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Background. As AI becomes embedded in children’s lives, from entertainment to learning, the role of content is transforming—from passive consumption to active, system-embedded dialogue.

Methods. This article draws from content development experience at Mako Kids and research-led design at KidsAI. It integrates global studies, co-design fieldwork, and expert interviews to analyze how children interpret AI tools and how design influences developmental outcomes.

Results. Findings show that children anthropomorphize AI agents and that system behavior often teaches unintended lessons. Core principles of quality content—including age-appropriateness, holistic thinking, inclusion, safety, play-based learning, and cultural relevance—remain essential in AI-driven environments. Structured prompts, ethical voice design, and scaffolded interactions are key design features in KidsAI’s work, including the development of Olly, KidsAI’s assistant for kids.

Conclusions. Content must now function as ethical infrastructure in sociotechnical systems. Designers must avoid emotional simulation and focus on supporting autonomy, reflection, and cognitive safety. AI should guide—not mimic—human relationships, with clarity and respect.

The relevance of the article. Relevance. In today’s rapidly developing world, where sustainability and environmental awareness have become major global issues, special attention should be paid to early childhood education and the promotion of sustainable values. One of the key tools in this process is high-quality children’s media content.

Research objectives. The article examines the importance of high-quality content in children’s media to promote sustainable values and improve early childhood development. The necessity of creating high-quality content in the media for young children is discussed, high-quality content is determined and evaluated, and how it can raise awareness and cause changes in social behavior is investigated.

Research progress. The article takes a case study approach and analyzes Kozalak Preschool, an animated series created by the author of the article that models sustainable practices and encourages children to connect with nature. The series, created as part of the Increasing Quality of and Access to Early Childhood Education Services Project (ECE) in Turkey and serves as an example of how quality content can promote sustainable behavior and support early childhood development.

Conclusions. High-quality content serves as a powerful tool for promoting sustainable development and shaping a more optimistic future. Through the integration of educational elements, positive role modeling, socio-emotional learning and an emphasis on environmental awareness, children’s media can help young minds become catalysts for change. By cultivating an understanding of sustainable development and strengthening commitment to environmental protection, high-quality content in children’s media can have a long-term impact on their development and inspire them to become active defenders of our planet.

The relevance of the subject of the article. There is no single approach to the concept of creativity, and no clear understanding and criteria how to distinguish creative activity from non-creative one. The relevance of the problem lies in identifying and resolving the contradictions of numerous approaches and theories that interpret the phenomenon of creativity, including children’s. This will allow teachers to consciously and purposefully develop creativity in children’s activities.

Description of the research progress. The research is focused on the studies of pedagogy and psychology. The article systematizes the scientific concepts of creativity, gives an overview of modern models of children’s creativity, analyses domestic and Western theories and the philosophical foundations of the phenomenon. Features of creativity in preschool age are identified, the prerequisites and conditions for its development are carried out.

Research results. As a result of the study, approaches and theories to the phenomenon of creativity, including children’s creativity, were systematized. The features of creativity in senior preschool age are revealed, the methodological foundations for studying children’s creativity are determined.

Conclusion. Researchers consider creativity as a product, process (activity), personality characteristic and as a social phenomenon, which is based on innate abilities and social environment. If it is impossible to change the culture the child grows in and innate abilities, we can influence the social environment and build a creative experience for the child, constructing special conditions for its support and development

Relevance (context) of the subject of the article. The role of the play in preschool age is a priority. At the same time, the predominance of the cognitive dominant in educational standards has an adverse effect on the full living of a child of preschool childhood. When discussing the problem of standardization of education, special attention is paid to the forecasts of D.B. Elkonin, that did not loose their importance today regarding the reform of education in general and preschool education in particular. It is noted that the idea of “high standards of education”, implemented through the introduction of programs for the early development of intellectual skills in children and their preparation for the use of high technologies in the future, simplifies the development of a preschooler.

Organization of the research. The purpose of the study was to determine the presence of ontogenetically successive types of play in the system of additional education of preschoolers. The research method was a content analysis of the content of advertising products for services offered by institutions of additional education for children of early and preschool age. More than 500 advertisements have been analyzed. The analysis showed that the list of proposals is dominated by areas focused on the knowledge component, many of which prevent the formation of age-related neoplasms.

