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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 article raises the question of early education of preschoolers, starting with infancy. This period is of particular importance when it comes to identifying problems in a child’s development. In some cases it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a child’s limited health capacity with the help of early detection of development disorders and timely psychological and pedagogical help provided to the child along with counseling for the child’s family. The article also states the statistical data on the coverage of pre-school education in Russia and European countries. Further, the article presents organizational and methodological approaches to the performance of the structural divisions focused on helping children with developmental problems: lekoteks, early help services, playing facilities for children’s development and counseling centers.

The relevance of the topic of the article. Support for the role-playing game of preschool children is going through a crisis, largely associated with a change in the content of children’s experience. Research that consider the possibility of reflecting literature experience in a role-playing game are few. At the same time, their analysis shows that such experience can have a significant impact on the content and structure of the role-playing games of preschoolers.

The aim of the research was to study the possibilities of reflecting the literature experience of children, received in the family, on the nature of the construction of role-playing games.

Description of the research progress. The sample consisted of 15 children from 4 to 7 years old and 15 mothers who are regular participants in role-playing games organized in the context of non-formal preschool education (community for supporting role-playing games). In the beginning, a sequence of reading fairy tales to children was organized with the family. The first of the tales is based on the external confrontation of warring heroes, and the second is based on the internal conflict of the heroes and their search for the place in the world. Further, 6 role-playing games were organized supported by the plots of fairy tales based on the model of building a two-stroke game (L.I. Elkoninova). The experimenter motivated the children to play with his involvement in the plot of the game and the support of the two-stroke structure of the fairy tale plot. At the final stage, the features of the reflection of reading experience in a plot-based role-playing game were analyzed according to specially developed criteria.

Research results. It was found that a fairy tale plot, in which there is a confrontation between two warring parties, often causes negative emotions in children in the process of reading and, as a result, a reluctance to get involved in a game according to a given plot. A fairy tale plot, where instead of an external confrontation there is an internal conflict of heroes, it evokes positive emotions and research interest in children, which leads to the desire to actively participate in a role-playing game based on this plot, to bring their own vision and meaning into the storyline.

Conclusions. Role-playing game based on a fairy-tale plot allows children 4-6 years old to reach a new level of development of play activity. Changes were recorded in in-game interaction, the level of the game design, its stability and implementation. The greatest growth in game indicators was noted in role-playing based on a fairy tale plot, in which there was no confrontation between good and evil heroes, the smallest growth was observed in games based on a fairy tale plot based on an external conflict of heroes.

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 presents the results of a study on the integration of children’s reading and playing practices implemented within the framework of the Federal innovation platform – kindergarten No. 8 of the Central District of St. Petersburg on the topic “Designing Practices for the Education of Preschool Children in a Changing Sociocultural Situation”.

The aim of the study was to study the possibilities of enriching the practice of subject-role play of children in various age groups (3-7,5 years) as a result of testing the technology of productive reading when children get acquainted with the modern world bestseller of children’s literature, J. Donaldson “Snail and Whale”. It was found that the technology of productive reading has a high developing potential both for organizing children’s perception of the book and understanding its meaning, and for the natural display read in the conditions of play activity. The monitoring and quality analysis of playing activity of children 3-7,5 years revealed that the implementation of the technology of productive reading with preschool children allows, on the one hand, to consider the game as a way of interpreting literary works and on the other hand, to support the game based on the read.

The obtained results show that the implementation of the research plan contributed to the fact that the development indicators of the children’s game begin to approach the normative in the situation of the “zone of proximal development” and the further accumulation of play practice will contribute to the achievement of the normative indicators of the role-playing game in the “zone of the actual development of children”. It is also important that the reliance on the content and structure of the literary text allows the teacher to feel more confident in situations of play interaction with children, as an adult and a child interact in a single story context.

The aim of this study is to uncover the emergence of cultural mathematical understandings and communications in young children’s spontaneous pretend play. It is based on Vygotskian cultural-historical perspectives and socialsemiotic theory, informed by research into ‘funds of knowledge’ and considers how children’s informal knowledge of family practices enriches their play and cultural mathematical understandings. Longitudinal, ethnographic data were gathered in an inner-city mainstream nursery in the south-west of England. Data include written observation and graphics of seven children aged three to four years of age engaged in social pretend play. The findings reveal that many play episodes included aspects of mathematics and that these increased through the year: they show how the children’s home cultural knowledge underpinned their pretend play and informed their mathematics. The children’s graphicacy to communicate mathematics within their pretend play was also evident. The findings show also that where children are immersed in mathematical- and graphical-rich environments, bridging home and early childhood cultures becomes a natural feature of their pretend play. They will add to our understanding of cultural mathematical knowledge in young children.

Background. The value of the children’s game lies in its developing potential, which determines the need to support it by adults, especially parents. Research indicates that such support contributes to better developmental outcomes in children. Moreover, parents can retain a love for play throughout their lives. Adults inclined toward playfulness report higher life satisfaction and greater engagement in life. Parental playfulness fosters spontaneity and creativity in parent-child interactions. It can be hypothesized that positive childhood play experiences influence adults’ life satisfaction and their attitudes toward their children’s play.

Objective. Analysis of the relationship between life satisfaction and the attitude of their children to the game with memories of the game in childhood.

Sample. The study involved 282 participants (229 women, 53 men) aged 21 to 69.

Methods. The study employed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) by Diener et al. (1985) in the Russian adaptation by D.A. Leontiev and E.N. Osin (Osin, Leontiev, 2008; 2020), along with an original questionnaire assessing memories of childhood play and attitudes toward children’s play.

Results. Overall life satisfaction scores showed no direct correlation with memories of childhood play. However, associations were found between specific SWLS subscales and play-related memories. Links were also identified between recollections of personal play experiences and attitudes toward children’s play.

Conclusions. Individuals with positive memories of supported play and playful interactions with adults in childhood reported higher life satisfaction and perceived themselves as more successful in key life domains. Positive childhood play experiences shape an understanding of play’s importance for children and influence parenting approaches. Adults with such experiences, as parents, are more likely to create conditions that foster similar play experiences for their own children.