All articles

Relevance of the article. The use of digital educational technologies in preschool education is one of the urgent problems of our time. Its relevance is determined by a number of factors: the need of modern society for the maximum approximation of educational organizations, including preschool ones, to modern digital technologies, the lack of clearly developed methods for the use of new information technologies in preschool institutions; lack of equipment for the successful education of children in a digital educational environment. The article discusses the possibilities of using the digital educational environment in the educational process and its impact on the formation of the intellectual abilities of children of senior preschool age.

The aim of the study is to develop, experimentally test and describe the pedagogical conditions for the development of intellectual abilities of children of senior preschool age in the process of using the digital educational environment in preschool.

Research progress. The study was conducted on the basis of a kindergarten in Ulyanovsk: 80 children of 5–6 years of age participated in the experiment. In the process of diagnostics, the following methods were used: “Color and shape differentiation” (selectively, the learning ability test of G. Witzlak was used), “Determining the degree of formation of logical thinking actions” (N.B. Venger), “Colored numbers” (Kuizener sticks), “Computing machines” and “Word transformation” (the game of A.A. Stolyar was used), the method of Beloshistaya A.V. The study consisted in determining the pedagogical conditions for the intellectual development of older preschoolers in the process of using the digital educational environment, developing and implementing a system aimed at teaching children the basics of computer literacy, forming a stable interest and positive motivation among preschoolers to master digital learning tools.

Research results. The effectiveness of work on the development of the intellectual abilities of children aged 5–6 years in the process of using the digital educational environment was revealed. After carrying out the formative work, a high level of intellectual development was revealed in 12 children (30%) of the experimental group, an average level was observed in 21 children (52.5%) of the experimental group, and a low level was shown by 7 children (17.5%) of the experimental group.

Conclusions. The use of the digital educational environment significantly affects the active knowledge of the world by the child, his outlook, curiosity, motives for educational activities. It has been proven that the process of developing the intellectual abilities of older preschool children will be more effective if digital educational technologies are actively used, and effective interaction between the educational institution and the family is ensured.

Whilst research underlines the importance of early mathematics in kindergarten, practitioners need effective and innovative approaches to pedagogy. Currently, very different approaches are deployed from an instructional, educator-led approach based on training programmes to a play-based approach. This intervention study examines the effects on the mathematical competency of these two pedagogies. Thirty-five kindergarten educators and 324 six-year-old children were randomly assigned to either a training programme, a play-based approach with card and board games or to the control group. Educators’ views on the interventions were gathered in semi-structured interviews. The results indicate higher learning gains overall for the play-based approach. Differentiated effects were found as tendencies: children with low competencies tend to gain more from training programmes compared to no intervention; children with high competencies gain more from the play-based approach than the training. Educators evaluated the play-based intervention with card and board games as better suited to children’s diverse needs.

Embracing a wide gamut of pedagogical knowledge and experience and practiced on a daily basis through works of folk art, traditions, customs, children’s games and toys, folk pedagogy contributes to the solution of issues related to physical education and development of preschool children. The article considers the possibilities of using traditional pedagogy in the process of physical education for preschool children. Special attention is paid to folk outdoor games that stimulate children’s motor and speech activity. Skill acquisition in playing action-oriented games contributes to the formation of a value approach to a healthy lifestyle and that of self-regulation in a child’s motor sector. The author provides specific examples and recommendations on using outdoor games when working with preschool children.

Today the environmental education of preschool children is top of the agenda. If we fail to explain and teach kids to love and respect nature, they are bound to be indifferent to it when they grow up. Every kid needs to know that if we do not take care of nature, we are in for an environmental disaster. We, people, must help nature. Children need to know that deforestation, air pollution, destruction of rare plants and forest fires are all leading our planet into an environmental abyss. This project is intended to teach children to see the beauty of nature, to learn what good trees, in our case the birch tree, can do, to talk about the beauty of Russian forests, songs that have been sung, poetry written in praise of it, to watch the birch tree in different seasons.

The authors have developed an educational program on the basis of economic education of senior preschool children in developmental interactive games. A series of games called “Rublik and Kopeechka: play in the economy” is included in the program. The educational program includes such educational games that promote cognitive activity of the child and improve competencies of senior preschool children on the elementary economic education. The plot of the stories help children to understand right or wrong decisions. Two characters – Kopeechka and Rublik – travel with children in the world of economy and help children learn basic economic concepts and ideas. This allows to maintain an interest in the proposed educational materials and positive emotional attitude to the activities. The authors of the program through the games try to reveal to the children surrounding world as the world of spiritual and material values and generate economic consciousness and economic thinking. The novelty of the program lies in the formulation of the problem as a matter of social learning itself and that it is implemented in printed games and electronic educational resources.

In the context of the implementation of the Federal State Educational Standard of preschool education study of the theory and practice of humanistic concepts of preschool education in which there is a wealth of experience of practical implementation of the central provisions of the standard preschool education, such as support for children’s initiative, free games, work on the development of educational content areas within the types of children activities, creation of favorable social conditions and environment conducive to development, becomes very important. This article examines the theoretical bases of free games, psychology of play - the views of Piaget and Vygotsky, pedagogy of free play in Waldorf kindergarten and developmental effects of free games. It is shown that in the free play there is not only a support of children’s initiatives, but play also can be realized in the work of five learning areas in the context of children’s daily lives. Elements of Waldorf pedagogy can be used in the practice of Russian kindergartens in the context of the implementation of the Federal State Educational Standard of preschool education.

The correct behavior in extreme situations is often a key to salvation. The article describes the content of the educational field “Security”, the value of outdoor games for physical development and consolidation of ideas about the basics of the fire safety. Outdoor games designed to strengthen the knowledge of the fire safety among children of preschool age are described.