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Background. Currently, key aspects of children’s mental development remain insufficiently studied in psychological science and educational practice, among which the problem of the relationship between speech and thinking stands out. Despite considerable attention to this area, an in-depth study of a number of classical works makes it possible to identify works that were previously underestimated and are now gaining special importance due to their important conclusions and prospects for further research. Such works include a monograph that presents a study of the relationship between words and images in solving various tasks for preschoolers, carried out by psychologists under the guidance of L.A. Venger.

Objective. Analysis of the results of an experimental study conducted by a research team led by L.A. Venger in the late 1990s and devoted to the study of the genesis and mechanisms of interaction between verbal and figurative components of thinking in preschool age.

Methods. Analysis of scientific literature, review and presentation of the initial data and results of the study of the relationship between words and images in the process of solving mental tasks by preschool children.

Results. The study showed that in preschool age, thinking is mediated primarily by images and visual models, and speech performs auxiliary, guiding and expressive functions, but is not the main means of solving cognitive problems. It was established that the word can become a mediating means only when solving logical problems that require conceptual analysis and planning, which is typical for senior preschool age. Figurative and verbal thinking develop in parallel and independently of each other, but with specially organized training, close relationships are formed between them.

Conclusions. The data of the presented study strongly suggests that speech performs mainly an auxiliary role when using visual models in solving mental tasks (generating an image, drawing on past experience, designating visual means of solving problems, etc.). The word can perform a mediating function by the older preschool age when solving tasks by children where it is necessary to establish hierarchical relationships between generalizations and generalized speech planning. The study of the problem of the relationship between image and word in solving cognitive tasks by preschool children not only provided answers to some important psychological questions on the complex topic of the relationship between speech and thinking, but also outlined further lines of study of this problem.

Relevance of the article. Preschoolers are active users of modern digital devices, and therefore their media activity is increasingly becoming the subject of close attention. Scientists disagree on whether gadgets positively or negatively effect on the development of a child’s psyche, and what types of media activity have a positive effect on the success of preschoolers.

The aim of the study: to identify differences in the level of development of mental abilities of senior preschoolers in two groups: those using digital devices mainly for watching cartoons and videos, and those using digital devices mainly for video games and applications.

Description of the research progress. The study involved 267 senior preschool children and their parents. Parents filled out a questionnaire (Bortsova, Nekrasov, 2020) aimed at studying the child’s predominant way of using digital devices and screen time indicators. Children aged 5–7 years were divided into two groups: those who predominantly watch videos and cartoons (passive screen time), and those who prefer video games and applications (active screen time). The level of development of children’s mental abilities was studied using a battery of techniques created under the guidance of L.A. Venger. According to the level of imagination development, the children were divided into three groups based on the results of the “Complete the Drawing” technique (Dyachenko, 2007). The results of the development of intellectual and creative abilities of two groups of children were compared using the Student’s t-test and one-factor analysis of variance.

Research results. Children using digital devices primarily for video games and applications had a higher level of mental development compared to the group of children using digital devices primarily for watching cartoons and videos. Children with low levels of nonverbal imagination spent more time in front of digital device screens than children with medium and high levels.

Conclusions. Modern computer games and applications have the potential to develop the intellectual abilities of older preschoolers. At the same time, interaction with digital devices negatively affects the development of imagination.

The relevance of research. The changes taking place in society and culture affect the transformation of such a socio-cultural phenomenon as childhood. Obtaining current knowledge about childhood makes it possible to predict the features of the future society, the adult population of which will consist of modern children. Obtaining data on the similarities and differences of ideas about childhood in children and adults can allow us to build effective educational work with parents. This will help adults better understand children, change the educational and the pedagogical process in accordance with the needs, values, and problems of modern preschoolers. The article presents the results of a study of the peculiarities of ideas about childhood as a phenomenon in older preschool children and parents of older preschoolers and designing on this basis of an educational program for parents.

Organization of the study. The aim of the study was to develop methods and conduct a comparative analysis of children’s and parents’ ideas about childhood and to develop a program of educational activities taking into account the identified features. Diagnostic research tools included modifications of "soft" methods (S.N. Mayorova-Shcheglova): the sociographic method (drawing on a given topic "Children and their childhood", analysis of the depicted event) the collision method (analysis of the verbally presented situation) and the comic book method (inventing the child's replicas of the hero in the presented situations). In addition, an auxiliary method was used – a conversation – for the interpretation of children's drawings and a modified projective technique "Ladder".

