
• They will go left, right, around -
• Cars are free both night and day.

At the same time, children perform eye movements according to the text (left, right, circular), and at the end they blink.

If the lesson is associated with eye strain (productive activity), then eye gymnastics is carried out in the middle of the lesson. If the educational activity itself does not involve a load on the eyes (speech development, reading fiction), then a separate exercise for the eyes can be done in the second half of the lesson: the children will receive a kind of relaxation and will be able to get a little distracted.

You can find a lot of ideas for visual gymnastics while walking. For example, a teacher invites preschoolers to look down at the grass, then up at the sky, look for birds there, then back at the grass. In the warm season, you can watch a butterfly flapping its wings and offer to wave its eyelashes.

You can find a lot of ideas for visual gymnastics while walking

You can train children's eyes in your free time, in the morning or evening. The teacher offers the children ophthalmic simulators or specially alternates certain games: sorting small objects by shape or color (the muscles of the eye responsible for near vision work) and throwing balls into a basket or skittles (while the child looks into the distance). In sunny weather, you can use an ordinary mirror and chase sunbeams around the room: the kids will follow them with their eyes.

You can train your visual muscles even with the help of ordinary sunbeams

Features of working with preschoolers of different ages

When organizing gymnastics, it is important to take into account the age of preschoolers. For example, two-year-old children are unlikely to understand the verbal command “rotate with our eyes”: the teacher must use an object that the children will follow with their eyes. Moreover, it should not be an ordinary pencil, but a “magic wand” or a pointer with a picture or toy attached to it. An interesting idea is to put on a finger puppet.

Another effective way to interest a younger preschooler is phrases like “Can you do that? But I can do it!” After such words, inquisitive little ones are ready to repeat everything after the teacher.

Forcing a small child to do something if he is not interested is unacceptable and, moreover, will not bring any benefit.

As for the older preschool age, here you can motivate the children with an educational conversation: tell them about the structure of the human eye, about the need to care for it. Curious students will also be interested in learning the differences in the structure of the human eye and various animals (for example, a crocodile’s eyes are located on the sides of the head and have three eyelids). The teacher should discuss with children how harmful it is to watch cartoons and sit for long periods of time playing computer games. After such a conversation, preschoolers themselves will want to do useful exercises.

If, when conducting visual gymnastics with younger preschoolers, the teacher must demonstrate each exercise himself and do it together with the children, then at the senior level the teacher only needs to demonstrate the execution of the actions once. In the future, verbal instructions or reading a poetic text (if it accompanies the exercise) will be sufficient.

Stereo pictures to relax your eyes

Looking at stereoscopic images in itself is interesting, since a three-dimensional image appears on a flat sheet. All you need to do is select images with a children's theme. You can start with the game “Guess who is hiding in the picture.” The next day, add another one to the initial set of pictures (5-6), and the baby must remember who was not in the pictures yesterday. You need to make sure that the child blinks when looking at it. It is better to use paper pictures rather than those presented on the monitor. With this exercise, attention, imagination, and the ability to navigate spatial geometry will simultaneously develop.

Examples of exercises

When conducting gymnastics with younger preschoolers, the exercises should be extremely simple, but at the same time entertaining. You can use the following options:

1. "Pussy eyes." The teacher asks the kids to imagine themselves as kittens. Children open their eyes wide and then close them. After that they look up, down, to the side.
2. "Swing". The teacher invites the children to play with their eyes on a swing: fly up high and then fall down (moving their eyes up and down).
3. "Carousel". Circular movements with eyes.
4. "Day and night". The child holds his finger in front of him at arm's length. At first he looks at him with both eyes, then only with the right one while the left one is closed and vice versa.
5. "Hide and seek." The guys need to close their eyes tightly for a couple of seconds, and then open them for the same amount of time (the motivation is “you’re hiding and no one can see you”).
6. "Clothespin." Using the thumbs and index fingers of both hands, you need to squeeze the skin between the eyebrows (as if holding it together with a clothespin).
7. "Butterfly". The teacher invites preschoolers to blink their eyelashes, like a butterfly flaps its wings.