Research results. The results of an analytical study of the services offered by institutions of additional education for young and preschool children indicate the dominance of the school preparation service, the implementation of which begins from 2–3 years of age. The ratio of “developing” services for children offered by extracurricular institutions is shown, in which there is completely no orientation to the leading type of activity of a preschooler – the play. It is indicated that the implementation of both basic and additional education for preschool children in modern conditions is carried out with the predominant use of school forms and teaching aids.

Conclusions. The analysis showed that the use of school forms, methods and techniques when teaching preschoolers in preschool and additional education institutions outside the reliance on the leading type of activity deprives children of a full-fledged childhood. Limited by the framework of educational and other standards, preschool childhood today is deprived of the means to construct the image of adulthood, the image of the social future and the prospects of one’s own individual formation.

The relevance of the subject of the article. The article is devoted to the communication of children with speech disorders in an inclusive kindergarten. Staying in the environment of healthy children has a positive effect on socialization and the formation of communication skills in preschoolers with disabilities. But meanwhile, there may be a contradiction between the social conditions of preschool inclusion and the real opportunities for communication in some children. These contradictions affect children with speech disorders. These children, due to speech pathology, are not capable of full communication. Therefore, the problem of communication and socialization in preschoolers with speech disorders should be solved.

Description of the research progress. Studies on age periodization, according to which communication develops between preschoolers who do not have speech pathologies, are analyzed. The author of the article refers to the brain organization of speech and shows its systemic nature from the point of view of the participation of different brain areas. As a theoretical basis, two classifications of speech disorders are given in the article, with the help of which speech pathologies in childhood are studied; in the future, in accordance with this classification, according to the form of speech pathology, work is carried out to eliminate speech defects. The article has an interdisciplinary character and integrates psychology, pedagogy and speech therapy.

Research results. The work on speech correction begins with the diagnostic stage. Diagnostic examination, which establishes the state of active and passive speech in a child, is based on the position on the systemic structure of speech functions. The article shows that speech has a systemic structure – from elementary to the most complex forms. Speech therapy classes have different aims and structure, depending on the correctional focus on a particular speech defect. In addition to speech therapy classes, recommendations are given on the development of etiquette speech and on the formation of communication skills within the framework of a role-playing game and theatricalization.

Conclusion. Working in a kindergarten to restore speech reduces the “risk zone” for socialization. With sufficient communication, children acquire the possibility of full inclusion in the peer environment.

Relevance (context) of the subject of the article. The system of Russian preschool education occupies a leading position in the world. It began to take shape in the last century. The article discusses the views on the development and education of preschoolers by researchers of child psychology and preschool pedagogy who worked at the Institute of Preschool Education of the USSR Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, created by A.V. Zaporozhets. Zaporozhets attached particular importance to the upbringing of a child in the first years of life, when the foundations of a future personality are laid, when, under favorable pedagogical conditions, various practical, mental and artistic abilities develop most intensively; moral ideas, feelings and habits begin to form, which later develop into a person’s character.

Description of the research progress. The author examines the activities of various laboratories of the Institute, which investigated the problems of education, development and upbringing of children of early and preschool age. Pedagogical, psychological and physiological studies conducted at the Institute of Preschool Education in collaboration with other scientific institutions of the country were aimed at solving these problems.

Research results. Zaporozhets created a theory of sensory and mental development of a child recognized in world science, which is the basis for solving the problems of preschool education. Under the leadership of Zaporozhets, the concept of preschool education was developed and studies of the upbringing and education of children of early and preschool age were carried out, which proved that every normal child has enormous potential psychophysiological capabilities. The task of teachers, in opinion of Zaporozhets, is to create optimal pedagogical conditions for the realization of these opportunities, and in the course of assimilation of social experience, not only the child is enriched with known knowledge and skills, but also the formation of his/her abilities and personality qualities are carried out. The staff of the Institute prepared a “Kindergarten Education Program”, on the basis of which the upbringing and education of children in all preschool institutions of the country was conducted.

Background. We are living in challenging times, with an urgent need for transformation that requires new and sustainable ways of living. Young children are exposed to these global challenges. This study responds to the need for further understanding of how education for sustainability (EfS) is being handled in early childhood education (ECE).