Research results. As a result of the study, comparative data were obtained on the specifics of ideas of different generations about the phenomenon of childhood, the peculiarities of the understanding of childhood by modern children and modern parents were identified, on this basis a program of educational activities for parents was developed and tested. The program of educational activities: is focused on the development of parental competence as an integrative ability to solve the problems of development and upbringing of children, which involves the implementation of comprehensive educational work, including stimulating motivation, position formation, enrichment of ideas and the formation of practical skills; involves the organization of a system of individual support of parents, a variety of forms of work, the development of parental reflection, stimulating independence and awareness through keeping a personal diary; practice-oriented, illustrated with a large number of examples and cases from real practice; involves updating the existing experience of parents, helps everyone see points of their own growth.

Conclusions. The program of educational activities was designed on the basis of the data obtained on the specific ideas about the phenomenon of childhood of older preschoolers and parents and is focused on the problems of raising a child in a family that are relevant for modern parents and children.

The relevance of the article. Relevance. In today’s rapidly developing world, where sustainability and environmental awareness have become major global issues, special attention should be paid to early childhood education and the promotion of sustainable values. One of the key tools in this process is high-quality children’s media content.

Research objectives. The article examines the importance of high-quality content in children’s media to promote sustainable values and improve early childhood development. The necessity of creating high-quality content in the media for young children is discussed, high-quality content is determined and evaluated, and how it can raise awareness and cause changes in social behavior is investigated.

Research progress. The article takes a case study approach and analyzes Kozalak Preschool, an animated series created by the author of the article that models sustainable practices and encourages children to connect with nature. The series, created as part of the Increasing Quality of and Access to Early Childhood Education Services Project (ECE) in Turkey and serves as an example of how quality content can promote sustainable behavior and support early childhood development.

Conclusions. High-quality content serves as a powerful tool for promoting sustainable development and shaping a more optimistic future. Through the integration of educational elements, positive role modeling, socio-emotional learning and an emphasis on environmental awareness, children’s media can help young minds become catalysts for change. By cultivating an understanding of sustainable development and strengthening commitment to environmental protection, high-quality content in children’s media can have a long-term impact on their development and inspire them to become active defenders of our planet.

The relevance of research. The topic of education transformation is extremely relevant today, since in the last 10-20 years the approach to the role of preschool education (upbringing and education) of young children around the world has changed globally. As a result, many countries have revised approaches to preschool education, it has taken the place that this level of education deserves for the development of competitiveness of countries (Komarova, 2018). This forced the world community to reconsider its approaches to education and hold a series of congresses, conferences and symposiums dedicated to the transformation of national education systems. All the changes were the result of long-term (some were conducted since the 1960s) experiments and studies of educators and psychologists from different countries. Thus, today's transformation of the pedagogy of young children (from 0 to 8 years old) has become the result of largest scientific research (Komarova, Tishchenko, 2023). The article is devoted to the study of how the program documents changed in Russia and what studies preceded it. This is especially important today, when the program documents of the preschool education system have been radically changed three times over the past 10 years.

The purpose of the study: to present and analyze the logic of the emergence of various documents of the system of preschool education in Russia, in the creation of which great scientists were involved, what problems of preschool education and how they solved, how justified these decisions were for creating conditions for survival, upbringing and human development.

Description of the research progress. The study was based on the analysis of materials from four groups of sources. The first group consists of archival materials covering the period from 1900 to 1975, related to the activities of N.P. Sakulina and from 1908 to 2020, related to the activities of T.S. Komarova. Archival sources also include Reports of the Research Institute of Preschool Education of the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences on scientific activities prepared by T.S. Komarova as Deputy Director for Science of the Research Institute of Preschool Education for the USSR Academy of Sciences; records of T.S. Komarova about the stay of American psychologists, including Uri Bronfenbrenner at the International Psychological Congress in Moscow. The first group includes materials from meetings on the preparation of the Concept for the Development of the Preschool Education System (2022–2023) by I.I. Komarova. The second group consists of books and articles devoted to research on the history of the formation of the preschool education system in the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. These materials were used earlier in the development of a course and a methodological manual for the State Academy of Education. The third group includes studies carried out by international research groups and international institutes on the formation of educational policy for young children (Komarova, Chabrova, 2022). This group also includes foreign dissertations devoted to the study of the Soviet experience after the publication of Bronfenbrenner's book on the Preschool Education Program in the USSR (Bronfenbrenner, 1976). The fourth group of sources is the program documents themselves, which regulate the state policy regarding preschool education and preschool education in Russia, from the middle of the 19th century to the present.