Starting from middle age, exercises should be more complicated:

1. "What changed?" While walking, invite the children to look into the distance at the children from the neighboring playground or at the passers-by from the group window and remember their location. Then the kids close their eyes for about 10 seconds, and then say how the location of the people has changed.
2. "Geometric figures". The teacher asks preschoolers to imagine a large circle, and then circle it with their eyes clockwise and counterclockwise. Similarly, you can “draw” a square, and then move your gaze from the upper right corner to the upper left, etc.
3. “We make faces.” The teacher invites the children to portray an animal, for example, a hedgehog. At the same time, it is stipulated that he stretches his lips forward, and his eyes “run” left and right, then up and down.
4. "Expansion of visual fields." The child places the index fingers of both hands directly in front of him. Each finger is watched by its own eye. Then the fingers slowly spread apart, and the eyes continue to follow them.
5. "Pinocchio." The guys look at the tip of their nose. Then the teacher counts to 5 (in the senior group - up to 10, in the preparatory group - up to 20) and asks the children to imagine that their nose is growing. They should follow its tip with their eyes - it seems to be moving away from them. After this, preschoolers also observe its decrease.
6. "Shooting with the eyes." The child suddenly turns his gaze in any direction and says “bang-bang.”

In addition, from a young age you can perform visual gymnastics to a poetic text. At first these are short works, then longer ones. You can use the following options:

Table: "Bump"

Table: "Vegetables"

Table: “Christmas tree”

The following examples refer to active visual gymnastics (it is accompanied by body movements) to a poetic text.

Table: "Rain"

Table: "Spring"

Table: "Cat"

Video: a teacher conducts visual gymnastics with preschoolers

Video: girl doing eye exercises (7 exercises)

Eye trainers for amblyopia

Treatment must begin in childhood, while the eye is growing. For amblyopia (lazy eyes), the main treatment is aimed at training the eye muscles. Additionally, ophthalmologists prescribe correction with special lenses.

Amblyopia is diagnosed using a special refractometer device, the doctor determines the degree of distortion of the lines and prescribes physiotherapy and glasses. The problem with amblyopia is that each eye sees the picture differently, one of the common options is that the right eye does not see parallel stripes, the left does not see vertical ones.

Computer program "EUE"

The computer program "EUE" is intended for the diagnosis and treatment of amblyopia and strabismus, restoration and development of binocular vision. The division of visual fields is carried out using red-blue glasses. Images appear on the screen, tasks are performed with the mouse, and the eyes work.

The ophthalmologist prescribes 10-15 sessions, which are recommended to be repeated every six months. The program can be installed on your home computer, but the main thing here is not to overdo it, as long-term use can cause harm.

Goncharova-Küppers technique

If you don’t have a computer at home, and it’s not always convenient to visit a clinic, you can familiarize yourself with the Goncharova-Küppers method

. You will need a dark room and a 60-watt light bulb. and opaque paper. A circle is cut out, slightly less than 1 cm, and glued to the lamp. You can make a drop of red construction paint.

A man sits down in a dark room, one eye is tightly covered with a bandage. At a distance of 50-60 cm, looks at a circle of opaque paper with the lamp on for 20-30 seconds, then the gaze is transferred to a white sheet of paper. Each procedure is performed in 3 approaches per eye. It is recommended to do the exercises once a day, for 1-3 months, or every month for 12-14 days.

Highlights

Another similar method is called “lighting” by ophthalmologists. 100 watt lamp. placed in a black bag or cap made of thick fabric. The lamp itself can be painted red or put on a film. A circle with a diameter of 3-5 cm is cut out in the center.

The distance between the patient and the lamp is 40 cm. The person looks at the lamp for 20-30 seconds, then turns off the light for 3-5 seconds, and the light turns on again. Performed once a day for 3 months.

Using visual aids during visual gymnastics

When performing visual gymnastics, visibility is of great importance. It helps to interest children and make exercises more effective. After all, in preschoolers (especially at a younger age), visual-figurative thinking predominates, and many exercises, especially such as rolling the eyes, turning the eyes, are much easier for them to do with a visual reference in front of them.