Objective. This study investigated ECE teachers in the process of implementing early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS). This was initiated by the 2019 revised Swedish National Curriculum for the preschool, where education for sustainable development is included as an overall value and objective.

Design of study. The data presented in this article was obtained in May 2021. An initial questionnaire was emailed to all Ifous participants. One hundred fifty-three teachers (76.5%) responded. The intention of the questionnaire was twofold: first, to investigate what the teachers considered to be education for sustainability in ECE; and second, to scrutinize the teachers’ knowledge base, for the further planning of the research and development program. Content analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results. The findings of the study showed a tendency to describe education for sustainability as “business-as-usual” rather than treating EfS as a new field, and to contend that the teachers addressed EfS before it became a compulsory task in 2019. There were few connections made to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (2015) and to the ongoing pandemic. A common trend when describing the content and activities was to divide the content into three areas, following the three dimensions of sustainability. The teachers described the physical changes and pedagogical changes made after the revision of the national curriculum.

Conclusion. The teachers in the study were interested in EfS, and some articulated a longing for more knowledge about ECEfS and for transformative change. The teachers also showed the need for courage and professionalism to lead the way in finding the relevant content and activities for EfS. The teachers were struggling to find new ways to meet the demands from the governing documents especially during a planetary crisis.

Relevance of the article. The development of emotional intelligence allows a person to successfully respond to the challenges facing him during his life. The need for the development of emotional intelligence is also confirmed by the documents regulating the sphere of preschool education. Developed emotional intelligence is also very important for the future of successful schooling, adaptation and building communication. The article presents the results of a theoretical study devoted to the problems of the formation of emotional intelligence in the field of language education of preschool children.

Research progress. Studies devoted to the problem of determining the essence and structure of emotional intelligence are analyzed. The analysis showed the importance of this type of work with preschoolers in teaching foreign languages, and also allowed to identify and describe the prerequisites for the development of emotional intelligence at an early stage of mastering a foreign language. The relevance of developing a problem in early foreign language teaching in accordance with the Federal State Educational Standard of Preschool Education, which sets tasks related to ensuring the social and communicative development of a preschool child, the formation of independence, purposefulness and self-regulation of their own actions; development of social and emotional intelligence, emotional responsiveness, empathy.

The results of the study. The development of emotional intelligence is one of the key components of the child’s psyche, which ensures the formation of his personality in ontogenesis and subsequent successful functioning in society. The priority of practical learning goals existing in the methodology of early foreign language teaching, suggesting a certain pragmatic orientation of the pedagogical process – the formation in a preschool child, first of all, of the ability to speak the language being studied and understand the speech of the interlocutor, does not allow to properly implement the requirement to ensure the development of emotional intelligence in preschool children.

Conclusions. The analysis of studies of the relationship between emotional intelligence and communicative properties, skills and abilities of the individual has shown that the development of emotional intelligence is especially organically integrated into the process of learning English. It is necessary for effective communication and develops in the best way within it, through the development of its speech competencies, through the improvement of the system of language means of the native and foreign languages assimilated by him, and along with the solution of educational and subject-related learning tasks, contributes to the implementation of one of the most effective approaches to teaching foreign languages – the communicative approach.

The relevance of the article’s topic. The ability to evaluate oneself, one’s own achievements is one of the new formations of a child’s personality that appears at preschool age. The importance of the development of this regulatory ability for a preschooler is that it affects the child’s success in various activities. Numerous studies are devoted to the study of self-esteem in preschool, primary school age. But their content practically does not reveal the qualitative characteristics of self-esteem of older preschoolers. The analysis of children’s judgments allows a deeper understanding of the modern child in the space of evaluation and self-esteem, to explore the uniqueness of the evaluation field in which he develops, and also to rethink the ways to support positive self-esteem in the pedagogical process of preschool education.

The aim of the study was to identify the features of self-esteem of older preschoolers in the group with the norm of development and general underdevelopment of speech.