Research results. As a result of the study, material on the state of ECCE in Russia, its relationship with trends in various countries of the world was systematized. The analysis of sources allowed us to establish the continuity of different stages in the development of Russian preschool pedagogy and psychology, its orientation towards the scientific base and practical logic.

Conclusion. The world education system is changing before our eyes, and it is changing radically. The needs of these changes have been felt by most countries of the world. These changes lead to changes in educational policy, access to education, the emergence of new objects and subjects of education, the formation of a new structure of the sciences of education, pedagogy and psychology as scientific disciplines with their own assessment system, etc.

Relevance (context) of the subject of the article. The role of the play in preschool age is a priority. At the same time, the predominance of the cognitive dominant in educational standards has an adverse effect on the full living of a child of preschool childhood. When discussing the problem of standardization of education, special attention is paid to the forecasts of D.B. Elkonin, that did not loose their importance today regarding the reform of education in general and preschool education in particular. It is noted that the idea of “high standards of education”, implemented through the introduction of programs for the early development of intellectual skills in children and their preparation for the use of high technologies in the future, simplifies the development of a preschooler.

Organization of the research. The purpose of the study was to determine the presence of ontogenetically successive types of play in the system of additional education of preschoolers. The research method was a content analysis of the content of advertising products for services offered by institutions of additional education for children of early and preschool age. More than 500 advertisements have been analyzed. The analysis showed that the list of proposals is dominated by areas focused on the knowledge component, many of which prevent the formation of age-related neoplasms.

Research results. The results of an analytical study of the services offered by institutions of additional education for young and preschool children indicate the dominance of the school preparation service, the implementation of which begins from 2–3 years of age. The ratio of “developing” services for children offered by extracurricular institutions is shown, in which there is completely no orientation to the leading type of activity of a preschooler – the play. It is indicated that the implementation of both basic and additional education for preschool children in modern conditions is carried out with the predominant use of school forms and teaching aids.

Conclusions. The analysis showed that the use of school forms, methods and techniques when teaching preschoolers in preschool and additional education institutions outside the reliance on the leading type of activity deprives children of a full-fledged childhood. Limited by the framework of educational and other standards, preschool childhood today is deprived of the means to construct the image of adulthood, the image of the social future and the prospects of one’s own individual formation.

The relevance of the subject of the article. The topic of the transformation of education today is extremely relevant, since in the last 10–20 years the approach to the role of preschool education / Early Childhood Care and Education of young children around the world has changed globally. This forced the world community to reconsider its approaches to education and hold a series of congresses, conferences and symposiums dedicated to the transformation of national education systems (Komarova, 2018).

The article is devoted to the systematization of the data presented and discussed at the UNESCO World Conference in Uzbekistan, presented by 150 heads of state, ministers or representatives of ministries, heads of NGOs and international organizations in the field of early childhood education and upbringing.

The purpose of the study is to present and analyze the diversity of approaches of different countries to solving the problems of preschool education in order to create conditions for human survival and development that ensure sustainable development.

Description of the research progress. The authors analyzed the educational statistics of several groups of countries: post-Soviet countries; developing countries; developed countries; countries that have long used innovative approaches in the upbringing and education of young children, etc. The authors have published several reports on this topic (Karakchieva et al., 2022; Komarova, Chabrova, 2022). The data obtained earlier were compared with studies of certain aspects of preschool education and upbringing, developed by groups of scientists and aimed at concepts that are recognized as important in the current situation, for example, research on the neurophysiology of early childhood or the ecologization of childhood, etc. These data were also compared with those characteristics of the state of ECCE, which were given by the heads of state, ministers responsible for ECCE.