Many exercises are easier to perform when there is a reference point in front of your eyes.

The following types of visual aids are used to conduct gymnastics in kindergarten:

1. Guide items. They are distributed to all children or the teacher shows the object to a group of children. In the first case, each preschooler holds a small object in front of him (for example, a hair tie with a butterfly, it is convenient to put it on his finger) and moves it according to the teacher’s instructions. At the same time, the gaze follows him. Such things are again selected according to the topic of the lesson (the mentioned butterfly elastic band will come in handy, for example, when studying the topic “Insects”). In any case, the object should be large enough and bright, not blending in color with the teacher’s clothes and the surrounding environment. The simplest version of such a visual reference is a colorful magic wand (pointer). You can also use finger puppets. You can attach a picture to the end of it. When the teacher shows the landmark, he places the kids with lower visual acuity closer to him, while the rest sit or stand behind.
2. Scheme. Such manuals are intended for older preschoolers, because they are already developing abstract thinking. They show different types of eye exercises. Looking at the picture, the child can understand exactly how to perform the actions.
3. Signal marks. They are designed for exercises when the gaze switches from a near point to a far point. A mark with a diameter of about 0.5 cm is attached to the window glass at eye level of the preschooler. The child stands very close to her (distance - approximately 20 cm). He should look at the landmark for a couple of seconds, and then turn his gaze to a distant point on the street. The teacher asks the preschooler to tell him what interesting things he sees there.
4. Wall-mounted and ceiling-mounted ophthalmic simulators. This is a kind of trajectories along which children's eyes “run”. For example, from one animal or fairy-tale character you need to get to another along a bright (usually broken) path. At the same time, the child’s head and torso may move. Each track has its own color. Exercises are usually performed collectively.
5. Individual ophthalmic simulators. They are outline pictures of many individual small elements - butterflies, leaves, Christmas trees, etc. (at an older age, these can be letters or numbers). The child should visually trace the outline; you can also help with your finger. In this case, the preschooler holds the picture in front of him at arm's length.

Photo gallery: visual aids for performing visual gymnastics

The signal mark is needed to switch gaze from a near point to a far point

The simulators are designed for individual work

The child moves the object according to the teacher’s instructions and follows it with his eyes

The schemes are designed to work with older preschoolers

Children should visually trace the path from one character to another

Video: preschoolers perform eye exercises (an exercise with a visual reference - a homemade flower)

The teacher can easily make almost all the attributes for visual gymnastics with his own hands. So, a simple but original guide is Cheburashka with moving eyes (it can be any other character). It is cut out of colored cardboard. With the help of such a toy, you can not only strengthen your eyesight, but also repeat mathematical concepts (“in which direction is the character looking?”).

Due to the slits, Cheburashka's eyes move

Even pupils of the younger group can repeat the eye movements of such a Cheburashka - it replaces the teacher’s demonstration.

When working with children, Cheburashka’s actions replace the teacher’s demonstration

Another example of a homemade manual is geometric shapes cut out of colored cardboard (all of them are different colors). They are mounted on the wall at a sufficient distance from each other. The teacher chaotically names the figures or their color, and the children must look from one object to another without turning their heads.

An interesting guide is “The Orchard”. The poster shows various fruits: they form circles (small ones inside larger ones). The teacher names a specific fruit, and preschoolers must circle the corresponding circle with their eyes.

Fruits are arranged in circles of different sizes

Visualization should also be used when working with parents. Special posters showing how to correctly perform visual gymnastics should be periodically placed in the health corner in the locker room. Moms and dads can look at them there, and they will definitely attract children's attention.

Using the poster, parents will be able to familiarize themselves with the rules for performing visual gymnastics

Multimedia aids

Preschoolers always really like multimedia aids for visual gymnastics. They are videos where various objects appear on the screen: fish in an aquarium, butterflies in a meadow, stars in the sky, etc. The kids’ task is to follow them with their eyes. All this happens to the accompaniment of pleasant music, causing extremely positive emotions in the children.

