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Background. Preserving the self-worth of preschool childhood, maximizing the use of age characteristics for the cognitive and personal development of a child is an extremely important task of modern psychology and pedagogy. Right now, when many parents are trying to teach their kids to read and count, starting at the age of three, or even earlier, when gadgets, the Internet and Artificial Intelligence become part of our lives, the task of finding methods and educational work that would ensure the cognitive development of preschoolers while maintaining forms specific to this age is becoming urgent.

Objective. Scientific understanding of the works of L.A. Venger, the study of the relationship of biographical events with research ideas, the identification of areas of creative potential in the current situation of the development of psychology and pedagogy.

Methods. A retrospective analysis of L.A. Venger’s biography and work in the aspects of his contribution to the development of theory and practice of preschool education.

Results. The study of L.A. Venger’s scientific heritage revealed the specifics of his understanding of the development of abilities in preschool childhood. Being a consistent advocate of cultural and historical theory and working within its framework, the scientist considered the cognitive development of preschoolers through the prism of the development of various types of general abilities. Thus, following his teacher A.V. Zaporozhets, Leonid Abramovich considered sensory abilities as perceptual actions that are acquired by a child in the process of mastering sensory standards. The development of cognitive abilities occurs through the mastery and use of visual-figurative models (diagrams, drawings, plans, etc.). The development of creative abilities occurs on the basis of mastering actions with images, while speech means are added at the older preschool age. The undoubted merit of L.A. Venger is that the mechanisms for the development of each type of ability were described in detail, not only the means were described, but the ontogenesis of the corresponding actions was revealed. Educational systems based on these mechanisms have gained recognition in the pedagogical community, and diagnostic systems in the psychological community. At the same time, the issue of developing preschoolers’ abilities at the present stage is important for further study, in the context of childhood, which often takes place with an excessive presence of gadgets, but is not saturated with games and specific productive activities of children.

Conclusions. The concept of developing abilities presented in L.A. Venger’s research contributes to solving such fundamental problems of psychology as the relationship between learning and development; preserving the self-worth of preschool childhood in conditions of adequate educational work; developing the child’s imagination and creativity. L.A. Venger’s ideas undoubtedly remain relevant, and his work is continued by his followers and students.

The relevance of the subject of the article. There is no single approach to the concept of creativity, and no clear understanding and criteria how to distinguish creative activity from non-creative one. The relevance of the problem lies in identifying and resolving the contradictions of numerous approaches and theories that interpret the phenomenon of creativity, including children’s. This will allow teachers to consciously and purposefully develop creativity in children’s activities.

Description of the research progress. The research is focused on the studies of pedagogy and psychology. The article systematizes the scientific concepts of creativity, gives an overview of modern models of children’s creativity, analyses domestic and Western theories and the philosophical foundations of the phenomenon. Features of creativity in preschool age are identified, the prerequisites and conditions for its development are carried out.

Research results. As a result of the study, approaches and theories to the phenomenon of creativity, including children’s creativity, were systematized. The features of creativity in senior preschool age are revealed, the methodological foundations for studying children’s creativity are determined.

Conclusion. Researchers consider creativity as a product, process (activity), personality characteristic and as a social phenomenon, which is based on innate abilities and social environment. If it is impossible to change the culture the child grows in and innate abilities, we can influence the social environment and build a creative experience for the child, constructing special conditions for its support and development

Introduction. The article presents the results of the analysis of the stages of the formation of the system of training teachers of preschool education at the Herzen State Pedagogical University. The purpose of the analysis is to reveal the historical stages and distinctive features of the St. Petersburg model of training teacher of preschool education from the period of existence of the Pedagogical Institute of Preschool Education to the modern stage of modernization of teacher education in Russia.

The result of the study was a description of the four stages of the formation of the St. Petersburg model for the preparation of the teacher of preschool education in the conditions of higher education, including: the stage of training in the conditions of functioning of the Pedagogical Institute of Preschool Education (1918-1925); stage of registration of preschool pedagogy and methods of preschool education as educational disciplines and content core of teacher training (1926-1992); stage of level and variable training of the teacher of preschool education (1992-2013); the stage of development of new practice-oriented models for the training of bachelors and masters in the profile of “pre-school education” (2014 – to the present-day).

Conclusion. The study allows to characterize the essential, distinctive features of the St. Petersburg model of training teacher for pre-school education, to identify promising areas of development, features of educational programs for the training of teachers of preschool education.

Vygotsky theory of higher mental functions formed the basis of understanding of the abilities and means of development. Abilities develop in childhood, providing “entry” in the culture and successful acquisition of different activities throughout life. Development of Vygotsky’s ideas formed understanding of the mechanisms leading to the formation of abilities in preschool childhood through the mastery and use of child preschool imagery tools. The following mental abilities and tools that promote development were identified: sensory (means – sensory etalons), intellectual (means – graphic-shaped models), creative (means – images) and symbolic (means – symbols). The use of imagery means for development of these types of abilities helps the child to deal with complex cognitive and creative tasks with a little help from an adult, i.e. extends the zone of proximal development. Adult acts as both a carrier of culture and as a partner of the child in various activities (educational, play, graphic etc.). Such approach to education and training not only provides intellectual and creative, but also personal and social development of preschool child.

The purpose of the article is to show the results of a study on the entropy of functional and subject literacy of children of preschool and primary school age in the conditions of continuity of the preschool (preschool) and primary stages of education. The dominant strategies in educational practice to counter entropy (negentropy models) are identified and analyzed. The empirical basis of the study was educational institutions in Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Leningrad, Novosibirsk regions. In the course of diagnosing the level of development of functional and subject literacy in children of preschool and primary school age, it was found that both types of literacy tend to entropy – to the loss of formed knowledge, skills, universal educational actions, and competencies. The dominant strategies for the formation of functional and subject literacy, identified from the work experience of teachers, have different counteractions to entropy. However, it is not yet completely clear which strategies should be given preference.

The problem is that the selected strategies (models) for countering entropy do not sufficiently take into account bifurcation zones (zones of unexpected loss of formed knowledge and skills); teachers do not always understand what works for functional literacy and what works for subject literacy. how to combine or integrate methodological means of functional literacy and methodological means of subject literacy.

The research methods used were questionnaires, testing, pedagogical observation, pedagogical experiment, generalization of research results at international and all-Russian scientific and practical conferences, and mathematical data processing. In total, 701 teachers (347 kindergarten teachers and 354 primary school teachers) took part in the experiments (diagnostic and formative) over three years (2020-2024), the prerequisites for functional and subject literacy in children 6-7 years old were studied (324 dialogues), as well as functional and subject literacy in children 7-10 years old (453 answers).

The main results of the study were the dominant models: 1) integrated development of functional and subject literacy; 2) parallel development of both literacy; 3) the formation of subject literacy without integration with work on the development of functional literacy. It has been proven that the most effective model for the formation of functional and subject literacy is the model associated with the formation of only subject literacy: this model ensures the development of both subject and functional literacy.

Conclusions: the results of the study indicate that in preschool and school institutions in Russia there are still few variable models that can counteract the entropy of functional and subject literacy of children of preschool and primary school age. Models, technologies, and didactic means of developing functional and subject literacy in children of preschool and primary school age may become promising areas of pedagogical research.