Research results. As a result of the study, material on the state of ECCE in various countries of the world, on further development directions was systematized.

Conclusion. The global education system is changing. The need for these changes has been felt by most countries in the world. These changes lead to changes in educational policy, access to education, the emergence of new objects and subjects of education, the formation of a new structure of the sciences of education, the formation of pedagogy and psychology as scientific disciplines with their own assessment system, etc.

This article analyzes the attitude of respondents to the profession of Early Childhood Education Teacher. Respondents were preschool teachers (n = 203) and parents of preschoolers (n = 706). The basis for the empirical study was the Kazan Center for Social and Humanitarian Education, which is being implemented within the framework of the experimental site of FEDI RANEPA. The study was conducted over September and October 2018. A questionnaire method was used to collect information. The research has shown that to be recognized as a professional, significant for the progressive development of society, the early childhood education teacher fulfills his/her social order, but is assessed by public opinion as a person who does not have the opportunity to rise to a high level in the social hierarchy. Despite the fact that the respondents, i.e. the teachers of early childhood educational institutions belong to the low-income strata of the Russian society and the absence of a high socio-economic status, their ideas about their profession are generally positive. The authors suggest that the positive interpretation of the external assessment of their profession by the respondents is a mechanism for conscious increase of professionalism. An early childhood education teacher is a creative profession and a positive self-esteem of the prestige of the work in the field of early childhood education work can be linked to the processes of self-actualization and self-realization. On the other hand, overestimated perceptions of the prestige of the profession help early childhood education teachers to form their symbolic capital.

Responding parents demonstrate trust in public early childhood educational institutions, which is defined by paternalistic orientation of parents in relations with teachers and administration of preschool educational institution and is interpreted by the authors as loyalty of respondents to government. The authors note that the prestige of the profession of an early childhood education teacher has different meanings for its bearers, for those who use educational services, and for society as a whole.

This paper represents the views of academics of the St. Petersburg scientific school on the place and role of the object environment in the development of preschoolers from the moment of the foundation of the Early Childhood Education Department of the Institute for Childhood of the A.I. Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia to the present day.

The purpose of this paper is the study of tendencies in the development of the idea of arrangement of the kindergarten during the last century on the basis of comparison of the ideas of famous scientific figures who were at the origins of the Early Childhood Education Department and academics of the Early Childhood Education Department who represent contemporary preschool pedagogical science.

The main method of research is a comparative analysis of scientific research of academics of the St. Petersburg scientific school in historical retrospective. The study topic is the phenomenon of object and space environment, assessment of its significance and content for the development of children of early and preschool age in different historical periods.

As a result of the study, the tendencies of changes in the understanding of the object and space environment as a condition and means of development of children before the school have been defined, the sustainable approaches in the organization of the environment in different historical periods have been revealed, the interrelations between the method of transformation of pedagogical reality dominating in a certain historical period and the character of the created environment in the kindergarten have been established.

Introduction. The article presents the results of the theoretical retrospective analysis of the problem of developing a methodology for the humanitarian research of childhood in the scientific school of the Pedagogical Institute of Preschool Education (1918-1925) and the Department of Preschool Pedagogy of the Herzen State Pedagogical University. The purpose of the study is to analyze and summarize the scientific and theoretical approaches that formed the basis of modern methodology of humanitarian research of pre-school childhood.

The key ideas of the study was considering child as a subject focused on the adult world, and the socialization culture of the preschool child on the basis of the unity of the emotional-sensual world, cognition and activity.

Results. Article provides description and generalization of scientific and theoretical approaches, which formed the basis of preschool pedagogy as a branch of pedagogical science and methods of preschool education, developed by the Herzen State Pedagogical University. Approaches to the renewal of preschool education are presented taking into account modern knowledge about the phenomenon of childhood.

Conclusion. The concept of methodology of the humanitarian study of modern childhood makes it possible to study childhood and design interaction with the child, focused on its subject development.

Methodology. The article describes the history of the creation and development of one of the oldest faculties of the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia – the Institute of Childhood, which prepares specialists for preschool and primary education. Authors describe the changes in structure, the content of the work and the organization’s characteristics of the institute.

