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Background. Modern developmental psychology increasingly faces the need to integrate psychological techniques and socio-cultural analysis, especially in the context of the transformation of family structures and educational practices. In this context, rethinking classical diagnostic techniques, such as L.A. Venger’s “Polyanka” method, in new social conditions is of particular importance.

Objective. To show the continuity of scientific ideas of L.S. Vygotsky and his school (A.V. Zaporozhets, D.B. Elkonin, L.A. Venger) in modern interdisciplinary research. To rethink L.A. Venger’s “Polyanka” method not only as a diagnostic tool for visual-imaginative thinking, but also as a means of analyzing the “social situation of development” of a preschooler. To identify the influence of family structure (complete/incomplete) and parental educational strategies on the cognitive development of children, in particular, on the success of completing tasks using the “Polyanka” method.

Sample. 623 older preschool children. Additionally, 941 respondents (fathers and mothers) of these children were interviewed using a special parental questionnaire.

Methods. The following research approaches were used to achieve the objective: analysis of the results of diagnostics of children’s visual-imaginative thinking using Venger’s “Polyanka” method; sociological survey of parents using a specially designed questionnaire; qualitative analysis of the obtained data with the identification of significant correlations.

Results. The study found that boys from single-parent families have significantly lower rates of visual-imaginative thinking (21.9 points) according to Venger’s “Polyanka” method compared to boys from complete families (31.4 points), while such a dependence was not found in girls. Divorced mothers are more likely to use strategies that require their sons to follow strict rules in normatively defined situations, in contrast to fathers in complete families who orient their children towards behavior in uncertain conditions. It was also found that the father’s higher education has a positive effect on the results of girls (32.2 points), and for boys, the best results are associated with the mother’s secondary education (27.8 points). The lowest results are in children whose parents do not use encouragement (25.1 points), and the highest are in those who are not punished (31.7 points).

Conclusions. The study confirmed the importance of the scientific legacy of L.A. Venger for modern developmental psychology. A significant influence of family factors on the development of visual-imaginative thinking of preschoolers has been revealed. Differences in the educational strategies of parents in complete and incomplete families were determined. The “Polyanka” method has proven its effectiveness and social validity in modern conditions, and can be effectively used not only for diagnosing cognitive processes, but also as a tool for analyzing the social situation of development, especially in the context of the dynamics of family development.

Background. Achieving the quality of preschool education is a priority area of the state educational policy. In this regard, the problem of finding effective mechanisms for the innovative development of the preschool educational system, which guarantees high-quality education for children, is being actualized. The solution of this problem dictates the need to appeal to the creative heritage of scientists recognized in the scientific community, whose works lay the methodological and methodological foundations of children’s education, organized from the standpoint of preserving the self-worth of preschool childhood. One of these scientists is L.A. Paramonova, whose scientific work has largely determined the leading lines of development of preschool education since the 1970s, and has not lost its relevance at the present time.

Objective. Scientific understanding of L.A. Paramonova’s creative heritage and consideration of its potential in solving topical issues of modern preschool education.

Methods. A retrospective and contextual analysis of L.A. Paramonova’s scientific work in the aspects of its contribution both to the development of science about childhood and to the development of modern practice of preschool education.

Results. The analysis of L.A. Paramonova’s scientific heritage has revealed a completely new approach to understanding both the essence of child construction and the mechanisms of its formation as a creative activity. Firstly, L.A. Paramonova’s construction, unlike other scientists, is considered as an independent children’s activity, and not as a game or a means of labor education. Secondly, she interprets construction not only as a practical activity for making specific crafts, but also as a general thinking ability that manifests itself in the creative process of creating various entities (structures, drawings, poems, etc.) and endowing them with individual meanings. This mental ability is the basis for the development of not only design, but also other types of children’s activities. The undoubted merit of L.A. Paramonova is the definition of psychological mechanisms for the formation of creative construction, which she refers to the development of imaginative thinking, productive imagination, the organization of children’s experimentation with new material, the formation of generalized methods of construction. Taking into account these mechanisms, she created a system for the formation of creative design in children aged 2–7 years. Of great importance for the further development of the problem of development in preschool childhood are the highlighted L.A. Paramonova (co-authored) the basic qualities of a child’s personality, acting as a psychological guideline for the organization of the developing educational process.

Conclusion. The new strategy presented in L.A. Paramonova’s researches for the formation of creative design in preschool children, as well as the developed basic qualities of the child’s personality, contribute to solving such fundamental problems of pedagogical and psychological science as the problem of the ratio of learning and creativity; development of children’s activities and the child in it; consistency in learning; determining the principles and content of developmental education in preschool as a child. Scientific work of L.A. Paramonova, who made a significant contribution to enriching the idea of A.V. Zaporozhets’s statement about the role of “specifically children’s activities” in the full-fledged development of a child has not lost its relevance today, and is significant both for pedagogical science and for the practice of preschool education.