Description of the research progress. The study involved 50 children aged 6–7 years. There are approximately the same number of boys and girls in each of the surveyed groups. The main group of methods used by teachers were conversations and the method of participant observation of children in organized activities in the classroom, in a natural setting (games, conversations with peers, on a walk). Observation maps were compiled, existing diagnostic conversations were modified, and educational situations for assessment were identified. The severity and nature of the children’s assessment of their own activities were recorded. An additional group of methods included experimental methods for identifying self-esteem: V.G. Schur “Ladder”, “Test de Greefe”, “Draw yourself” A.M. Parishioners, Z. Vasiliauskaite, “What am I?”, Dembo-Rubinstein scales.

The results of the study. Based on the results of the diagnostics, the age norm of the level of self-esteem was found in most children. Inadequately overestimated or underestimated self-esteem was noted in children with a low level of development of the cognitive component of self-esteem, with an insufficiently developed reflective-critical attitude towards themselves. Speech disorders do not have a particular impact on the level of self-esteem of older preschoolers. When considering the qualitative characteristics of self-esteem, it was revealed that evaluative statements in children’s everyday speech are rare and meaningfully impoverished. Children do not have enough assessment and self-assessment skills. The natural speech environment does not always provide the child with sufficient means of expressing an assessment or an idea of the structure of an evaluative statement, therefore, the assessments of six-seven-year-old children are categorical and two-dimensional: do / don’t do, good / bad, normal / abnormal, love / don’t love etc.

Conclusion. The analysis of children’s judgments allows us to conclude that preschoolers have significantly limited ideas about themselves, translation, and repetition of the monotonous adult’s judgments. The image of a preschool child is impoverished, is closed on obedience, diligence, non-conflict, is devoid of value orientation, content, diversity.

Relevance of the article. In the modern world, as a result of the rapid development of medicine and the possibilities of caring for children, the number of children with special developmental needs is sharply increasing. This leads to an increase in disability, especially in cases where it is not possible to identify developmental disabilities at an early age and begin to take action. This is facilitated by the model of medical care in which the doctor has limited time to monitor the child. Therefore, in working with small kids, there is a problem of non-detection of deviations in development arises. On the other hand, even when children who need special conditions are identified, there is a problem of inaccessibility of developmental and educational services to children with disabilities at an early age (from birth to 3 years); lack of conditions for the formation of an inclusive environment in preschools (large group size – up to 30 people; lack of specialists in preschools; lack of network mechanisms for interaction with the territorial system of early intervention; a large variety of educational cases, etc., in the absence of an assessment of the quality of these resources.

The aim of the article. Development of an automated system “Child’s World”, aimed at early detection of developmental disabilities through pedagogical, parental and medical monitoring.

Description of the research progress. Monitoring was based on teachers’ observation over the behavior of children in nurseries and kindergartens and fixing of the results of the teacher’s observations of children in the system. In addition to teachers, the children are monitored by doctors and parents. The self-learning system adjusts the scores depending on the increase in the number of participants in the system. Based on the data obtained in the system, a psychological and pedagogical commission is organized in kindergarten. If necessary, parents are advised to contact the Psychological, medical and pedagogical commission, where specifics of development is verified and recommendations are made for the conditions of the child’s education. An adapted program is being developed in the kindergarten, observations are continuing and their recording is being carried out. The system is adjusted no more than once every six months.

The results of the study. The project was supported by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, adopted as a good practice and discussed at a meeting of ASI experts. In December 2021, the project was also presented at the meeting “Digital Transformation in Preschool Education” at the Analytical Center under the Government of the Russian Federation. The project is currently being tested. In parallel, the artificial intelligence system is being trained.

Conclusion. The Information system was developed with much more functionality than expected, including not only pedagogical monitoring, but also medical; teachers of three regions (Klin, Moscow region; Omsk; Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan) were trained in five educational complexes. Pediatricians and nurses were trained in five medical institutions. Parents, whose children participated in the testing, were also trained.

Relevance of the article. During the period of restrictions associated with the spread of the coronavirus infection COVID-19, many preschool educational organizations are faced with the need to carry out educational activities in a digital format. Traditional forms of work with preschoolers were transferred to the format of remote interaction, which negatively affected the quality of educational activities and the involvement of subjects of educational relations. There was a need to transform educational activities, taking into account the age characteristics of preschoolers and the specifics of the implemented educational programs. The article describes the ideas on the basis of which it is possible to develop variable models for the transformation of educational activities implemented using the resources of the digital environment.

