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Relevance and purpose of the study. Studying the impact of digital technologies on the development of preschool children is one of the topical areas of modern psychology. Digital devices become part of the microenvironment of a child’s development from the first years of their life. However, their impact on a preschooler, is associated, on the one hand, with the discovery of new opportunities, and, on the other hand, with the emergence of risks and difficulties, is a great challenge for parents, teachers, and psychologists. In this regard, the study was aimed at identifying the features of the use of digital devices (tablet / computer) as components of the family educational microenvironment and studying their influence on the intellectual development of older preschoolers.

Sample consisted of 200 preschoolers aged 6-7 years, their parents (mainly mothers) from Moscow city.

Methods. Methods of express diagnostics of intellectual abilities /MEDIS, (E.I.Scheblanova, I.S.Averina, E.N.Zadorina); expert evaluation of intellectual and creative activity, creative thinking of preschoolers in a specially designed game lesson; the survey of the parents about the use of a tablet / computer at home for the development of a child (frequency, time, programs / games); and methods of qualitative and quantitative analysis (statistical package SPSS Statistics 22).

Results. It was revealed that in the families of the majority of preschoolers (96%) digital devices (tablet / computer) are used for their development, but the intensity (time) of use was different: 20-30 minutes for almost half of the older preschoolers, and 30-60 minutes for a little fewer children; but for individual preschoolers, the time exceeded one hour. The analysis of the number of children’s interactions with digital devices (as part of the family educational environment) during the week showed that a significant part of the children were divided into two approximately equal groups (about 40% in each): the frequency of using a tablet / computer in the first group was 1-2 times a week, in the second – 3-4 times a week. There were significantly fewer preschoolers who used a tablet/computer 5-7 times a week – about a fifth. Among the computer programs / games used at home for the development of older preschoolers, those that develop logical thinking turned out to be the most in demand: three quarters of children use them. Approximately half of the children learn programs/games that develop memory, counting and reading skills. The comparison of the children’s intellectual indicators, taking into account the frequency of using a digital device, showed that preschoolers who spend at a tablet/computer 1-2 times a week have a higher level of the development of intellectual abilities than their peers who use this digital device more often.

Conclusion. The peculiarities of the use of a tablet/computer by preschoolers as a component of the family educational microenvironment may determine the variability of the indicators of children’s intellectual development. These features must be taken into account when developing recommendations for parents on the digitalization of the family microenvironment.

Justification of the study. Increasing the financial literacy of the population is one of the priority areas of the policy of the Russian Federation. The Strategy for Increasing Financial Literacy, approved by the Government of the Russian Federation, singles out work with preschool children as an educational area. At the same time financial literacy is not the only basis for the formation of financially literate and rational behavior. A number of studies put forward the thesis about the need to form the financial culture of the individual as a broader concept that includes knowledge, skills, moral and value aspects. In relation to preschool children, it is necessary to substantiate aspects of financial culture and the factors influencing its formation. Recent research shows the role of family factors and educational institution, but little consideration is given to the influence of the children’s community and the possibilities of the children’s subculture.

Description of the study. The research procedure included a conversation with children aimed at studying financial and economic representations, whether children have piggy banks, play as elements of a children’s subculture associated with the financial culture of preschoolers; solution of economic problems; unfinished stories and case studies aimed at studying value orientations and financial behavior. The study involved 52 children of senior preschool age from various cities of Russia.

Results. The study revealed a connection between the preferred games and the ways of solving financial and economic situations by children, between the presence of piggy banks, the experience of accumulation and the ability to postpone desires, and the difference in making financial decisions.

Conclusion. The data obtained confirm the assumption about the influence of children’s subculture as a factor in the formation of financial culture of older preschool children. Such elements of children’s subculture as piggy banks, play on financial and economic topics are available means of forming and developing financial culture in children.