Video: sunshine

https://youtube.com/watch?v=LzbmJRaD4s8

Video: butterfly

Video: starry sky

Video: balloons

Video: geometric shapes

Video: in the depths of the sea

Video: watching the figures

Video: rainbow

Execution method

The exercises are designed to strengthen the optic nerves.

• Eye movements are made to the right and left, in a circle, to the sides horizontally. You can use a pencil as an auxiliary element. The child looks at its tip and follows the movement.
• Exercise with a point . Draw a red dot on the window glass. It should be at the child's eye level. We invite the preschooler to look at the dot for 5 seconds, then move his gaze beyond the window to some distant object.
• Blinking . Relaxes vision, relieves fatigue by blinking quickly for a few seconds.
• Cover your eyes with your palms . Our eyes rest well in the dark, but, unfortunately, it is difficult for us to get rid of light entering the retina: even at night, the light of flashlights can interfere. If you tightly cover your eyes with your palms, the light does not fall on them, and the eye muscles relax.
• Let's keep an eye on the subject . In addition to a pencil, you can suggest keeping an eye on any bright object. It is better if it is of a simple shape: a cube, a ball, a candle.

Using the Bazarny method is the basis for raising a healthy preschooler

Dear colleagues, I bring to your attention material on the use of V.F. Bazarny’s technologies. The technique is aimed at strengthening the physical and mental health of the child.

Goal: formation of a physically healthy personality. Objectives: • improve the educational process, directing it to preserve the health of children; • promote a healthy lifestyle; • provide favorable conditions for the development of the physical and mental health of a preschooler.

One of the priority areas of my activity is raising a healthy preschooler, since every year the number of absolutely healthy children has noticeably decreased. Children already upon entering kindergarten have deviations from the norms of physical development, have chronic diseases, are aggressive, and suffer from a lack of movement. Therefore, giving a health-improving focus to UVP in the group of my students became my first priority.

Everyone complains about the sedentary lifestyle of modern people. But we create this “way of life” ourselves. So, for example, a child by nature is all in motion. Sitting is unnatural for him. Since ancient times, people have known that movement is life. How is the workplace organized for most modern people and all children? Only when sitting at a table. And so from year to year... all my life. No choice! So diseases accumulate and overwhelm us. Of all the components of preserving a child’s health, I gave priority to V.F.’s health-improving methods. Bazarny "Healthy spiritual, physical and intellectual development of children in the system of preschool and school education." Bazarny Vladimir Filippovich (b. 05/04/1942), Russian scientist, doctor and innovative teacher. He devoted more than 25 years to solving a fateful problem for Russia - preserving and strengthening the health of younger generations. In his research, he revealed the roots and causes of the process of degradation and extinction of the vitality of the people observed in recent decades, convincingly showing that the existing system of raising and educating children in kindergartens and schools is oriented against the nature of the child. Health-protecting and health-saving principles, the design of educational and cognitive activities in kindergartens provide: From the moment kindergartens were turned into purely educational institutions, in which classes began to be held on chairs, children, as a rule, began to go to school with poor posture. The introduction of a mode of motor freedom of dynamic poses, when children change “standing-sitting” poses during the lesson, is carried out through desks.

Working while standing at a desk provides training for the musculoskeletal system, normal functioning of the cardiovascular system, and an active mode for the nervous system.

To work with clarity, a sensory-didactic pendant, cross or rocker is used.

An ecological primer is a wall panel (at least 2 meters wide) that depicts a forest landscape: trees, a river with a bridge, a den, a forest hut. Against this background, didactic material is demonstrated. While completing tasks, children move freely around the room without disturbing the process of conducting the lesson. Communication between teachers and children takes place in the form of dialogue and cooperation. All educational material is presented to children through game exercises, which makes the learning process interesting and exciting. This is truly free learning. The positive results of the health-improving methodology are obvious: children perceive material on speech development, studying elementary mathematical concepts, and artistic creativity much better. Motor activity of children in classes is 50-70%. Preschool children are relaxed in their behavior, sociable, emotional, and most importantly, physically stronger.