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The relevance of the article. The problem of ‘Paying It Forward’, or the notion that people, children and young persons, carry out acts of kindness to strangers without expecting a return or ‘being paid’ back, is so important that, without exaggeration, the future of mankind depends on it. The term “Paying it Forward“ is tentatively described as ‘the process of somebody doing something good for another without having the intention to have the favour returned or being “paid back”, but instead with the expectation that the recipients pass it on to another person’. The author tries to find answers to the question: why is it that many people who live now feel attached to, worry about, and may even consider themselves responsible for the lives of those who will come to this world several generations later?

Description of the research progress. The article attempts to investigate the phenomenon of ‘living in the now’ and how this affects this ‘paying it forward’, as it can be assumed that their concern about the wellbeing of those who may live in the future may be affected by a limited feeling of being connected with times to come and are more concerned about responding to their needs in the hic et nunc. The trend that pushes children towards living more and more in the present is fueled by numerous processes, the most significant of which is the reduction in the amount of time children devote to leisure and hobbies and the expectation of almost immediate satisfaction of their needs. The author examines the gap between the past, present and future and how this affects the attitude of young men and women to improve the lives of future generations.

Conclusions. The urge to feel connected to or la sense of longing for what went before serves many purposes; it provides identity, pride, certainty, meaning and even repose, recuperation, and healing. It is also for these reasons that rescuing cultural heritage a high priority after conflicts or natural disasters. This raises the question: how well prepared are the younger generation to participate in activities that will benefit those who come after them?

The relevance of the article. The problem of ‘Paying It Forward’, or the notion that people, children and young persons, carry out acts of kindness to strangers without expecting a return or ‘being paid’ back, is so important that, without exaggeration, the future of mankind depends on it. ‘Pay it Forward’ is not a new way of behaving; as else, people would have ceased to exist a long time ago. The term “Paying it Forward“ is tentatively described as ‘the process of somebody doing something good for another without having the intention to have the favour returned or being “paid back”, but instead with the expectation that the recipients pass it on to another person’.

Description of the research progress. After a brief elaboration on the notion of ‘paying it back’, the first part seeks to explore the phenomenon of ‘living in the now’ and how this affects this ‘paying it forward’, as it can be assumed that their concern about the wellbeing of those who may live in the future may be affected by a limited feeling of being connected with times to come. The trend that pushes children to increasingly living in the now is fed by numerous processes, the most important being that spending time at their leisure is becoming rarer, and the other that they expect near immediate responses to their needs.

Conclusions. If people get tired of communicating with the present, they have no energy left for the future. Will children and young people to think about the wellbeing and well becoming of prospective generations? Where and how could they possibly muster the motivation, energy, and above all the time, to ‘pay it forward’? What future lies in waiting for the young generations and for those who come after them? This question gives rise to daunting scenarios, whose consequences could only be approximated, if at all. An effort to this effect will be attempted in the future studies.

This article is devoted to assistance to parents in the moral upbringing of children of sociopaths, i.e. those who violate socially accepted norms of behavior. Many parents are afraid that their children will not be able to become socialized. The publication discusses ways of interacting with such children. A certain model of conscience is used, which includes a number of components.

These include: moral understanding, motivation management, inner voice, empathy and compassion. The process of forming these four components of a healthy conscience is described. The need for subtle and delicate interaction based on the ability to see the hidden motives of children’s behavior, which allows us to count on a positive forecast of their moral development, is shown.

This research focuses on the problem of psychological health and its structural components. The aim of the research is theoretical analysis and empirical study of the relationship between features of older preschool children’s relationship to nature and their psychological health. It was assumed that there is an interdependence between the features of the perceptual-affective component of a child’s relationship to nature and his relationship with himself within the structure of psychological health. The article provides insight into modern research in the problem of psychological health and validates the model of psychological health as a system of personal relationships, which includes relationship to yourself, relationship to others, and relationship to the world, in particular the natural world. A distinctive feature of the model is the importance of emotional contact with nature and the subjective perception of it, along with dialogue and emotional interaction between people. The diagnostic program was designed on this basis. It offered the opportunity to explore features of children’s psychological health at the ages of 5-7, including their personal relationship to nature. The program includes diagnostic methods in the form of conversation, a verbal associative test, projective techniques and the author’s modified technique using a projective method with materialization as described in the children’s test “Diagnostics of emotional relationships in the family” (Bene, 1999). 156 children at the ages of 5-6 and 6-7 years have taken part in the empirical research. It was shown that the development of the perceptual-affective component of child’s relationship to nature is reliably linked with their emotional state, the features of self-awareness, and their social position in a group of peers.

This article explores the development of a child in a heterogeneous social group. The communication process for preschoolers in a heterogeneous social environment contains potential risks for the origin and materialization of various communication difficulties that are related to negative affirmations, incomprehension, rejection, unwillingness to collaborate with partners that possess different characteristics (nationality, health, family setting, behaviour etc. ). Heterogeneity is contemplated not only as a risk factor but also as a resource for children’s socialization, development of toleration, social flexibility, mobility, and communication competencies. The findings of two series of studies are presented: The first series (n=120) highlighted communication difficulties and types of communication difficulties for preschoolers in a heterogeneous social environment in kindergarten; the second series created psychological and pedagogical conditions for the development of toleration as a basis of constructive interaction for children in a heterogeneous group. The following types of communication difficulties for children in a heterogeneous group were identified: hyperactive, shy, and hysterical. It is shown that every type has specific communication difficulties associated with a low level of toleranca development. The results of an educational experiment are presented. The experiment was aimed at supporting preschoolers in overcoming actual communication difficulties through the development of structural components of toleration. The psychological and pedagogical conditions of this process are well justified (to ensure the readiness of educators to train preschoolers to be tolerant and to involve preschoolers in creative activities to design and transform the educational circumstances which create a socially heterogeneous environment).

The analysis of the literature devoted to children’s readiness for school and success factors of schooling shows a clear current shift of emphasis. Traditionally children’s readiness for school and the allocation of psychological factors of success in learning was determined by a set of abilities and skills directly involved in training - especially the level of cognitive development, eye-hand coordination etc. At the present time researchers give greater significance to other factors: training and development of social and emotional competence are becoming important goals of schooling. Several studies have revealed the central role of emotional stability in the success of school education and the development of a child ‘s emotional sphere - a central element of the concept of “psychological readiness for school.” In this regard “emotional intelligence” development becomes a major goal of education and training in family and school. The author introduces the concept of emotional intelligence and emotional education program developed by Professor John Gottman - one of the most respected researchers in the field.

This article analyzes the problem of formation and development of empathy in preschool children. Empathy is considered as a significant factor of further development and operation of the emotional and social status of the child. Child development is unfolding through social interaction. Public attitudes to child and child relations with society influence the development of personality, cognition, emotions and social behavior. The article describes the main directions of development of empathy in the preschool years, as well as ways of its development in children in classroom settings.

This contribution to this Journal consists of three interlinked parts. The overarching and connecting theme is ‘Paying It Forward’, or the notion that people, children and young persons, carry out acts of kindness to strangers without expecting a return or ‘being paid’ back. After a brief elaboration on the notion of ‘paying it back’, the first part seeks to explore the phenomenon of ‘living in the now’ and how this affects this ‘paying it forward’. The second part looks at the disconnection between past, present, and future and how this impacts the manner in which young boys and girls feel about making life better for generations that come after them. This third and final section deals with ways on how to reconnect young people with their past and future and how children may grow up in a culture that embraces positive views, attitudes, and inclinations on paying it forward with future generations in mind.