The aim of the article is to consider possible approaches to the development of the digital segment of the basic educational program of a preschool educational organization in the context of the possibilities for designing and implementing new formats of educational activities, alternative options for the formation of a developing subject-spatial environment, as well as family support in the context of the implementation of the digital segment of educational programs for preschool education.

Research methods. Expert analysis of the practice of kindergartens in the process of using the resources of the digital environment for the organization of educational activities with pupils.

The results of the study. Approaches and mechanisms were formulated on the basis of which it is possible to develop variable models of transformation of educational activities implemented using the resources of the digital environment, modernize approaches to the organization of the developing subject-spatial environment of a preschool educational organization and educational cooperation with the family in the process of mastering the child’s educational program of preschool education.

Conclusion. The content presented in the article may be of interest to teachers and educators of preschool educational organizations, specialists in the field of advanced training and professional improvement of teachers of the preschool education system, and form the basis for a professional discussion of issues related to the digitalization of preschool education.

In this issue of the journal, we present the international experience in the study of narratives in preschool children. The authors of the articles live and work in different European countries (Bulgaria, Poland, Finland, Sweden and Russia). All publications are grouped around the same topic of the story of children in a monolingual or bilingual situation.

Relevance (context) of the article. The analysis of the sources shows the effect of the P. Ya. Galperin’s theory of step-by-step development of intellectual activity. Relevance of the study is evident both at the level of fundamental general psychological mechanisms of intellectual processes, and at the level of educational technology development. P. Ya. Galperin’s theory has found its usage in developing methods for correctional and educational work in teaching children with disabilities.

The purpose of this paper is to show relevance of P. Ya. Galperin’s theory implementation, when developing methods in correctional education to form intellectual activity in preschoolers with intellectual disabilities.

Description of the research. The thesis reveals gradual development of intellectual activity in preschoolers with intellectual disabilities. There is an author’s method of forming intellectual activity in preschool children with intellectual disabilities. This method is presented on the example of actions of assigning the subject to the standard of form and direct quantitative counting. It is used in preparing children for school. This study is implemented in the educational field Intellectual Development. It is possible to use this method in the future to ensure preschool education of children with intellectual disabilities.

Findings. The research studied formation of a perceptive ability to match a particular object’s properties with the set standards of form and the ability to make direct quantitative calculations when using the method based on P. Ya. Galperin’s theory. The study revealed that, though the tasks at each stage of learning were getting more and more complicated, the intellectual activity acquirement was progressing. This is shown through preschoolers with intellectual impairments being more independent from an adult’s help and being able to shift to a more ‘reduced’ action according to P. Ya. Galperin. The distinguished gradual development of intellectual activity (first shifting from conceiving the task to acquiring the intellectual action in the tangible and physical way, second shifting to handling the observed objects without motor actions involved, finally shifting to prospective planning of the action) has proven to be effective when assisting a child in forming various intellectual actions, such as objective figure modeling, objects size-ranking, comparison, qualitative division, etc.

Conclusion. The method of forming intellectual skills in preschoolers with intellectual disabilities, built on the principle of gradual development of intellectual activity can be widely used in correctional, developmental and educational work. This study is possible to go beyond the actual intellectual development and be used in other educational areas of preschool education of this group of children.

Background. The trends of developing child friendly urban environment result in designing of play areas in places which are not specifically made for children: train stations, cafes, shopping centers, etc. The design of such places requires research of children’s behavior, understanding and experience of using play equipment and materials. This article deals with children’s play spaces in trains and at railway stations in Moscow.

The purpose of the study is to highlight the principles of organizing play environment and equipment at train stations, airports, in trains.

Play spaces at the railway stations and toy`s sets for kids in trains were analyzed according to the basis criteria of the examination of play spaces and toys. Based on the data obtained, the principles of organizing space were proposed, taking into account the special conditions in traveling (a large number of people, rush, small space, children of different ages, etc.).