The article discusses the relevance of the problem of children’s speech readiness for schooling, including the development of language and communication abilities of preschool children. It is shown that the transition from kindergarten to school is associated with a change in the social status of a child who becomes a pupil. This is preceded by a huge preparatory work that develops general and special preparation for learning at school, which should result in readiness for school, including speech. The authors consider the cognitive aspect of preschool children’s speech readiness for school. It is shown that the study of the correlation between thought, speech and language in the formation of a preschool child’s personality provides opportunities to identify patterns of development of intellectual, communicative, speech and language abilities in preschool childhood. Language (linguistic) competence in relation to preschoolers is considered as an elementary awareness of the phenomena and facts of language and speech, the formation of the ability to use words, their forms and syntactic structures in accordance with the norms of the literary language, to use synonymic and antonymic resources of the native language. The tasks of the development of linguistic and communicative abilities are presented. The development of all aspects of speech, knowledge of the rules and norms of speech etiquette, and their use, depending on the situation, play an important role in educating the culture of speech communication among preschoolers. The improvement of communicative competence is impossible without learning the basics of speech culture, the absence of which can cause a misconception about the essence of the statement. The prospects of research on the formation of speech readiness for school education are outlined. The conclusions summarize the main points of the article.

The article is based on a questionnaire survey of 486 parents whose children attend pre-school educational institutions in Moscow. The survey was conducted in 2015. The article focuses largely on the specific features of choosing a kindergarten. The parents’ answers are analyzed in terms of the influence that socio-demographic and socio-stratification factors have on this process. The sociological study revealed the specifics concerning a number of aspects: motivation behind their pre-school choice; use of sources to gather preliminary information about a kindergarten; most important factors affecting the choice of a preschool; the level of parents’ awareness about various aspects of kindergarten activities. The data obtained are compared with the results of 1997 opinion poll involving one thousand parents which allows analyzing the dynamics of kindergarten choice transformation features over the past twenty years.

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of development of imagination in modern preschoolers. The article analyzes the currently relevant problem of continuity of family and preschool education. As a way to solve the problem it suggests that groups involving kids of different ages should be set up in kindergartens. Such groups are considered as being similar to a children’s natural community that exists in large families. The article provides the results of their study into the imagination in agediverse preschool groups and those of the same age, it identifies and describes the psychological conditions for development of imagination in preschool years as it shows advantages of children’s education and upbringing in agedivers groups. It provides recommendations on how to organize psychological work with preschoolers. The findings described in this article may be of interest to psychologists, educators and other professionals who deal with preschool children.

Background. The relevance of the study is determined, on the one hand, by the significance of the problem of parent-child play interaction as an important aspect of family education, and on the other hand, by the insufficiency of its studies in the modern conditions of rapidly occurring profound changes in society, affecting the family microenvironment.

Objectives. 1) To identify and analyze the characteristics of play interaction between senior preschoolers with their parents, taking into account the possibilities of using digital devices. 2) To study the influence of the frequency of joint computer games in a family setting on the intellectual and creative development of children.

Sample. The study involved 180 preschoolers aged 6-7 years (Mage = 6.8, SD = 0.34; 88 boys, 92 girls), as well as their parents, mainly mothers. All preschoolers and their parents were the residents of Moscow. Most children (92.78%) attended preschool educational institutions.

Methods. A survey of parents was conducted. To diagnose children’s development, the following methods were used: a test method for diagnosing intellectual abilities (MEDIS); structured observation and expert assessments of children’s participation in a game lesson to reveal creative and intellectual potential. Methods of qualitative and quantitative data analysis were used (Jamovi 1.6.23 statistical package).

Results. In most families, play interaction between modern senior preschoolers and parents is implemented both in the form of traditional games (board, outdoor, role-playing, etc.) and computer games. However, the frequency of their use varies. In general, traditional games are chosen more often than computer games. At the same time, mothers are more likely to play traditional games with their children than fathers. When using gadgets, the opposite trend is observed: fathers are more likely than mothers to play computer games with their children. Preschoolers who rarely played computer games with their moms or dads had higher intellectual test scores.

Conclusions. The results of the study allow us to expand scientific understanding of the play interactions between modern senior preschoolers and parents. The need for psychological and pedagogical support for parents in choosing and organizing joint games with children is highlighted. The data obtained can be used in the development of recommendations to parents on the creation of a developing family microenvironment, in particular, on its digitalization.