The article purpose is description of the 100-year history of the development of the Institute of Childhood of the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia, the identification of pedagogical traditions and prospects for the further development of the institute. The article is based on an analysis of documents and other sources describing the emergence and development of the Institute of Childhood.

Results. Starting from the St. Petersburg Froebel Society founded in 1871, the tradition of the training of specialists in preschool and primary education in Russia is described. The history of the appearance in 1918 and the development of the first higher educational institution in Russia is unfolded. The history of the development of the main directions of the Institute’s work – pedagogical and scientific research activity – is shown. The transformations of the departments, the contribution of the well-known researchers of preschool and primary education to the training of personnel, the current state and prospects for the development of the Institute of Childhood are described.

Conclusions. The presented article makes it possible to analyze the directions of development and ways of improving the system of training specialists in preschool and primary education, to realize the necessity of continuity of the two levels of education, not only in the implementation of the educational process, but also in the preparation of future educators of pre-school educational organizations and primary school teachers.

Introduction. The paper examines the necessity of public urban playgrounds for children. Psychological and pedagogical studies reveal that the quantity and quality of outdoor play areas do not cover the needs of children. The authors monitored playgrounds in different areas of Moscow, Russia in order to explore the actual situation in the urban space from the perspective of well balanced development and spontaneous outdoor learning of children of different ages. They looked into how existing public playgrounds covered the needs of children, and if the outdoor learning was possible.

Methods. The study had two stages. The data was collected by structured non-participant observation with interview elements in which 24 public playgrounds in Moscow were involved, 417 adults were interviewed. The authors carried out an analysis of the equipment of playgrounds, and children activities to determine whether and how far playgrounds were used for communication in mixed age groups.

Analysis and Results. The authors analyzed characteristics of playgrounds, including: location, observation time, age and number of visitors, equipment and its arrangement, presented play areas and infrastructure, surface materials, individual and group activities of children and adults. The observation discovered that children of three different ages (early, preschool and school age) were using public playgrounds at the same time. The vast majority of the playgrounds near apartment blocks (76.9%) and almost a half of the playgrounds in parks (45.5%) had separated play areas for children of different ages, which largely meets the needs of parents. The qualitative analysis revealed that the equipment of the park playgrounds was more diverse, while almost a half of the playgrounds near apartment blocks (53.8%) showed one and the same type of equipment. The authors emphasize that, both playgrounds near apartment blocks and playgrounds in parks, were more focused on active exercises; most components of the equipment were of the same type and had closed character. The authors discovered lack of equipment for experimenting. The infrastructure of the playgrounds of both types showed that the playgrounds were considered as a space for children only, the interests and needs of adults coming with children were not taken into account.

Conclusion. The study indicates the need to create additional conditions for supporting and developing of children’s game, and increasing educational capacity of playgrounds. Among the measures proposed by the authors is increasing the educational capacity of playgrounds, and creating a citywide digital resource with a map and description of psychological and pedagogical characteristics of outdoor areas for children. An important role is given to educational work with families, that will increase the parental competence and responsibility in the field of educational structuring and outdoor learning.

Background. Currently, constant video surveillance of children in both private and public preschool institutions has become a normal, everyday phenomenon, and has a significant impact not only on the organization of the daily activities of teaching and support staff of preschool institutions, but also on the processes of socialization, education, and psycho-emotional development of children.

Objective. This article analyzes parental perception and attitudes towards constant video monitoring in private preschools. Additionally, its examines the impact of video monitoring on the daily work of preschool staff and raises questions about the potential long-term effects of constant video monitoring on the development of child’s personality.

Sample. The study involved 185 participants, including parents of preschoolers attending private preschools in Moscow and Tyumen, as well as preschool owners and employees.

Methods. The research used a questionnaire survey and an incomplete-sentence test specifically designed for this study, supplemented by clarifying questions when necessary.

Results. The study sheds light on parental motivation for supporting video monitoring. It also explores how constant video monitoring influences the work of teachers and the relationship between parents and private preschools.

Conclusions. The findings raise critical questions for further exploration: What are the long-term implications of constant video monitoring? Are there hidden negative aspects that parents and teachers should consider? How does the availability of new technological tools reshape relationships and communication between parents and children?