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The article presents the experience in implementation of innovative educational project, in which educators, students of the Faculty of Elementary Education, colleagues of the Department of Psychological Anthropology and parents with children of early and preschool age took place. Due to the project the Center for Family Education was opened at the Moscow Pedagogical State University at the Institute of Childhood. The environment of the Centre for Family Education is based on the principles of Montessori Method. Therefore, the content of the activity in the Center includes both psychological and pedagogical theories of preschool education system in Russia and strong points of the Montessori Method of education.

The article pays attention to the analysis of multiple resources of higher education institutions for the implementation of the project of Centre for Family Education, it also describes the specifics of designed and field-proved programmes of supplementary education for children and adults based on which the work content in the Centre is framed. The implementation of the research project focuses on the results of testing programs designed by the Department of Psychological Anthropology at the Institute of Childhood: “Montessori Plus” comprehensive educational program of preschool education, “Family Festivals” partial program, “School for engaged parent” educational program of psychological and pedagogical support for parents.

The first results of the “Happy children at the University” project showed that the work on the project was a good start to unite various educational interests of professional teaching community and students of the University for implementation of interesting and fruitful solutions for the benefit of Russian preschool education. Analysis of the results also assures that the Centre for Family Education as a structural department of the University is an available option for Moscow parents to be chosen for its educational programs for children since early childhood. It is also a source of personal development and educational competence.

Background. Time spent with family is a significant factor influencing the child’s successful development, including gender socialization. Mothers and fathers probably prefer different activities when spending time together with children of different genders. Considering that different types of activities have a heterogeneous effect on a child’s personality, the choice of different joint activities can play a significant role in their development. But in modern psychology, family leisure activities in the aspect of parent-child relationships have been little studied by domestic authors.

Objectives. The study aims to identify gender characteristics of joint leisure time of parents with their preschool children.

Sample. The study involved 42 864 parents of preschool-age children aged 18 to 56 years: 41 551 women and 1 313 men from different regions of the Russian Federation.

Methods. The study was conducted on the basis of the author’s questionnaire aimed at studying the parents’ perception of various aspects of preschool children’s lives. Data processing was carried out using frequency and factor analysis.

Results. Study results showed differences in leisure activities of fathers and mothers with their boys and girls. Two key bipolar factors of parents’ preferences for types of joint leisure were identified: “Practically oriented forms of activity — Playful forms of activity” and “Artistic, aesthetic activity — “Cognitive” activity”.

Conclusions. The obtained data allow us to record the features of family leisure with children. Firstly, modern parents strive to spend time with their children, choosing traditional types of family pastime. Secondly, the features of family leisure activities are gender-specific: mothers are focused on practical benefits, while fathers prefer play. In addition, parents with girls and boys choose different directions of activities. Thirdly, important contribution to full-fledged leisure activities with a preschooler is made by family completeness: in single-parent families, the frequency of play forms of child-parent interaction decreases.