Research results. The study showed that play spaces at railway stations are unsuitable for children’s age needs: they are like copies of typical street playgrounds, include the same equipment, designed for kids aged just 2-5 years and mostly for movement and not for the role play. In trains play spaces are better adapted for cognitive and productive activities of children, while play and motor activity are ignored. Play sets are also designed for age 3-6 and require significant changing. This analysis allows us to identify 3 key principles of organizing children’s space in trips. Creating a children’s space, it is necessary to consider the duration of trips, the capacity and possibility of a place, age specific of play, speech and other activities of children. It is also important to focus on the features of age and remember that adults are the mandatory companions of the child in traveling. This study can serve as a basis for a more detailed and large-scale study of the issue of children’s spaces, as well as a general guideline for evaluating and designing such play spaces.

The article is of a theoretical pattern and summarizes the scientific statements and research of recent studies. The theoretical provisions and the program document, which substantiate the content and guide of the development of special preschool education are presented.

The relevance of the article consists in the analysis of modern preschool education for children with cerebral palsy. The article describes the mental and physical characteristics of children with cerebral palsy of preschool age, which indicate special educational needs and the need for special correctional and developmental work. The provisions on the psychodiagnostics of children with cerebral palsy are given; the principles for drawing up an individual educational route are shown. On the basis of materials of Russian studies and recommendations, the variants of educational programs that are prescribed for children with disorders of the musculoskeletal system of various severity are presented. The article also contains material on the international experience for organization of preschool education for children with cerebral palsy. Using the example of Polish preschool education, an approach is shown that includes general and special technologies and directions for teaching children. On the basis of the regulations on education in the United States, the organizational and pedagogical conditions for preschool children with cerebral palsy are shown. The author of the article considers individual educational plans that regulate the upbringing and education of children with special educational needs. The article presents a North American study that found a correlation between the mobility of children and their socialization. The results of this study and practical recommendations are presented: the overall social activity of a child in a group depends on his/her motor abilities and the development of interaction (as communication skills and interaction with other children). In conclusion, based on a comparative analysis, the similarity of the scientific positions in Russia and other countries regarding the content of preschool education for children with cerebral palsy is shown. The role of preschool institutions in the development and socialization of children with cerebral palsy has been substantiated.

The article is devoted to the practical aspect of the development of self-regulation of preschoolers in the play. The introduction provides a definition of self-regulation as a multidimensional construct that includes the regulation of emotions, cognitive processes and behavior. The definition of executive functions based on A. Miyake’s model is also proposed. The literature review covers the results of new studies on the influence of play on the development of self-regulation in preschoolers. The article considers studies showing the effectiveness of role play, play with rules, digital games, as well as the relationship between play preferences at home and the development of self-regulation in preschool children. In the final part, practical recommendations are formulated for the use of games in order to develop self-regulation of preschoolers. Recommendations are given for choosing games that are most suitable for this purpose, their duration, increasing children’s involvement in play, and the nuances of organizing play. The conditions for creating different types of play (play with rules, role play, digital games) are described in detail. The Appendix contains names and brief descriptions of digital and board games that can be used to train all components of executive functions.

This article is focused on the study of the role and content of the system of physical education of preschool age children with developmental delay. The author notes that in the development of higher nervous activity and mental functions of human, scientists put emphasis on the importance of the influence of motor analyzer.

Systematic usage of means of physical training allows to prevent the occurrence of secondary deviations in physical development and promotes intensive social integration of children with development delay. The system of physical education in special education gives the chance to the preschool child with development delay to become a full member of society, to actively participate in the further school life, to develop potentialities and to show the natural abilities.

The article also emphasizes that physical development should be an important part of the general system of education, upbringing and correction of children with intellectual disabilities. The main purpose of physical education of children of this category is defined by the author as correction and compensation of physical development defects, general and fine motor skills that hinder successful learning and upbringing.

The key directions of rehabilitation work with children of preschool age with development delays are defined as: improvement of basic motor functions and sensory sphere; development of fine motor skills of hands and fingers; improvement of articulation motor skills; correction of separate sides of mental activity; improvement of spatial representations and orientation, auditory attention and memory; development of different types of thinking; correction of disorders in the development of emotional-volitional sphere; formation of speech breathing; strengthening of general health.

Training of separate movements, elements of actions, bringing them to variant automatic performance, combining these elements in conscious activity are at the heart of the system of physical training of preschool children with development delay.